In January of this year we featured Archon the Wizard and his video "Add Me Maybe," which is a Diablo-themed parody of the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. But Archon the Wizard is a man of many talents, and his passion for Diablo III isn't limited to catchy tunes.

This Player Spotlight showcases Archon the Wizard and his experiences livestreaming Diablo III!

Archon has been busy streaming Diablo III and other games for over a year now, and he's kept his stream busy with a plentitude of fun activities for his viewers, including guest appearances by both Wyatt Cheng and Travis Day. Archon is also very serious about helping other players and promoting various charities, and we caught up with him to find out more about him and his experiences livestreaming.

Q. How long have you been a livestreamer?

Since June of 2012, I don't remember the exact date.

Q. What prompted you to get started with livestreaming?

I started making YouTube videos with my brother (Dreadnoughtt) a few weeks before Diablo III came out. We would commonly play with some of our viewers and a few of them told us we should stream on Twitch. I decided to give it a try (before I'd even watched a livestream) and it was a lot of fun. I've streamed almost every day since then.

Q. Which character do you consider your "main," and what Paragon level are they?

My wizard is definitely my main. She's been paragon 100 for a while now. I've been leveling a Demon Hunter recently.

Q. How many hours a week do you spend streaming? Is this your full-time job?

I spend 40 - 60 hours a week streaming, 10 - 20 hours on YouTube videos and another 10 - 15 hours doing "upkeep" for the 2 channels. I suppose I would call it my full time job, but there's not as much money in streaming as people think. I do some work on the side to help pay the bills.

One of Archon's Hardcore heroes falls in battle



Q. What special equipment or peripherals do you use?

I can't play online RPGs anymore without buttons on the side of my mouse. Viewers commonly ask if I'm using macros because I play with 1 hand half the time, but I don't even know how to setup a macro =P

Q. What has been your biggest challenge so far as livestreaming goes?

Being on camera without the option of editing out the bad parts, lol. Naturally, when you first start streaming you're trying to act like the best version of yourself. But you quickly learn that you can't keep that up 6+ hours a day/7 days a week. You only have so much willpower.

Some days I'm in a worse mood than other days, but I try to remind myself that someone might visit my stream for the first time when I'm feeling grumpy, and I don't want to give them a bad impression. I try to create an environment that will keep me cheerful even on a bad day.

Archon and Wifecon at Halloween



Q. What has been your best memory so far of streaming Diablo III?

I have a lot of good memories, so it's hard to choose one. The day I met Datmodz was a a good one. We collected 1 billion gold (back when it was worth around $1500 on the RMAH) and did a 1 billion gold giveaway.

We had over 1000 people enter, but the winner ended up being the streamer, Datmodz (who I had never heard of). He was streaming at the time so we got to see his reaction, and Modz' reactions are always priceless. He showed us his tattoo. I'd tell you where his tattoo is, but I feel I should keep this interview PG.

The coincidence was too big for some viewers to believe. I failed to convince them it wasn't rigged, lol.

Other memories: The interview with Wyatt Cheng and Travis Day was surreal for me.

Also, I always wanted to meet Athene, so it was exciting when he stopped by:



You can check out the full video of Athene stopping by Archon's stream here.



Q. Do you prefer to play solo, with friends, or in public games?

I only farm a few hours a day, but it's always with viewers, many of which I would consider friends. When we're not farming I'm building sets for viewers, or playing one of our "Diablo Game-shows."

Q. What is your preferred route and Monster Power level for grinding experience?

Act I: Festering Woods > Weeping Hollow > Fields of Misery > Halls of Agony 2 to the Butcher. MP7 on my Demon Hunter, MP10 on my Wizard.

Q. What is your favorite Legendary item or set piece you've found thus far in Sanctuary?

During one of my streams I found an amulet called "Terrible Medallion". It was one of the worst amulets I'd ever rolled. It was as if the amulet was self-aware. I couldn't stop laughing.

Q. Which other livestreamers do you watch or connect with in Diablo III when time allows?

My brother Dreadnoughtt plays Starcraft. My friend Prostasisx is a variety streamer. I spend a lot of time in both of their streams. As far as Diablo streams, I think there are a lot of good ones, but I probably watch Datmodz the most. And like most viewers, I'm anxiously awaiting Moldran's return to Twitch.

Q. What are you currently doing in game?

Mostly finding new ways to play. We're all very excited to hear about the upcoming improvements to Diablo, but for the time being I've been paragon leveling a Demon Hunter, playing a bit of Self-Found Hardcore, hosting competitions, building sets, and making up new games like Deal or No Deal Diablo Edition.



Images created by Archon the Wizard



Q. What was your favorite change to Diablo III since it launched?

I think adding Demonic Essences was the biggest step in the right direction for the game. I'm really excited to see the developers moving progression into the game and away from the Auction House.

Q. You recently visited Blizzard Headquarters and had the opportunity to meet up with some of the Diablo III Community Managers and developers. What was your favorite part of the experience?

Meeting you, Vaeflare! Other than that, it was a dream come true to sit with Wyatt Cheng and Travis Day and just ask questions. I love hearing how they think. My biggest aspiration is to be a game designer, so I'm very interested in the entire process. Wyatt Cheng has really changed the way I think about video games.

Lylirra, DatModz, Travis Day, Archon the Wizard, Wyatt Cheng, Inigo Montoya, Grimiku, and Vaeflare



Q. What surprised you the most, or was the most eye-opening?

Jay Wilson. If I can be completely honest, some players had gotten a bad impression of him though Social Media outlets, and I didn't know what to think. Everyone we met at Blizzard couldn't say enough about how amazing he was as a game director, and when I was fortunate enough to meet him at dinner I was thoroughly impressed. He was very friendly, approachable, genuine and in my opinion had a very good understanding of what Diablo III needed moving forward.

Q. What are you most looking forward to in the future of Diablo III?

OMG, so much. I think we're all looking forward to the itemization changes; Travis really seems to understand how to make items more exciting. I can't wait to see how the developers continue to move progression away from the Auction House. I'm hoping to see more options for end-game. I could go on for a long time, but those are the big ones.

Q. Do you have any upcoming livestream events you'd like to share?

Indeed! We always have events planned, the next one will be a farming competition this Sunday (July 21) at 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern/8pm CET. Chazhangarang has done a great job organizing the event, and you can find the details at http://cdxliv.tv/farming

Q. What tips do you have for players looking to achieve what you have and break into livestreaming?

I get this question a lot. I have a YouTube video that answers it pretty well, I think:



Q. Any closing thoughts?

A lot of people have a distaste for live-streamers, and I don't blame them. There have been more than a couple incidents of streamers engaging in "shady" behavior. However, I hope people realize streamers are just as diverse as gamers. Some gamers are complete jerks, but that doesn't mean all gamers are jerks, and it's the same for streamers.

I'm just as offended as you are when I see streamers who are dishonest with their viewers. But don't assume we're all jerks. There are plenty of genuine, honest streamers out there =)

Archon laughing and practicing yoga on-camera for his viewers.



Want to find out more about Archon the Wizard? Check out his official pages on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.TV for even more video and livestream goodness.



Do you watch Archon the Wizard's stream? What other livestreamers do you enjoy? Let us know in the comments below!



Are you an aspiring livestreamer? Make sure to share your stream with other players in our Gameplay Videos and Streams forum.