Exclusive Interview: "Harassment Of Female Streamers Should End", Says Gagandeep Singh

Gagandeep Singh, 24, is a Lucknow resident and a full-time streamer. He is a B Tech graduate and took to full time streaming on his YouTube channel Sikhwarrior after his channel grew since 2017.

Gagandeep first tried his hands on Twitch by streaming Counter-Strike in 2014 and after humongous support from fans, he now plays Grand Theft Auto V roleplay as Jassi Pinkman.

The support was such that he keeps on creating quality content by playing various multiplayer games on his channel which has 110K subscribers.

In an exclusive interview to STARBIZ correspondent Imran Fazal, Gagandeep Singh shared about the importance of family-friendly content on social media platforms and an urgent need for streaming community to try their hands on new games.

How did you end up taking full time streaming as a profession? 

I started with Twitch in 2014 and played Counter-Strike. I had to stop streaming for a while due to lack of internet speed. Also, I had to complete my B Tech degree. I started playing Pubg streaming in 2017 when there were hardly any streamers during that period.

I took to full-time streaming recently. I was into my family business and streamed after I reached home at night. After getting the response from the audience, I took full time streaming. My family supported me once I proved them that streaming can be a full-time profession.

You have been very vocal about family-friendly content while streaming. Do you think censorship on YouTube channels is a must?

YouTube has a feature which categorizes adult and child based content. But age group has been decreased to 13 plus so kids often check such streams and are projected to adult content.

I always ensure that while I am streaming, the audience of all age should watch it and appreciate my work. People watch streams on TV too. I will not stream content which my viewer feels embarrassed about.

In India, we have very few female streamers. Any particular reason behind it? 

Female streamers are being harassed online. They are being judged by their looks and are being trolled. Harassment of female streamers should end. The gaming community should support female streamers only then they will grow in this industry. They should be judged on the basis of content they create rather than making it male vs female issue.

Many people believe that streaming on social media platforms gives huge amount of money. Your take on it. 

Streaming content income varies from one streamer to another. It is never a fixed amount of money. I earn Rs 30,000 to 1 Lakh a month depending on all aspects. A streamer can expect a range of money but its never fixed.

Apart from the money involved in this profession, long time streaming could affect health. How do you take up to such challenges?

Long-time streaming can affect health. A streamer will never understand those adverse health effects at an early age. But later on, it takes a toll on streamer's body. I have worked in an IT company which involves nine hours of shift and we are glued to our computers.

So for me streaming for long hours does not make a difference. The only difference is that when we work for a firm you make money for them, but in streaming, you make money for oneself.

Many streamers often get trolled for their content. How does Gagandeep Singh handle trollers while streaming? 

So now we have become seasoned streamers. We have to ignore such trolls. When we have a good watching. There will be good people and a few bad people watching the streams. I keep on ignoring such persons. You cannot take them seriously.

What are your future plans and what could your audience expect from your YouTube channel? 

I have noticed that we play games which trend in India when the world has already done playing it. I ensure that I play games which are internationally acclaimed. It is important to bring new games and create new and quality content. I started playing GTA V along with my friend. We first started playing this role-play based game and today many streamers have started playing it. It allows you to create new content.

Many youngsters are taking to content creation like streaming. What would be your advice to them?

I would like to advise that people should start streaming as a part-time thing. One should not quit their current profession for content creation. The streamer should provide quality content. Demand and supply is the key.

The audience likes to check new content. Big time streamers should play new games and promote new content. Demand of audience or their liking could be changed depending on new games available in the market.

Streaming is a continuous process, how do you manage your personal life? 

I have been live streaming every single day since 2017. I have to detach from my family members and friends. I cannot attend social gatherings. Your mind is occupied about social media posts and streaming. People today are hungry for content.

So I have to deliver such quality content or else someone else will deliver it. Now I am getting married in the month of January, I am happy that I have an understanding partner. She supports me with my profession.