Streamer Spotlight: AQuarterGhost
In our first Streamer Spotlight of the year, we meet trans streamer AQuarterGhost – Rainbow Arcade and The Plant Army member and co-founder of the brand new stream team The Breadbox.
With a focus on chilled vibes, uplifting marginalised voices and charity streams, they’re all about curating a kind community. And if you’re looking for tips on The Sims, this is the place to be!
Read on as we chat charity streams, the need for a trans tag, and the trans stories they’d love to see in games…
When and why did you start streaming?
I started streaming a little over a year ago. My streamiversary just happened! I started because I was looking at the platform on Twitch and I couldn’t find that many trans people that were incredibly visible. So I wanted to see more trans visibility on Twitch and normalise that we exist and help those that are struggling with their identities. It took off from there and I’m really happy with how it’s going!
It’s grown quickly over the last year!
Yeah it really has! Which I’m surprised but really thankful for!
What games do you prefer to stream?
I prefer to stream chill games. I’m getting more into variety than I have been as of late. I’ve been playing a lot of The Sims but I want to get more into chill games like Stardew Valley and maybe some indie story-driven games as well that promote anxiety free environments.
What can people expect from your stream?
Hopefully a welcoming and friendly environment that promotes inclusivity and uplifts marginalised voices. I want to create a space someone can come and chill in after a long day at work, or have in the background to study to. It’s like hanging out with a friend.
How do you ensure your stream is a safe space and promotes that chilled vibe?
I try and talk with everyone that comes in. I try and listen to…there’s only so much I can do, I’m not a mental health professional – but I try and understand and empathise with people. As well as having really chilled music. I’m not really a hyper person, I’m more low energy and I guess it’s like having tea with a friend!
Community is important to you then?
Yeah it’s the reason I’m on Twitch, community is everything!
And you’ve just created a new stream team, The Breadbox…
I’m really excited about it. We’re very new and in development. We focus on inclusivity, kindness and raising money for charity. Before I came into the picture a group called The Good Gamers started raising money together for charity and then I got involved with them, and we all decided to make it officially a stream team.
So the focus is on charity streams?
Yeah we all love raising money for charity and we all came together to raise it together. I’ve found that I really love doing a charity stream at least once a month. I’ve raised over 5k in the last year!
How do you find being an out LGBT streamer?
It’s mostly positive. I find it really important since I have a platform I can reach others that way. There’s always going to be someone out there that disagrees with my existence but I’m not letting that stop me from being visible for those that need it. I know that when I was first discovering who I am, finding people who were proud to be trans or LGBTQ made me realise it’s ok to be me. So I want to be one of those people who at least inspires one person to feel like they can be themselves.
I’ve actually received messages, people have said they finally decided to come out and were able to feel comfortable, even if they didn’t come out they’re able to feel comfortable in my space and be themselves, and able to say these are my pronouns when they weren’t before and it’s a really good feeling.
What’s your opinion on the need for a trans tag? Do you feel it would be beneficial?
I really like that idea. I know everyone has their own opinion on it. I think it would be great to have a tag. I know [Twitch] said it would bring hate but to be honest trans streamers already get hate on the platform without the tag, we always get trolls and things like that. I know it would be harder for a smaller streamer just starting out trying to get mods to help with their space, but I think the tag overall would be good because it would bring the community closer together and we’d be able to find and support one another easier than we can now.
How else could Twitch be more supportive of marginalised communities?
I don’t know the whole workings of it but I feel like it needs to be moderated better when it comes to how certain people are allowed to make accounts, hate raids to LGBTQ people and things like that. I know they’re starting to take steps but I’ve seen it myself and had it happen to me before and it’s very jarring. It upsets the community and not just the streamer. So I think more work to prevent hate on the platform for LGBTQ people would be nice.
What’s your main goal as a streamer for the future?
For a while it was raise money for charity, my top goal now is to raise more money than last year! I wasn’t sure if I would get partner this year but I got partner, and I wanted to create my own stream team and we did that already. So I think mostly I’ll be working on charity streams from now on. It’s really been wonderful, the community’s been super supportive.
What’s the best thing about being a streamer?
I would say meeting everyone and finding so many relatable streamers and people through community. My partner and I, when the pandemic happened, we were struggling. I started streaming and we started gaining a community and the community literally came together and helped us so we could have food and everything. That was a huge moment that made me realise this is the path I want to be on because there are so many people that I want to help too and give back.
What have you learned about yourself through streaming?
I think I’ve learned that I can do something like this. I was so afraid because I’m an introvert, I’m shy, I have social anxiety and I worried that I wouldn’t be entertaining enough or I wouldn’t be talkative enough for a stream but I learned that’s not necessarily what it’s about. It’s about being there for others as well. I learned to, in a cheesy way, accept myself where I can be out and be myself where I couldn’t be in certain spaces in person.
What advice would you give to gaymers wanting to start streaming?
I should say, just do it! Obviously they may hit some snags here and there, there will be people who will bring some negativity in. But for the most part it’s so worth it. You will meet so many people who will change your perspective on things and also vice versa.
What’s the game that defined your childhood?
I was a huge gamer when I was a kid, I went through a lot of different games. I loved The Longest Journey game, it was this really old game from the 1990s. I loved the original Tomb Raider, I used to play that with my dad. But I think one of the ones that I could actually make someone more like me would be The Sims. I got it for my birthday when I was a kid and I remember I was able to make a masculine Sim. Obviously things have definitely improved in that game when it comes to gender, but it was nice to then find other games, like Dragon Age and other RPGs, where I can start making characters that fit who I am.
What’s your new year gaming wish?
I would want to see more trans stories that weren’t filled with trauma. I understand having some kind of drama in the main plot, that’s fine. But when it comes to a character that’s trans I would like it if they were just trans and then the story is there and it has nothing to do with their identity or that trauma. It would be really great to see that. It’s good to have visibility and they’re starting to have that in games, but my wish is to see that visibility celebrate transness rather than being traumatic.
To find out more about AQuarterGhost, catch them streaming on their Twitch channel.
Streamer Spotlight is a weekly column from Ed Nightingale about highlighting LGBT+ streamers who are creating communities that are diverse and progressive.
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