Celebrity Gaymer: DEVOGLAER
DEVOGLAER is a model, actor and TV producer, best known as the producer of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and as assistant of the The Boulet Brothers. He is also co-host of The Boulet Brothers’ Creatures of the Night podcast.
He recently announced on Twitter that he’s making his debut in streaming on Twitch, so we thought it was time to catch up with this self-professed gaymer and all round nerd.
Robin: Hi DEVOGLAER, thanks so much for joining me and congrats on starting your streaming journey! What inspired you to jump into streaming?
DEVOGLAER: Thank you so much! It’s a pleasure to be here in the digital world. To be honest, streaming is something that I’ve been wanting to get into for a long time, but I didn’t want to launch a channel without giving it the proper attention that I would want to devote to it. I decided earlier this year though that I had waited enough and I literally felt like I had to start!
Your coming out tweet on Sept 4th laid out bare that you were a proud gay nerd, did you feel previously that you had to hide away your gaymer status?
Haha, I wouldn’t say that I’ve ever hid my gaymer status or my immense love of video games – I was more putting it out there in case anyone wasn’t aware! I think a lot of people in my life know that I’m into video games for example, but if they only knew how deep that nerd bloodline ran!
What are your plans and hopes for your streaming?
I would love to grow the channel into something that has a robust community where people who view the stream get to feel like they are a part of something – even if that thing is all of us making jokes and hanging out. In terms of the stream itself, I have a ton of ideas and plans for ways to take the stream beyond just playing video games and chatting – fun expanded visual content that friends and fans can look forward to beyond the standard streaming staples. But, generally speaking, right now, I’m just having a blast and enjoying getting to reconnect with my love of video games with an audience!
You’re best known for your association with the Boulet Brothers and Dragula, tell us about that journey? How did it all begin?
It all began in a darkened laboratory on a moonlit night… Truthfully, my origins with The Boulet Brothers and Dragula started at the tail-end of my college experience – I stage managed a drag festival in Austin, Texas called the “Austin Drag Fest” and met the Boulets stage managing for Dragula, which was in its infamous live-event party form at that time. I survived my first extermination that night and found myself interning with the Boulets that summer before moving into a full time position right at the birth of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Season 1. The rest is all dark magic.
What’s been some of your highlights from working on Dragula?
I really have so many amazing highlights from every season, but I’ll say that one thing that stands out is getting to handle the Carrie-style, blood-bath for the winners of the main franchise. Every season it gives me massive anxiety because if I mess it up… we can’t reshoot it! That anxiety and the trust the Boulets have in me to make it happen all builds into something really special that I cherish though. Ah, pouring gallons of blood on drag artists… It’s awesome.
Many Dragula ghouls like Biqtch Puddin’, Yovska, Erika Klash and more have become really popular streamers, have you reached out to any of them for inspiration and guidance?
Not directly, yet! I have a huge amount of respect for what each of the Dragula ghouls do both inside and beyond streaming, but I like to keep things a little separate when it comes to things outside of the show. Everyone is so busy and I don’t ever want to step on anyone’s toes with what they’ve built. That being said I follow Erika’s channel, Pokemon is a huge part of my gaming upbringing, and I really admire the niche she’s carved out for herself by sticking to a brand that she knows and loves.
For my own streams, I want to make sure that I’m following my own path and building on what I love and am passionate about. That being said, I’m really enjoying learning more about streaming and looking forward to connecting with streamers within the Boulet Brothers’ Dragula pantheon and beyond in the future!
Why do you think there’s such a crossover between horror, drag and gaming?
I think that all three of the media / artistic sectors you mentioned have a ton of crossover when it comes to the types of fans that they bring in! While horror, drag, and gaming are definitely mainstream in my eyes, I think that fans of those things often are outcasts or come from backgrounds that they may have felt like an outsider for being into. Luckily, there is so much crossover for all of the horror obsessed, drag loving, gaming nerds out there!
