We have all heard the saying the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. Although the anatomy is wrong, the intended meaning is usually agreed upon. Simon Perry, better known as SporeRose on Twitch, has fully embraced the phrase. “If you catch me during my day streams, you’re able to send me food,” they (Pronouns: they/them) stated. “Yum.” SporeRose has made the food ordering process as seamless as possible by including an Amazon Wishlist to serve as a menu. When it comes to this twitch affiliate, there is never a shortage of creative ideas.
“Marco. Polo.”
On Twitch, users can search by a game or category in order to find their desired content. In addition to categories, viewers can also search using a specific tag. Being a “Twitch affiliate who is actually autistic,” SporeRose tried to use tags to connect with other streamers who have disabilities. “I believe I have found a few different people with disabilities on Twitch, but it is very difficult to find anyone with disabilities due to their being no disabled tag for when it comes to finding streamers,” they confessed.
And The Winner Is…
Perry has a creative way of taking something and elevating it to the next level. If you take a look at the streamer’s schedule, you will see two weekly events on Sundays and Wednesdays. “Sundays are called Game Pass Sunday, where on Sundays I play any of the two hundred plus games that are available on the Xbox Game Pass Library,” they described. “Nearly a year ago I started doing the same thing, but with PlayStation Now Catalog on Wednesdays.” They have not only created special stream days, but they let the community vote on what game to play.
Love One Another
“There is something I do want to say, and it’s that I want to be one of those people who will go up to anyone and say you belong here no matter who you are,” Perry said. “I have a timer on the channel that goes off every so often that has a message that says, ‘black lives, trans lives, disabled lives, they all matter.” SporeRose describes the channel’s community as a bunch of very loving people, who enjoy playing tricks on each other. Everyone is welcome and everyone is encouraged to be themselves.
Costumes Are Not Just For Halloween
Cosplay is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game. “I have currently done three different cosplays on stream and those were Spider Gwen, D.Va from Overwatch and Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon,” Perry recalled. Just as they have an Amazon Wishlist with food and other desired items, they have an entire separate Amazon Wishlist strictly for cosplay costumes.
A Cause Close To Home
“I want to be someone who speaks loudly for people with disabilities,” the streamer proclaimed. SporeRose is teaming up Dreamscape Foundation this Friday, February 26, from 5 – 11 pm EST in order to raise money to achieve accessibility for individuals with disabilities. “As it is thematically appropriate with the idea of being a hero by streaming for a cause close to me, I’ll be playing Marvel’s Avengers ,and as a treat to the community, if $500 is raised, I’ll be cosplaying as Overwatch’s Mei in her Honeydew outfit,” Perry announced.
Can playing video games really rot your brain? For gamers who grew up in the 80s or 90s this question dominated the minds of parents and teachers alike. In the case of Connor Cunningham, better known as RabbitHouse, playing video games, more specifically Pokémon Silver, gave him the desire to learn how to read at a young age. “I guess that most kids would just sort of mess through all the text and get past it, but I was so into it that I was like I have to know everything, I have to be able to do everything,” Cunningham recalled. “Every word, ‘dad, what does this word mean? Mom, what does this word mean?’ Eventually it got to the point where I was able to play it on my own.” Not only did video games positively affect Connor’s life intellectually, but spiritually as well.
“Do you always need a reason to help somebody?” –Ash, Pokémon
RabbitHouse’s love for video games led him to watch gaming streams. “When I was a kid there was this group called the Speed Gamers, and they were trying to complete all the Pokémon games that were out at that point,” he shared. “I thought it was the coolest thing ever to go through all of that and raise money for St. Jude while they do it.” Eventually, Connor’s passion and interest in charity streams was too strong to ignore. “It got to a point where I was thinking, I could do this,” he recalled. “I’m confident in my ability to put together something like this, and really do something special.” As a charity streamer, Cunningham hopes that each stream he does is a little bit bigger than the last one to the point where he can eventually really make a big difference.
