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From Student To Streamer

Jordan Estaris

SEATTLE- As the snow falls outside, Bryce takes a moment to organize his setup. With his dogs, Koda and Nova, barking in the other room, he excitedly prepares for another session of gaming. As hundreds of people flood into his stream, he warms up his voice and turns on his camera, ready to do what he loves, playing Minecraft.  

  

"Hello everybody! It is a beautiful day outside. How are we doing today?" 

  

Bryce is an O'Dea graduate from the class of 2013, and currently lives in Seattle. Nowadays, he is known online as fWhip, a Minecraft YouTuber that has been making videos for around nine years. With over 1.7 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, he has created a successful brand for himself and his community. However, out of high school, he never thought he'd reach this position. 

  

While Bryce was a student at O'Dea, he participated a computer club that doesn't exist anymore, as well as the swimming for three years, 

  

"When I was there, the team did great; team spirit between everybody was awesome. There was just a lot of morning practices," said Bryce. 

  

In addition, he was part of a photography zero-period class that was led by Mr. Olinger, who is the tech specialist at O'Dea. The class helped foster his creativity, as the class was showcased at the Seattle Art Museum. These experiences helped him realize that he wanted to be a creative person. 

  

"I had always thought that I was going to go down the computer development route, and get into the programming side. But after taking the art and photography classes, I realized I prefer the art and creative side of things." 

  

After graduating O'Dea, Bryce went to college to study computer programming. He knew he wanted to get into the gaming industry, so he worked on some side projects developing mods for games. Here, he met one of his friends while working on a large Minecraft modification (mod), and they persuaded him to try making videos.  

  

"They were a YouTuber already, and they said that I had a good voice and a cool way of explaining things." 

  

He didn't give it much thought at first, but Bryce had to complete some college work over the summer, so he had a lot of free time. Because of this, he tried making videos online out of boredom. He loved building in Minecraft and creating art pieces, so by uploading videos he was able to make time for his hobby.  

  

"There was never any intention to do this as a full-time job. It was purely just for fun." 

  

This was where he developed his style of creation. In order to get money for college books, Bryce sold large Minecraft builds to online servers (player communities) to use in their hub worlds. Over time, he developed a rustic style of building that he is most prominently known for on YouTube to this day. 

  

  

Although Bryce had lots of experience using computers, he didn't know much about making videos. When starting his channel, he had to learn things on the fly. 

  

"I didn't really know what to do. [That's why] my oldest videos are long gone, I deleted them a long time ago, because they are incredibly cringe and really bad. You just have to keep learning." 

  

One of his friends, another YouTuber by the name of Dukonred1, encouraged Bryce into making videos. However, his main inspiration that pushed him into his survival building series are YouTubers GoodTimesWithScar and BdoubleO100. 

  

What makes him stand out is that he combines unique elements from other Minecraft hardcore creators. While other Minecraft players focus on the technical or survival aspect of their videos, Bryce uses his knowledge in building to captivate his audience. 

  

"I'm trying to tell a story without words. I think it gives more for people to attach to." 

  

In addition, Bryce's personality helps capture his viewer's attention in each of his streams and videos. 

  

"I think I just have a goofy community behind me that enjoys all the stupid dad jokes that I throw in for no reason." 

  

However, Bryce had to grow into where he is today. As a child, he had a sheltered elementary school experience. So going to O'Dea in the middle of the greater Seattle area exposed him to people of different backgrounds, helped him broaden his horizons, and meet new people. 

  

"It helped me develop a lot of respect for people I knew nothing about and really put me in a point of wanting to give people opportunities and understand them as a person." 

  

Attending O'Dea also helped him develop his voice. Because of how much public speaking and service events O'Dea provides, he learned how to present himself as a role model to others. This was also true for swimming, where he helped guide the freshmen during competition. 

  

"I was never a team captain, but during my senior year, as one of the older guys on the team, I had to fill a supportive leadership role to help show them the ropes." 

  

As a result of these experiences, Bryce strives to make his content family friendly so that anyone can watch his gameplay. 

  

"I try to keep a welcoming and open space for anybody that needs a place to relax. I want to treat them nicely as a person." 

  

However, not all parts of the internet are as welcoming. Whenever controversy within the community arises, Bryce tries to not get involved. However, because of the nature of being a content creator, he sometimes gets wrapped up in issues outside of his own.  

  

"A lot of people who probably should be talking to a therapist are on the internet not talking to a therapist and they are shouting the things that they should reflect on themselves about." 

  

Thankfully, Bryce's community helps self-moderate controversy and hate speech within itself, so most issues resolve themselves. Some parents within his community volunteer their time to make sure the community is always a safe space for the children who watch Bryce's videos. He also has people to talk to, such as his wife and friends, if issues ever arise. 

  

Speaking of his fans, Bryce is incredibly proud of the community he's built. From going from playing Minecraft as a hobby to fostering a massive following on YouTube and Twitch, he is very grateful for his fanbase. It has gotten to the point where some of his viewers find partners within his livestream. Some have even gotten married after discovering that they live a city apart.  

  

"The scale of everything I built up, I never even thought this would be possible." 

  

Right now, Bryce is self-driven, and doesn't really have an external motivator. He is satisfied with his career, and lets his younger self drive some of his current projects. Because he's had an editor for the past two and a half years, he's had more free time for his family and for bigger and better projects. 

  

As he places the last block of the day, he sits back, satisfied with his creation. He starts closing down the stream, and Bryce looks at the camera before pulling up his outro slide. 

  

"Thank you so much for being here, and I'll catch you on the fWhip side!" 

  

Check him out on YouTube and on Twitch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! (fWhip)

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