As he sets up his equipment, senior Eduardo Bazaldua logs into his Twitch account. While deciding on which game to stream, he greets his viewers watching. Bazaldua provides jokes and comments alongside the gameplay.

He is an engaged student involved in orchestra and AP classes, but he also has a unique hobby: streaming. During his free time, Bazaldua streams on popular streaming site Twitch where he plays a variety of games including Counter Strike Global Offensive, Street Fighter 5 and Dragonball FighterZ. While focusing on the game, he communicates with the viewers.

“I prefer Twitch because I can interact with my viewers in [the] Twitch chat,” Bazuldua said. “I enjoy the [time] I can have with [them].”

Bazaldua began his streaming career on Twitch under the username “PurgatorySlayys,” which he still goes by now. He strives to obtain a larger fanbase like other big streamers such as NairoMK, Trihex and Dr. DisRespect.

“He’s been streaming for three years,” senior Christian Cruz said. “He has always wanted to stream [and] drew inspiration from Ninja from Mixer.”

Besides Twitch, he uses other methods to set up his streams. Using his computer and other special programs like OBS studios and Streamlabs, Bazaldua is able to interact with the chat while producing the highest quality content he is able to for his fans.

“I use OBS studios to record my gameplay,” Bazaldua said. “I use Streamlabs because I like how it lets me have my own custom layout and makes communicating with my chat easier.”

After years of streaming, Bazaldua has managed to build an audience of 100 concurrent viewers on his stream, with the number gradually rising. He has managed to attract viewers with his unique personality and impressive gameplay.

“Eduardo is different from other streamers,” senior Joshua Gibbons said. “I watch him and the way he interacts with his viewers makes it feel like you’re playing with one of your friends.”

Balancing two AP classes and his hobby of streaming, Bazaldua finds a way to continue to balance both talents. Teachers and classmates around him see and admire his effort without knowing about a time-intensive hobby he does between homework assignments and studying.

“It’s impressive how he’s always on time with his assignments,” Gibbons said. “He streams for so long it seems like he’s always focusing on his Twitch.”

Bazaldua started streaming originally as a way to step out of his day-to-day life, but it later evolved into his passion. When streaming, he gains experience in the games he enjoys and interacts with his audience. The combination makes him want to stream more frequently.

“I wanted to try something that was out of my comfort zone,” Bazaldua said. “I used to only play with close friends or by myself, [but] I wanted to try out streaming.”