“Come, give me your birth date, and I’ll calculate for you to know your personality.”
It’s the first time this writer heard such a request in his interviews, one where his interviewee offered to evaluate his personality just by calculating his birthday, which is also the type of content he produces on his TikTok page (yes, this hip-as-heck uncle uses TikTok). I silenced my scepticism to agree to it, and lo and behold, he was accurate every step of the way! It hit a bit too close to home (especially the ugly ones), but hey, vulnerabilities are never easy to live with.
Goes to show that streamers are more than they seem, and Pakcik Gaming is no exception. No wonder the 52-year-old Facebook Gaming Creator became the first-ever Malaysian elderly video game streamer to hit the 100k followers milestone just two days ago.
“When I was starting out, I was afraid I wouldn’t be accepted by the community,” Noorhisyam “Pakcik” Razali admitted, feeling self-conscious as an elderly person entering the streaming sphere. Despite his concerns, Pakcik ignored that possibility and focused on doing his best, a decision that has been paying off handsomely since his beginnings in mid-2020. “COVID-19 isn’t a problem, it’s an opportunity.”
No acts of bravery wouldn’t be possible if there weren’t any motivation behind them. For Pakcik, he’s not streaming for the Stars, not when he already rakes in income as a university lecturer teaching business. “I want to change parents’ stigma against video games,” he said, noticing that when he started playing games, he felt that he could learn new things better. “Give your children a chance to play games, because it does help with their studies, as long as you set a schedule for it.”
One other motive Pakcik has is to prove that one can stream video games from scratch. “I learned everything I can on YouTube,” he reminisced - it took him a month to learn OBS Studio, a live streaming software. “It was a lot of trial and error. Even my viewers were helping me out with anything I had difficulty with.” And now, not only did he inspire some of his viewers to become streamers, but he’s also been guiding them with their streaming career and clarifying any stumbling blocks they happen upon.
Aside from guidance, Pakcik even shares his viewers' content on his page to help boost their audience. It may not seem like much on the surface, but it’s a tried and true act of kindness that Pakcik himself was grateful to experience in his early days.
“The first time I streamed, a stranger on Facebook messaged me, offering to help me with anything I needed. At the time I didn’t know, but it turned out to be Vokey!” he exclaimed. He explained how the professional PUBG Mobile player/content creator watched his streams and suggested his fans to check out Pakcik’s page, expanding his fan base. Even Soloz used to watch the Petaling Jaya native’s antics. “It shows how big streamers can really help smaller streamers, something that I want to do too. Even a bit is good enough.”
As Pakcik streamed more and more, he started learning the language and mindsets of the younger generation due to his viewers. “When I enter their world, I can advise and teach them better, even inspire them to study. I told them how even Soloz has a diploma, and that it’s better to have educated and intelligent gamers.”
To walk the talk even further, Pakcik has been conducting online classes for SPM takers, mainly giving them on how to study better and develop motivation. “With all the support I’ve gotten, I’m always thinking of giving back to the community.” The nasi lemak lover plans to set up a gaming house, a school that teaches professional gaming (both entertainment and esports) and form his own esports team, the Pakcik Gaming Squad.
An ambitious gameplan, but Pakcik has always been an entrepreneur at heart. From selling tupperwares (Pakcik Tupperware) and plus-size kurtas to managing his popular TikTok page, Pakcik is one to take risks and meticulously evaluate trends to grow his success.
“Basically, I apply everything I learned about marketing in everything I do, in both gaming and tupperwares.” It’s why he streams one of the most accessible games out there, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, to better connect with his audience. “It’s not about how well you play the game, it’s how you interact with your viewers,” as well as having a lot of positive energy in your streams. If future streamers are still worried about their game performance, Pakcik advised, “Use that as a humour device.” Regardless of your gameplay, the more you play, the better you’ll get eventually, just like he did.
Always the entrepreneur, Pakcik won’t be solely streaming MLBB forever. He’s been training his PUBG Mobile gameplay with a couple of fans who are adept at the game, so expect some mobile battle royale content - which his fans have been dying to see from him - to arrive on his Facebook Gaming page soon. “I also bought a steering wheel controller to stream Truck Simulator in the future, so I can talk to my viewers more.”
With wigs and accessories prepared at all times during his streams to turn up the fun, Pakcik Gaming is laser-focused on giving his fans the entertainment he feels they deserve and contributing to the community the best he can.
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