After only starting streaming seriously nine months ago, content creator, Pestily has been shortlisted for two categories in this year’s Australian Games Awards (AGAs). With the AGAs just around the corner, we had a chat with the streamer about his reaction to being nominated, his community, and how he juggles everyday life, streaming, and YouTube.

Make sure to send Pestily some support for the upcoming AGAs, on the 19th December, by checking out his Twitch, YouTube and Twitter.

GC: What was your reaction when you found out you were nominated for two categories at the AGAs?

Pestily: So, I was streaming at the time when the nominations went live and I had a few people within the chat let me know. I was kinda shocked at first to be nominated in not only one but two categories! Even the fact of being nominated is so surreal seeing I really only started taking streaming seriously about nine months ago. It has seriously been a crazy year!

GC: Why did you start streaming and what do you enjoy most about it?

Pestily: I first started streaming after I left the Army in October 2017, where I served in the Infantry. I decided to take three months off doing anything and spent most of my time fishing and streaming. I thought it would be a great opportunity to make friends while gaming as most of the friends I grew up gaming with were now married, had children, and worked full time. After streaming from October to January I was away with, my now, Fiancée travelling over New Years and we spoke about me taking it seriously and starting my YouTube as well – that’s when things really took off!

I never would have expected for it to take off like it has since February and I’m so thankful for all of it. The most enjoyable part would be knowing that each day, I get to wake up and spend the day talking to people about their lives and help people with either the game I play, being Escape from Tarkov, or just having the freedom to decide what I want to do for the day with the stream. It may be a day of trying to break records, help people out or literally just chill and spend most the time talking about the game. But by all means the best thing streaming is no matter how much time I put into it, which some weeks I’ll put up to 100 hours of streaming and editing, I get to do something I’m passionate about and love. I’m responsible for my own life and how I live it. A massive change to the past decade of my life.

GC: How would you describe your relationship with the Pestilian Army?

Pestily: Haha! The Pestilian Army started very early on and I don’t even know how it came about exactly. I think I was joking about how I’ll get my Army together when Escape from Tarkov finally gets clans/corporations implemented and we will declare war on other steamers. From there it just took off and people love it. I originally had a full tanking and position system with the Army depending on who had been around the longest however it grew too rapidly for us to keep!

Within my community, I try to lead by example and I think it’s important for streamers to stick to their guns and not be pushed by their viewers to become used to peoples amusement. It may be my military background but I tend to put my foot down on arguing and people being rude very quickly. It’s also amazing how many ex and current serving military, fire fighters / EMTs, police officers and community based people are around my stream. I feel so blessed that it’s always very mature and everyone is very helpful towards each other, either in game or real life!

GC: As you also have a YouTube channel dedicated to Escape from Tarkov, what got you into playing this game and how do you juggle streaming, running a YouTube channel, and everyday life?

Pestily: Escape From Tarkov (EFT) has now been in development for about two years and I was watching people stream the very early alpha while I played PUBG. Something about EFT really caught my eye and it has now become the best gun mechanics FPS shooter I have ever seen. This alongside the military tactics you can use during fights can make every single raid a new experience that is like none other.

So, the YouTube channel started in February and it was a great way to branch out from Twitch and interact with people who couldn’t be around during my time slot. I focused on guides initially and soon became very well known for my direct but very informative guides. This then went into a really great means to give my opinions on the development of EFT, as it was still a while away from being released. It’s always strange to think that people actually care about streamers opinions about games but as I’m discovering, content creators as influencers are having bigger say in the industry and are now the go-to people for questions regarding games.

So, I think the best way to explain how I juggle my day is to break it down. I wake up every morning around 6-7am and I exercise, then once I’m home I eat breakfast while replying to the previous night’s YouTube comments. The next 8-10 hours are spent streaming. Around this time it’s already 4-6pm and I need to finish the stream. I try my best to not be near the PC for the next two hours. Separation is important to keep mentally sane. I’ll then spend two hours with my Fiance or outside the house. After dinner, usually around 9pm, is when I start my editing and if I’m in bed before midnight that’s a successful day! This can all be flipped upside down however when new patches come out with new content or a new major bug happens and I need to do testing to get an indepth video out. It’s not uncommon for me to be up later than 1 or 2am.

GC: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Pestily: I commonly have people come into my community and talk about their lives and one think I notice is how many people are really unhappy with what they are doing. I know it’s not always easy but make a plan and give something a crack. Climb a mountain or travel and do what you want to do in life. I was very lucky to have such a supportive girlfriend at the time who puts up with my crazy idea but without her help and family support pushing me to try new things, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today.

So, I must say thanks to Christina who has always been my support, my family and friends, particularly CC, and lastly my mods! There are too many to name but I don’t understand why mods are always so willing to help and even when I say crazy stuff like: “hey, so I’m thinking of doing a 48 hour stream…” and half of them are instantly keen to jump in and find ways to support me. I can’t thank these people enough!

Make sure to send Pestily some support for the upcoming AGAs, on the 19th December, by checking out his Twitch, YouTube and Twitter.