Strength in Numbers
“The decision to start streaming as my way to make a difference comes from my thought process of what can I do that is the most immediate that can make the most impact right now?” RabbitHouse explained. “I have this moment that I am in right now and I won’t get this moment back, so what can I do to do the most with this moment?” Connor admits that the experience of COVID-19 last year left him frustrated in wanting to make a positive change, but feeling like he couldn’t make a difference. “The way you are going to do it is by coming together with other people, and coming together makes you all much stronger than you could be individually,” he stated. “I want people to know that they can be a part of something like this.”
Sky’s the Limit
Cunningham has been defying the odds since day one. “I was born with a congenital heart defect called transposition of the great vessels, so basically when I was a baby all the tubes in my heart were kind of tied up in the wrong way” he described. “If I had been born 20 years earlier the surgery that fixed me wasn’t around at that point, so I wouldn’t have even made it.” Being born with this defect caused Connor to perceive himself as delicate or fragile, but as he got older his perception changed. “I made it through being a kid and I’m still here. I have a shot here,” RabbitHouse shared. “I’m at a point now where I am playing with house money, and everything from day one has just been icing on the cake.”
Battle Royale for Accessibility
For his third official Charity Stream, RabbitHouse will be teaming up with Dreamscape Foundation this Sunday, February 21, from 7 pm – 10 pm EST to raise money for accessibility for individuals living with disabilities. “Unfortunately, a lot of people in that type of situation are brushed aside in today’s world,” Connor shared. “It’s an opportunity to step up and help out in a way that I haven’t done yet, so I am really excited to work with Dreamscape Foundation on this.” Cunningham will be playing the Battle Royale game Eternal Return. Time to put your strength, ability and wit to the test.
According to motivational speaker Ken Blanchard, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” I believe if this was true that many of us would be skipping breakfast. Receiving feedback is not typically something that is welcomed with open arms, unless you are Cory Campion that is. “Feedback is absolutely always appreciated,” he shared. “I have no problem talking about it and trying to work towards bettering the channel and bettering myself as an entertainer.” Campion, better known as Don’t Watch Me Play, is a YouTuber and Twitch Streamer who believes people are always growing and can always change for the better, himself included. “Being myself and being genuine to everyone who comes by is just always something that I have wanted to be,” Don’t Watch Me Play stated.
Welcome to the Kingdom
Cory was inspired to start his own YouTube Channel playing video games after participating in the web series, The Gauntlet. On YouTube, Cory was originally known for playing a lot of rage games and his unwavering devotion to play until he won earned him the nickname the Stubborn King and his community the Stubborn Kingdom. “Two years later I just really wanted to branch out more, and my main mission was to try and get the channel to grow,” he recalled.
Time For Some Ice Breakers
The goal of joining Twitch was not only to grow in numbers, but to become more personable. “Twitch was more of an opening to just play video games and look at the camera because the chat is lined up perfectly behind it,” Cory described. “I can actually look at you and speak to you at the same time, so it was more of a mutual conversation between me and you while we are all in the chat.” The streaming website allowed the Stubborn King to talk and be interactive with his kingdom. “There is nothing cooler than almost feeling like you are actually hanging out with all these people,” he described. “When you are playing a horror game together you can actually interact and enjoy that jump scare together and talk about it”
“If You’re Not Having Fun, You’re Doing Something Wrong.” – Groucho Marx
From YouTube to Twitch, Don’t Watch Me Play’s mission to bring joy and entertainment to viewers has remained the same. The goal is for everyone to have a great time and to feel included. “As long as the viewer is having an amazing time, whether they are there for five minutes or if they are there for seven to eight hours that’s what it really comes down to,” Cory confessed. “As long as you can really have fun that’s all that matters to me and that’s all I ever want.” For the Stubborn King, there is nothing he enjoys more than hanging out with his community. “I just want to be amongst my friends and newcomers, and that’s a heck of a driving point of the streaming is the community,” he shared.
Valentine’s Day Charity Stream
Dreamscape Foundation in honored to partner with Don’t Watch Me Play for a Valentine’s Day Charity Stream this Sunday, February 14, from 1 pm – 8 pm EST. Join the Stubborn King and the Stubborn Kingdom to raise money to improve the lives of individuals living with physical disabilities. Get ready to expect the unexpected with this variety streamer. In his own words, “Grab the crown, celebrate, do some muscle kisses, just have a great time. You know what I mean? You just got to have fun with it.”