There’s some many awesome examples of drag video game cosplay, what are some of your highlights of what you’ve seen? And what looks would you be excited to see?
I recently started following an incredible artist named Laura Jansen (@lightning_cosplay on Instagram) who I wouldn’t consider a drag artist necessarily, but their artistry and technical skills are so incredible. They recently did a SHODAN cosplay that literally made me gasp. In terms of more specific drag artists though, I did see a cosplay drag show in Austin called MochiMochi, hosted by Louisianna Purchase (The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Season 3, @louisiannapurchase) that had a drag king troupe on the bill called Boyz of Austin (@boyzofaustin on Instagram). They did a Pokemon number with multiple pokemon, Ash, Pikachu and I believe a slutty Team Rocket? What more can I ask for?
In terms of looks I want to see, I would love to see more creature drag represented in cosplay. As a Soulsborne fan, I think that there are so many amazing creature designs that are begging to be yassified.
Horror games are a true favorite of the drag gaming community, what are some of your favorite horror games and why are they so fun to stream?
When it comes to horror games, my haunted wheelhouse is definitely placed squarely in the survival horror / action genre. Games and franchises like Resident Evil 2, 4, and 7 most notably, Dead Space 1, 2, and even 3!, and Bioshock definitely shaped my gaming DNA growing up.
Most recently, Bloodborne and Returnal have taken top placement for horror games – even though I would consider them horror in tone and theme rather than recent typified, “horror games” such as Amnesia, Five Nights At Freddy’s, or even PT (which obviously, I stan). That being said, I’ve had a lot of requests to play/stream Phasmophobia and the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre game so I might be jumping into some asymmetrical horror very soon!
In terms of why horror games are so fun to stream, I think people love to watch other people get scared! It’s like a POV cam in a haunted house – there is just something hysterical and satisfying about watching someone else SCREAM!
What consoles do you play on, and what games are you currently playing?
I’m primarily a Sony girlie playing on PS5, but I also have a Switch and my husband has an Xbox Series X so I thankfully get to enjoy a bit of all worlds when it comes to console gaming. Currently, I’m juggling a few games – I’m bouncing between Inscryption, Baldur’s Gate 3, and most recently Mortal Kombat 1, but I’m also always playing Destiny 2 – Warlock main, working on my Titan now too – and anxiously awaiting The Final Shape.
What was your favourite game last year?
Returnal 100%. When Returnal first released in 2021, I picked it up immediately – as a fan of crushing soulslike difficulty, cosmic horror, and roguelites, it seemed like a no brainer – but I promptly got my ass handed to me and hit a virtual wall in the game’s second area, so I put it down. Last year though, I went through a really intense mental health period and simultaneously picked Returnal back up on a whim. On this playthrough, I found myself completely entrenched in the narrative and felt an emotional connection to the protagonist Selene, deeper than I had ever experienced playing a video game with a designed player character. That, plus the gameplay is just so vicious… 10/10, GOREGINA!
What games defined your childhood?
The first game that comes to mind is definitely Pokémon Gold. That game. and Pokémon as a franchise, truly shaped my childhood. Later on, Kingdom Hearts, Ninja Gaiden, and the God of War franchise all had huge impacts. In college, Bloodborne quite literally changed my life, culminating in my Vicar Amelia tattoo, but that’s a game for another time!
What’s up next in your world?
I’m actually really excited for the next 6 months in terms of what I’ve got planned… In the immediate, I have some big specialty streams planned for October with my Birthday Stream on October 24th, Scorpio baby!, and a huge horror stream planned for Halloween Night. The new season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula premieres on October 31st as well, so I hope fans will be well fed throughout the spooky and holiday seasons. I’ll also be attending my first ever TwitchCon in Vegas this year as a Twitch Affiliate, so if any readers are planning on being there, please come and say hello!
How can our readers keep up with you?
I’m currently streaming Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6p – 9p PT and Sundays from 11a – 2p PT on my Twitch channel: twitch.tv/DEVOGLAER and I’m @DEVOGLAER on all social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube)!
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