Streamer Spotlight: Toph

The world of streaming has opened up new and exciting avenues for entertainment, with a variety of streamers around the world doing their utmost to foster communities and bring together likeminded people.

For LGBTQ+ streamers community, striking out against the norm, charity work and being a role-model is part of what makes streaming so fun and rewarding. That’s worth celebrating and to lead up to the Gayming Awards 2023, we’ll be highlighting each streamer who has been nominated for our LGBTQ Streamer of the Year, a category sponsored by Streamlabs.

Our third Gayming Awards 2023 Streamer Spotlight is Toph.

Toph is a fan of all things Nintendo, with a particular passion for Pokemon! They are a comfort variety streamer, a speaker of both Japanese and English and is a member of Rainbow Arcade.

How did you get into video games/streaming?

I’ve been a gamer from early childhood! My first consoles were an NES and Atari 2600 which my dad had and introduced to me and my brother. As for streaming, I started in 2016 while I was living in Japan as a way to feel less alone as living abroad can be a little isolating at times. It really helped me open up more and be able to share my passion for video games with people all over the world!

What is your favourite thing to stream?

My favorite games to stream are mostly Nintendo, life sims, and indie games. I really enjoy being able to chat with my community while streaming and I feel like games such as Animal Crossing, Pokemon and the like allow me to do that more easily.

What can people expect from your stream?

People can expect very chill vibes. I’m a morning streamer so I’m usually waking up with my audience. Lots of open discussions, jokes, and occasional “gremlin energy” as my community likes to call it.

How has your experience as an out LGBTQ+/QTPOC streamer been?

Being an openly queer person online in any capacity comes with opposition so it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. However, I’d like to think that regardless of what has come my way over the years, I’ve been able to turn it all into positive experiences and/or discussions. Through the good and bad, I try to show my community that queer people are just like everybody else. I try to show them that we can have a voice and be happy. That we belong in this space and any space. That even if bigots spew hate we don’t need to accept it or back down. I’ve also been able to meet and connect with so many other queer people online during my time streaming which has been such a blessing!

What do you do outside of streaming?

To be honest, I don’t do too much. I enjoy spending time with my dog, watching horror movies, reading books and working on BTS stuff for stream. I’m kind of boring. I also play a lot of video games outside of streaming, too. I moved back to the US after living abroad in Japan for nearly a decade not so long ago so I’m trying to find more ways to get out there and be part of a local community but it can be hard (haha).

What do you enjoy the most about streaming?

As I may have mentioned already, my favorite part of streaming is being able to interact with people. My community and peers have enriched my life in ways I never thought possible and given me a chosen family on Twitch. I also really enjoy using my platform to raise money and awareness for different charitable organizations. I have a few events planned this year!

What have you learned about yourself through streaming?

I’ve learned to love myself more and be more confident. Also–and this might sound a bit weird–I’ve learned to set boundaries which is something I talk about a lot. You meet a lot of people through streaming and meaning can get lost through text chat so communication and boundaries are so important in order to have a good time with everyone.

What’s your main goal as a streamer for the future?

My main goal for streaming is to keep going and growing of course! But I want to try out some new things this year, too. I’ve been streaming for over 6 years and it feels like it’s time for a change. This year might be one for experimentation!

What are you looking forward to most this year?

I’m really looking forward to enjoying all the new games coming out this year with my community! But aside from streaming, I’m looking forward to more personal growth. My main goal this year is to find a career within the gaming industry and to work on my mental health. Please wish me luck!

How does it feel to be nominated for Gayming Magazine’s Streamer of the Year?

It feels incredible to be recognized alongside so many amazing content creators! I’ve said from the beginning that the Gayming Awards even existing is a huge win for the LGBTQIA+ community and I’m truly honored to be a part of that. 

How do you think it’ll affect your streaming to win Streamer of the Year?

If I were to win, I would continue what I’ve been doing, of course, but I’d also want to live up to the award and be an even better example of what the queer community has to offer on Twitch and other platforms.

To find out more about Toph, head on over to their Twitch channel.

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