Power
In conversation with Marcella de Bie
Because she was bullied at school, Marcella de Bie (Tiel, 1990) sought refuge in the world of gaming. She was accepted there. She grew into a live streamer and presenter, and aims to be a millionaire before she is thirty-five. “If you really want something, you've already come a long way.”
When you think of gaming, you initially think of hobbies for boys. How did your passion for it arise?
“I was always a little different from others. I started gaming around the age of thirteen, because I was being bullied a lot at the time and was able to escape reality. Why was I bullied? Tall, thin, flat, braces, glasses and alternatively dressed. I was in pre-university education, but I was bullied so much – pushed down the stairs, spat in the face – that I thought: never mind, the whole school is pointless, life is stupid. That was reflected in my grades. I received unsatisfactory grades and was transferred back to the theoretical learning path. I was completely out of place at pre-vocational secondary education, there was even more terror. I did complete those years with two fingers up my nose. While gaming online I was respected, I felt safe in that world. Another outlet was making music. I was first a guitarist in a metal band and around the age of twenty I was a guitarist/singer in a rock band. I auditioned for the Herman Brood Academy, but I had such a huge fear of failure that I completely shut down during the audition. Instead I went to SintLucas art school. Because you could not major in photography there at the time, I switched to a ROC in Den Bosch in the second year to study photography. When I graduated three years later, I decided that I didn't want to be a photographer at all, haha.”
What were you going to do then?
“After being an assistant administrator for a short time and working at G-Star, I went to study Computer Science in Utrecht. But that wasn't it: after a year I quit. So I was quite searching. At that time I participated in a gaming competition for women in Belgium. There I learned to watch people with the same interests. They asked me why I wasn't going to live stream. I didn't even know what that was. 'Webcam on, gaming, you can do that.' I created a channel on Twitch where I World of Warcraft played and commented at the same time. Just for fun, without the idea that I could make money with it. Suddenly it went very quickly. I was approached by Cooler Master, who wanted to work with me. I thought: hey, want one Italian and international brands Are they going to pay me if I play with their stuff? I thought that was really cool. At the same time I was asked to present for the television program gamekings, even though I had zero experience. It dawned on me that there were many more options than the standard nine-to-five jobs. I was very much living in the moment. It's happening to me now, I'm going for it, I'll see where it goes. "
How did you feel about presenting?
“Great, but I didn't quite find my way gamekings. That's how I came into contact with Blizzard, the makers of games like World of Warcraft en StarCraft. They saw me on Twitch and were looking for a host for their latest game Heroes of the Storm, because they were new to the esports world. So I ended up from one job to another and the days filled up.
Describe the thrill of gaming.
“I had it for a long time World of Warcraft the feeling of 'oh, I want to play, I want to play'. The insecure girls who felt at home in another world. I was never into shooting games. I couldn't do it and thought it was way too aggressive. Games like Call of Duty I don't have to play every day. Then came Fortnite: beautiful colors, cool design, shooting. But an important element in this game is building, and today's kids are so fast that I can't keep up. Apex Legends has the perfect mix: the animated of Fortnite, but more realistic and slightly more mature. I like it so much, it makes me really happy when I play it. The same happiness I have World of Warcraft had. Apex Legends is really my main game.”
How addictive is it?
“The makers of games naturally want you to keep playing. But in my case it is certainly not unhealthy addictive. That was the case when I was about sixteen. Then I spent hours gaming, often late into the night. The only thing I'm addicted to now is working.”
If you had a child who played games late into the night, how would you react?
“Gaming is allowed, but homework comes first. As soon as I realize that my child is sitting at the table like a zombie and can no longer talk to you normally because he only wants to play games, then all the alarm bells go off.”
What are the similarities and differences between you and Jordi, who also plays and discusses games?
“We both started with gaming, that was the starting point of our careers. The difference is that he makes YouTube videos about games and broadcasts them worldwide, while I play the games live. Jordi has built such an empire in such a short time, that is mega impressive. I'm not at that level yet. While Jordi has become very big on YouTube, streaming has given me a lot of other work, which has also made the whole thing a success story for me. Streaming is my least source of income.”
Wouldn't YouTube be more financially lucrative than Twitch?
“I have made YouTube videos, but that is not really my thing: I really enjoy direct communication with people.”
What is Twitch's revenue model?
“Twitch offers two programs. To qualify for the Affiliate Program, streamers must have streamed at least 500 minutes in the last thirty days, spread over at least seven days, and have at least fifty followers. As a Twitch Affiliate you can earn money through advertising on your livestream, selling 'bits' or virtual emojis and subscriptions: viewers can join your channel for $4,99 subscribe, part of which flows to you. You can also become a Twitch Partner, which is reserved for a select group. Then you are entitled to a higher percentage of the income. I belong to the latter category.”
You have 50.000 followers on Twitch. Would that alone be enough to get by?
“Not with my lifestyle, haha! And it's becoming increasingly difficult to maintain attention on Twitch. There's so much happening on that platform! Previously it was mainly for gamers, but nowadays you also see art, music, dance... The strangest things happen on Twitch. A few years ago I could make a good living from it, but people subscribe and donate less these days because I am less easy to find due to the increase in other input. If I streamed continuously, I would grow. But that wouldn't make me happier, because I want to do more than just stream. Twitch is primarily a springboard to other activities.”
MASTERS MAGAZINE
Curious about the rest of the interview? The winter issue of MASTERS was created in collaboration with Jordi van den Bussche. Many will know him as YouTuber Kwebbelkop, but he has been working hard as an entrepreneur for some time, as he explains in the Great Interview. What is new is that his company JVDB Studios offers to do social media marketing and short format content marketing for other companies. “They can also figure it out themselves, but we cracked the code.” Jordi gives a platform to like-minded entrepreneurs such as Jay-Jay Boske, Demy de Zeeuw, Chahid Charrak and Marcella de Bie, and discusses developments surrounding games, crypto and NFT: “Just as bitcoin turned the financial system upside down, will that also happen with gaming.” This extra thick winter issue also focuses on Lengers' first own ship, an interview with Corendon CEO Atilay Uslu, specials about the new BMW 7 Series and Samsung foldables, and - exclusively for MASTERS! – an interview with Max Verstappen.
