When asked how to make a career on YouTube, Vincent Ton’s answer is to “stay consistent”.
Equipment and software requirements aside, Ton says regularly posting one video a week is what helped grow him into the content creator he is today, with a following of over 4.5m subscribers.
Australia-based Ton, known online as Vindooly, was in the country for Spark Game Arena Live, the largest gaming festival to hit Aotearoa on September 7.
The festival hosted thousands of Kiwis at Spark Arena, where attendees competed for The Rise Cup featuring Fortnite.
They used gaming stations kitted out with a range of products from premiere sponsor Logitech G, including the PRO X TKL, PRO X superlight 2, PRO X 2 and the G840 XL desk mat, and had the chance to win a share of the $240,000 prize pool.
Rangitoto College student Henry Dowson took out title of ultimate champion and a sizeable $35,000 in prize money.
Read more: The rise of co-working spaces with my Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk companion
Before the festival began however, Ton spoke at a breakfast event where he was asked by one of the audience’s youngest members how he managed to make a successful career in gaming.
Fellow panel member and Aussie Taylor Morgan shares his sentiments on consistency, advising young people to “have fun and enjoy the process”.
Morgan has been a full-time gaming content creator for about the last four years and expressed how excited she was to be in Aotearoa and connect with the gaming community here.
She added how important events like Spark Game Arena Live are to improve visibility of the gaming industry.
“These events, gamers connect and see it can be more than just a fun hobby, it can lead to careers and new social circles.”
New Zealand Esports Federation CEO Jonathan Jansen, who joined Morgan and Ton on the panel, agrees.
“It’s really easy for young people to look at big events overseas and they’re out of reach enough to demotivate, but Spark Game Arena Live in our own backyard makes it more tangible for them. They’re not just attending it but we’re hosting it too.”
With the inaugural Olympic Esports Games set to be held in Saudi Arabia next year, Jansen says esports is the fastest growing sport in the world, and has evolved considerably. About 10 years ago, New Zealand held its first esports championship – a tiny event at Shed 10. And now, that looks like a major festival at Spark Arena.
Read more: Here are the biggest gaming trends for marketers in 2023
He makes the distinction that gaming refers to the recreational side whereas e-sport refers to the competitive sport – where at the top level, having a healthy body and healthy mind is just as important as for any other elite athlete.
National team, the E Blacks, has its own team of head coaches, and physiologists to help members stay at the top of their game.
“People are learning what goes into it – in esports if you’re 1% dehydrated that’s a 5% decline and you’re behind,” says Jansen.
While the esports and gaming world is growing fast, there’s not enough people coming through to sustain it, says fellow panel member NZ Gaming Development Association Executive Director Joy Keene.
“It’s hard to get a job in the industry, it takes perseverance.”
But she encourages people to get involved with games and the gaming industry, saying there are two main ways to do so – either through a tertiary provider or self-taught.
Keene adds that some of the biggest games in Aotearoa are those created by an independent or local company – the likes of Into the Dead from Wellington and Abiotic Factor from Dunedin.
She shares further local data that shows the average Kiwi gamer is a 35-year-old-woman and 79% of homes have a gaming device.
When the panel came to a close, Morgan and Ton were surprised with the news they would be driven over to Spark Game Arena Live in two orange McLaren Coupe 750s.
The McLarens came thanks to sponsor Logitech G, who partnered with McLaren Auckland to showcase the cars, the G923 racing wheel and PRO Wheels at the event.
At the festival, attendees participated in the Logitech G Hot Lap Challenge, racing on the iconic Nürburgring Grand Prix Circuit in Forza Motorsport. The winner took out the grand prize: a set of Logitech G PRO wheels and pedals valued at $2,799.85, along with a real-world McLaren hot lap experience at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.
