Streamer Spotlight: HiDro
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 in particular, 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 first Gayming Awards 2023 Streamer Spotlight is HiDro.
HiDro is a fan of all things horror, with a particular favourite game of their’s being Dead by Daylight. They are a full-time content creator, and continues to build and foster their community.
How did you get into video games/streaming?
I got into video games at a very young age due to my Grandmother! My parents were extremely strict and religious at the time but I was Grandma’s favorite. She used to sneak me down into our basement late at night when everyone was asleep to play Mario and Donkey Kong on the Nintendo 64. I got into streaming due to losing my job at the start of COVID. My brother, some of you may know him as Buddha, was doing it long before I was and became very very successful doing it. And since I was just playing video games at the time anyways I thought “Hey why not give it a shot?” and now there is nothing more I want to do with my life.
What is your favourite thing to stream?
I am a HUGE horror fan! Since I was very young I was always captivated by things that scared me or made me jump. The thrill of it was always something I absolutely loved! So you will see me doing primarily horror games on my stream with my bread and butter being Dead by Daylight. When I started playing Dead by Daylight my entire life changed and it was able to help me get to where I am today. I am truly thankful that such a game exists today and that I stumbled upon it.
What can people expect from your stream?
Of course while people can expect some Esports-level gameplay I also going beyond the gameplay by heavily leaning into improv and comedy. I like to spice things up by adding chaotic custom-made scenes and sound to make your stay in my stream truly an experience. If you don’t laugh within the first minute of being in my stream then I am doing something wrong.
How has your experience as an out LGBTQ+/QTPOC streamer been?
My experience as a Queer Afro-Latino in this space has come with its ups and downs. While being able to do what I love and fostering the best community on Fwitch (of course, my opinion, haha) I still have to deal with the racism and homophobia. Dealing with this is something that I knew would be challenging but I have always been a very strong person and am able to deal with these situations with a smile. Even though these challenges are quite difficult at times the positives that have come from me starting my streaming journey outweighs the negative and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon.
What do you do outside of streaming?
Going full time as a content creator really does take away a lot of your free time. I like to say that I left my 9-5 job to work 24/7. But with whatever free time I do have I love spending it with my partner and, this may come as a shock to you all, playing video games. I also really enjoy cooking, reading manga, and watching horror movies or shows!
What do you enjoy the most about streaming?
My favorite thing about streaming is meeting people in all walks of life from around the world! Being able to share with the world something that I adore doing while creating a community that is all about supporting and uplifting each other.
What have you learned about yourself through streaming?
Streaming has really taught me a lot about myself which is something I was not expecting to happen. I learned that I am a much stronger and confident induvial than I ever gave myself credit for. I learned that I am really able to put myself out there regardless of a lot of circumstances and succeed in what I am doing. And that regardless of my skin colour or sexuality I am able to achieve amazing things even if they seem impossible at the time.
What’s your main goal as a streamer for the future?
My main goal for the future is to continue to build a community that is about being kind and supportive of each other. I also want to continue to be the representation for the afro-latinx community and the queer community. The majority of the space is white cis men and I want to be part of the change where we start seeing more minorities thrive and succeed on the platform. I would also love to get to the point where I can comfortably live off the income I make from content creation.
What are you looking forward to most this year?
The thing I am looking forward to the most this year is potentially going to TwitchCon in both France and USA! Being able to meet the people who I made friends with over the years face to face was the most emotional experience I had last year and I cannot wait to meet even more of them! I also have some more spicy charity events coming up and would like to raise even more for the communities who need it.
How does it feel to be nominated for Gayming Magazine’s Streamer of the Year?
The feeling of being nominated for Gayming Magazine’s Streamer of the Year was something that really took me by surprise! As a Content Creator my biggest concern is that I am not making much of a change or impact on the lives of those who absorb my content. But after hearing that I was nominated by my community and friends for the award I was incredibly moved and emotional knowing that so many people believe in me and what I do. I have never before been nominated for anything in my life so the fact that it happened is very surreal. Regardless of winning I feel like I have already won and I will continue to do what I have been doing and even do bigger and better thing.
How do you think it’ll affect your streaming to win Streamer of the Year?
Winning the award would mean the absolute world to me. Regardless if I win I feel as if I am already winning but this would be something that I would not forget for the rest of my life. Before the passing of my mother she told me that I would be great things and to keep fighting for my goals and dreams for sure will be there to support me along the way. If I were to win I know that she would be incredibly proud of me. In terms of my streaming I would use that momentum to push for even greater achievements, Just being nominated has already shown me that I am on the correct path to keep pushing despite all the trials and tribulations that I go through on a daily basis. Winning this award would be a life changing accomplishment.
To find out more about HiDro, head on over to their Twitch channel.
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