It’s never easy to take a leap of faith, especially when making a decision to turn passion into profession. As easy as it may seem, it takes more than streaming regularly to be a successful streamer. In this month’s feature, we spoke to Erin Karra about her journey as a streamer and Facebook Gaming Partner.
Q: Hi Erin Karra, tell us about yourself!
Assalamu’alaikum and hi everyone. People usually call me Erin. I live in KL and I went to school in KL. When I was 16, I went to MARA Junior Science College. Before I got the SPM results in March 2011, I went straight into a fast track course, Professional Accounting, ACCA in UiTM that is the same level as Master’s Degree, for 4 years. Then again, before even the results came out, I started a 9-5 job as an Auditor in one of the Big Five Audit firms.
Q: Wow, it was all happening so fast! How did you get into the esports industry?
Hahaha, yes, my life was so fast-paced that I did not have the luxury of time to take a break. I quit my job as an Auditor with my last post as Assistant Manager because I felt overwhelmed and empty at the same time. One day, I got caught up with this game called Mobile Legends: Bang Bang because of a friend. We’ve played the game for around a year and a month.
During that period, we have watched many live streams on Facebook and also YouTube videos . We learn about game plays from the professional player and also the regular updates about the game. There were not many streamers that streamed on Facebook. So my friends and I thought that this would be our opportunity to do something we love while getting paid.
We started to stream consistently since July 2019. We work in a group of three. I did not start this alone. We have a technical partner, a manager mostly on PR and R&D, and then there’s me, the face of the page.
Q: Where did your username come from?
I have played MMORPG and I love to find cool English names. When I was looking for the nickname, we were caught up on these three tv series, “The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl”. So one of the cool girl names was Kara, the Supergirl, Kal-El’s cousin. And our squad had names like Zekku and Jimmy which is similar to having two letters in a name. So then I decided, “KARRA”.
To differentiate me and other people, we looked at Jess No Limit. His name is Jess. His ‘game nickname’ is No Limit. So it’s Jess-No-Limit. So I just use my real life nickname Erin, and the game name, KARRA. Erin Karra.
Q: What is your streaming schedule like?
During the early days of streaming, I streamed only at night, 9-12. But in Dec 2019, I had training for a tournament with my squad at night. Since then, I started streaming early in the morning, from around 630 to 930, before I go to work.
Q: Tell us about a day in your life!
So continuing the streaming schedule, we have flexible time at work. Everyday I have to make sure I get up early so things are on schedule. So I’ve been streaming early in the morning, then going to work, then starting training at night around 9pm.
This packed schedule is only for 3 weekdays a week because my part time job only requires me to work 3 days a week. Other days, which is usually from Friday to Monday, I would stream whenever I feel like it. Either during lunch, late afternoon, or at night. Since I have been streaming in the morning for so long, I would always prefer morning. I can do other work either related or unrelated to streaming during the rest of the day.
Q: What advice do you give to others who want to start streaming?
Streaming is not just about being a pro in playing a particular game. It is a bonus if you are, but it is not everything. The first advice would be, intention or purpose. What is your sole intention to do live streaming? That is a good drive for you to move forward, but how long will that last?
Second would be passion. Just like any other job exists in this world, is this your passion? Is this something you love? Not just playing games, but to entertain people. I believe streaming is not just about playing games but to entertain people. When you love what you do, you’ll be happy doing the work, even when you feel tired. Most importantly, find your niche. A niche likeable to people, but does not go beyond your life principles.
Q: Who’s your favourite hero and why?
My current favourite hero in Mobile Legends would be Thamuz even though I’m still not good at playing this hero and that he is not in my Top 7 favourite heroes. He is my favourite as he can sustain his life and deals with damages inflicted by the opponents at the same time. He can survive even when four opponents are rushing at him.
Q: Do you feel there’s a stigma surrounding girl streamers, does it affect the way you stream?
There is indeed a stigma on girl streamers where girl streamers can be deemed as not pro, and that I’m just lucky to have people carry me in-game so I can get higher ranking. Little did they know that I also joined the competitive scene and won first prize in the first ever MLBB tournament for Ladies under KONISTRA 2020.
The latest tournament that I joined was an open tournament “Kejohanan MyEsports Peringkat Negeri 2.0 Stay @ Home Challenge”. We managed to secure first runner up and represent Sarawak to compete in National stage of Kejohanan MyEsports, i.e. “Kejohanan MyEsports Peringkat Kebangsaan 2.0 Stay @ Home Challenge”.
So all these negativity, these stigmas, do affect me, but it affects me positively. Whatever that stigma, I fight against it. With my principle in life. Which is my faith and religion, Islam. It’s like that saying, “Kill them with kindness.”
Q: Who do you love watching on Facebook Gaming / other streaming platforms right now?
Can I say myself? HAHAHA. No, because I always observe myself to study what I did wrong or good. I judge myself. I feel like I can be cringy sometimes and I also feel I do a good job at times. I know in this streaming world, our performance is based on whether people like us or not.
Honestly, if you don’t like yourself, how can other people like you? Other than that, I like to watch Fredo and Soloz. I have treated them as my teachers. I watch their stream, not just to enjoy, but to study how they do it. Currently, I watch live streams on Facebook, be it entertainment or educational.
Erin streams Monday – Friday. Catch her on Facebook! Click here.
