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“I’m proud to be Black. I’m proud to be a Black content creator. That’s something that no one can ever take away from me. And I just want to make sure that, you know, my stream is knowledgeable and no other content creator should be afraid to do something just because of the color of your skin.”
Pro_Kesadia
We are halfway through our Black Excellence in gaming series, and so far we have had an impressive lineup of content creators with all sorts of talents and skills, all of whom are doing amazing work. This theme continues with our next feature and interview subject, Twitch Partner, esports commentator and host, Pro_Kesadia.
Kesa has been gaming ever since he was a kid, with his mother giving him an SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) as a gift when he was four or five years old. Later on, he received a Playstation1, and it was games like Final Fantasy 8 and 9, Breath of Fire 4, and Mega Man X that got him invested in video games, with Japanese RPGs still being his favorite genre of games to this day. He shared that these games make up a large part of his current content, with the Persona series as his favorite title at present. When he first began playing the game, it was the music, story, and other intricate details of the experience that kept him playing for hours.
It wasn’t until college that Pro_Kesadia was first introduced to Twitch when a friend mentioned that he was heading home early to go live on the platform. Curious, he visited his friend’s channel and sparked his own interest in live streaming. Some of the very first streams Kesa did were through his old iMac 2009. It was through this same friend that he began learning more about the game Smite and how to commentate for said game. Kesa, who has always been interested in viewing games through an analytical perspective, decided that this was absolutely something that he had to try for himself.
“So I love looking at things from an analytical standpoint, especially when it comes to competitive gaming. So ever since I saw commentary and how, you know, you could just make a game seem more exciting and understand what the ins and outs are from a game from someone who actually has a very high knowledge of game mechanics and whatnot. I was like, ‘I think I can do that, too.’”
Pro_Kesadia
He worked hard to learn as much as he could about the game, its mechanics, and how to put his own personality into commentating. His efforts paid off, and in 2015 he was invited to be an M.C. at the Smite booth at Pax East. Kesa remembers the experience fondly, stating that he enjoyed the experience and discovered that if given the opportunity to hype up other people and be passionate about a game, then it would always be something that he could do.
Pro_Kesadia has since moved on from Smite, with his live streaming content focusing more on FPS, RPGs and additional games, but one of his goals for the future is to become a commentator for major esports events. One such event he would love to commentate for is League of Legends. A titan of competitive gaming with an international audience, League can be difficult to break into since the scene is so large and some communities are already well established. But this hasn’t deterred Kesa, and he plans to continue to work towards this goal.
When not prepping to be the next star of esports commentary, Pro_Kesadia focuses on cultivating his own brand and community to be one that is safe, inclusive, and welcome for everyone. He is a part of Noble, a multi-gaming esports & live content organization, where he acts as one of their streamers and creators and collaborates with and hosts fellow members. Some of his goals for this year include partnering with more gaming companies and groups to promote their work and content, increasing the viewership of his channel and growing his community, all while supporting and uplifting other Black content creators as well.
When it comes to Black History Month, Pro_Kesadia acknowledges that this time of the year comes with both negatives and positives for Black creators. While this should be a time for us to celebrate and highlight ourselves and our achievements, it can sometimes be overshadowed by the negative attention and harassment that is received. Though this should be no reason to stop your creativity, Kesa shared that these instances can be distracting for creators and can be damaging for one’s motivation when it comes to content creation. He hopes that platforms can continue to support Black creators and other marginalized creators throughout the year as well, not only giving them the spotlight but some reassurance of safety too.
It is his goal that Black creators can continue their content creation endeavors all the while networking and meeting more people in this space. This way, we can keep doing great work while at the same time building a network of support for one another that can only grow. When asked if he had any final words of wisdom, Kesa stated:
“I’ll probably say this one thing. To whoever is reading this interview is that if you are ever wanted to get into content creation, do not be afraid to do so. Take the leap. Have fun with it. Don’t go in with a mindset of just, you know, you’re a person having a good time playing video games and you never know what could happen. I never thought that I would be a Twitch Partner for streaming for almost seven years and getting all these amazing opportunities…and It all started with just me hitting that gold button on that iMac. So, yeah, just take the plunge and don’t be afraid to make mistakes and just keep trucking. I know you can do it.”
Pro_Kesadia
With 2021 still in its early months, Pro_Kesadia plans on following his own advice of maintaining his pace and taking the plunge when it comes towards his goals for this year and beyond. We look forward to seeing what he has in the works and, eventually, when joins the League of Legends team as one of their official commentators.
On behalf of the Off Colour team, we thank him for taking the time to chat with us and share more about his path as a creator!
You can be sure to support Pro_Kesadia by visiting their Twitch channel and other socials as well. Be sure to check back soon for when we share our full interview on the Off Colour site!
Thank you so much for reading, and we hope you enjoy the rest of our series!
