It all starts with the presence of the viewers, and by the time Kitz Cua has seen her twitch chat flooded up with greetings, her face lightens up. A huge smile appears and all she could do is reply with one of her signature catchphrases.
“Welcome to the stream!”
Her response would always be seen with a cheerful and bubbly temperament, albeit the grueling hours spent on grinding her way to victory in ranked matches, and suffering countless feeding program situations.
Where It All Began
During her childhood, Kitz has a huge obsession with anime. She would spend countless hours watching Naruto, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Yu Yu Hakusho. But her obsession with anime only translated in highschool when Kitz decided to join a costume contest. The funny thing was that Kitz only joined because she just wanted to wear a costume.
During the contest, Kitz dressed as Sakura from the Cardcaptor series while her best friend cosplayed as Tomoyo. Her friend never wanted to join in the first place, but because of her close-knit relationship with Kitz that she decided that it’s best to get dressed in order to support Kitz.
They weren’t able to win the costume contest, but for Kitz it was an important milestone in her life. It jumpstarted her cosplaying career to the point where she developed the confidence to attend to cosplaying events in malls. She wouldn’t forget that time when she became Solar Venus, a character who she could project herself with since they have the same personality. They’re both bubbly, friendly, and clumsy.
Besides watching anime and cosplaying, Kitz likewise enjoys playing video games. She would never forget an entire day spent on playing the PlayStation 1, as well as online games like Flyff and Highstreet Five.
College Life
By the time she entered college as a Pharmacy student, Kitz thought that her obsession with anime can bring her a cult following, only to find out that the opposite occurred. When her course mates discovered her obsession with anime and cosplaying, they started branding her as “weird.”
Her circle of friends were even branded as outcasts as they consisted of geeks, otakus, and weebs who would spend most of their college lives playing video games and watching anime. Rumors even started swirling around that Kitz was a flirtatious scoundrel due to the fact that most of her college friends were men.
Fearing that she will be judged for wearing anime related costumes inside the campus, Kitz decided to end her cosplaying career. She tried to fit in, however she felt uncomfortable doing so.
Though her cosplaying escapade came to an end, it opened the door for Kitz to focus on other demeanors. She admitted that she never enjoyed her college degree and she was looking for ways to escape from the pressures of her academics.
That was when her gaming career came into picture. Since her friends were avid video game lovers, Kitz got influenced to spend most of her time in the computer shops in Dapitan. Her friends taught her how to play DOTA, which she found intimidating due to the complexities it imposed.
Since she wasn’t enthusiastic about DOTA, her friends introduced her to League of Legends (LoL). The game changed her to the point where she would spend an entire day honing her skills. It was in 2013 when Kitz joined a League of Legends tournament in UST spearheading a 2nd place finish. 2014 however was a breakthrough season as the countless hours spent in Dapitan would lead to her very first championship. Even though she spent multiple hours playing video games, Kitz was proud that she never failed in any of her subjects.
But it was also in 2014 when she felt the urge to return to her cosplaying roots. The organization she joined in college had a fashion show that featured a steampunk theme. During the show, she wore the classic Caitlyn skin in League of Legends. It was about time that she ignored all the despisers. "People will judge you, and be ready for criticisms. Feel ko wala tayong magagawa. It's your response that matters. Just ignore them," she said.
Rumble Royale
Her obsession with League of Legends forced her to be involved in the local scene, by constantly expressing her opinions in a facebook page, and by attending live events such as Rampage. Due to her activeness, she was able to establish her own community. This gave her an opportunity to be discovered by Lord Jomborg. By the time she graduated in 2014, Lord Jomborg gave her an invite to be a part of Rumble Royale’s Core Team. She was responsible for generating marketing campaigns and strategies. “I could never forget my experience with RR. It was one of the most memorable ones,” she said.
But reality had other plans for Kitz. Financial constraints took its toll and Kitz realized that she needed a new career. In 2016, she left RR to become a regulatory pharmacist.
"People will judge you, and be ready for criticisms. Feel ko wala tayong magagawa. It's your response that matters. Just ignore them."
Into the Real World
She worked in the pharmacy, yet she never enjoyed her overall experience. She found it boring, dull, and uninteresting, to the point where after a year she decided that it was best to leave.
She was haunted by her obsession with gaming, and that was enough to convince her to leave on June 2017. Her decision paved the way for her streaming career.
The Twitch World
It happened on July 2017, when Kitz was eager to experiment on streaming. Sadly, her initial attempts were futile due to the fact that her residence doesn't have a fiber connection. That didn't stopped her from pursuing a streaming career, as a matter of fact she was able to find an alternative.
Given the circumstance, Kitz realized that it was best for her to jumpstart her streaming career in Techtite, Katipunan. The technical aspect was smooth, as her internet connection, as well as her audio and video settings were at its finest, however there was one glaring factor that almost ruined the appeal of her streams. Since she was playing in Techtite, she could never ignore the unsettling screams of the other customers playing alongside her. She would get annoyed, yet no matter how loud her seatmates were, it wasn't enough to dampen her morale. In fact it further motivated her to keep on grinding, until the donations and subscriptions will eventually yield to having her own studio.
Her efforts eventually paid dividends as she was able to reach the affiliate status in September, and partner status in October. She was surprised, yet looking back she realized that all the things she had done in the past, from ignoring her college blockmates who would constantly bully her, to being active in the League of Legends scene were able to bring her a cult following.
And it was on December 2017 were the finishing touches were made, as Kitz used the donations from her subscribers, and her parents in establishing her home based studio.
Advice for Aspiring Streamers
"Mahirap magsimula lalo na kung wala kang community to back you up. Just stream consistently and be entertaining as you can be and let your community grow. Don't force it."
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