June 28, 2023

Exclusive Interview with YouTuber Korey

Man’s got more views than the population of Venezuela! 

Why, hello there heroes! It’s Beleen, here to bring you something new – and something pink! – on the Design Notes today. As if the title of this post didn’t already spoil the surprise, allow me to squeal with excitement over getting to interview MMO YouTuber, @Koreyx! Korey’s videos have been watched nearly 30,000,000 times, so there’s a pretty good chance you’ve already seen Korey in action. Speaking of action – let’s jump right into this interview already!  

Beleen: Hey Korey! It’s so awesome getting to do this interview with you today. Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your channel.

Korey: Hi, hello, howdy. My Name is Korey and I have a YouTube Channel where I post news and updates for AQW.

Beleen: So what sparked your interest in MMOs and inspired you to start a YouTube channel?

Korey: I always grew up with video games in the house. My dad was very big into it. He was building his own PC and had a lot of the consoles back in the 90s. I would be more surprised if I was not into games. MMOs in particular just came from being bored and looking for free games to play on PC. Back in 2008, the landscape for free to play games was not anything close to how large it is now. Also, around the same time I started playing AQW, YouTube was becoming more and more popular. My friend in grade school, James, told me about YouTube; he wanted to share some cool Lego stop motion videos. The first few channels I made are probably still out there… somewhere online… when I was way too young to be posting videos. 

Beleen: Your secret is safe with me 😋 Now, could you share with us your most memorable moment in AQW and why it stands out?

Korey: Being able to search in my inventory and having a cape with my logo on it is very surreal. Still very crazy to me that I have an item in a MMO I play.

Beleen: I know the feeling! My chinchilla, Chongo, was the first in-game item made for me, so I feel the feels you’re feeling, man! Now, if you could be any character from a video game in real life, who would you choose and why?

Korey: Max from Scribblenauts. He has a book where anything you write in it appears in real life. So if I wanted a talking pink dinosaur, it would just spawn. Cure for cancer, sure, here it is. You would become very overpowered as Max IRL. 

Beleen: Oddly enough, a pink dinosaur curing cancer is my spirit animal. And speaking of overpowered things IRL, let's delve into the technical side of YouTubing. What kind of equipment and software do you use for creating your videos?

Korey: You do not need much to start making videos. I started on a really cheap laptop that had a hard time running a browser window and a headset mic that I bought to use voice chat on the Wii. Today, my setup is a lot different but none of it is necessary. If I was starting from scratch, I would prioritize getting a decent mic. The second thing I would get is a second monitor; if you are using a single monitor – even if you are not streaming or making videos – you need to look for a cheap one… it is such a game changer. I offered my brother my old GPU that would have been a large PC upgrade for him, and he gave it back to me after he figured out that he could no longer use his second monitor with it since the monitor was old and did not have the right display connector. All of the Software I use is free except for Photoshop – you need to pay the Adobe tax for that one. I use Shotcut for editing videos and OBS for recording and streaming. 

Beleen: I remember my first “gaming PC” was an eMachines computer, and it was the cheapest setup a child could buy after raking pine needles all summer long. I’m like 99% sure they stopped making eMachines when I stopped raking pine needles…

And thanks for the helpful advice on the video editing stuff! Now, let’s delve into seriously helpful stuff: how do you handle negative feedback or criticism? Any advice for content creators (or other human beings) dealing with similar situations?

Korey: My mindset on people that will post something negative online is that they are probably not in a good situation and are looking for an outlet. Responding to that in most situations feeds it. Now, being negative and having criticism can feel similar to the person receiving it, but if it is real criticism, I take it and see if there is anything I can take action on, and I have in the past made changes to my channel and content based on feedback. 

Beleen: That's a really great approach, Korey. What other advice would you give to aspiring MMO YouTubers who want to start their own channels?

Korey: DO IT. If you think you can do it, stop thinking and upload something. Keep uploading. Watch videos other people make to learn and upload more. Just like with anything, practice is the only way. Content matters over everything; at the end of the day, if you can convey that content in an entertaining way, your channel will grow.

Beleen: Korey the Motivation Speaker could be your next channel idea :p But you’d definitely need a personal assistant to help you out. So! If any NPC from AQW could be your personal assistant in real life, who would it be and why?

Korey: Safiria. First off, and a **spoiler** this would mean she is no longer dead. Second, vampires now exist in the real world. Growing up I thought vampires were pretty lame, but I played Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines and It completely changed my opinion on them. Third, she is very overqualified to be anyone's personal assistant so I imagine she would do an amazing job.

Beleen: Hahaha! That last line has me in stitches! So what was your favorite AQW event (other than Birds with Arms, hehehe)?

Korey: This is a very easy answer: Throne of Darkness! The whole event felt like it had good direction. If I recall, it started in the summer and ended in the fall so it did not overstay its welcome like some quest lines will do. A ton of classes were released during the event. I think it was like one every 2 weeks which is nuts compared to the one or two that are released a year now. Map art was unique and well made. Cutscenes were great. Just all in all a great event. 

Beleen: I actually didn’t play it– but now I have just got to check it out! Hey readers: if you want to play through Throne of Darkness too, just type /join darkthronehub in the in-game chat and head there right now! But before I myself head out, I should probably conclude this interview, huh? 

Any future goals or milestones for you and/or your channel, Korey? 

Korey: It would be nice to hit 100k on YouTube at some point in the future. YouTube gives you a cool silver play button for that.

Beleen: 100,000 subscribers would be HUGE!! I beleen in you! 🤭 And finally, do you have any special messages or shout-outs you'd like to share with the AQW community? 

Korey: If you read all of this, I hope you found some of the answers interesting. Big thanks to all the people who watch my channel. Some have been watching for half a decade or more at this point.

Beleen: The Artix Entertainment community really feels like family, huh? It’s so wonderful to have such great friends surrounding us for so many years – and to think I myself started working on AQW 14 years ago! I guess it’s true what they say: time flies when you’re having pun.

Aaaand that cringe comment concludes our interview with Korey! We've learned so much about his passion for MMO games, the content creation process, and some valuable input on IRL and in-game events. It's been a pleasure having Korey here with us today, and the AE team wishes him continued success on his YouTube channel! Thank you Korey for sharing your adventures with us today and everyday you upload a new AQW video 💖

Keep adventuring, keep gaming, and above all else, keep having fun everyone! 

Battle on!
Beleen, Korey, and the AQW team

PS: Many thanks to AdventureQuest Worlds hero + wicked-talented artist, Zeyles, who is the creator of the Korey art + chibi Korey used in the image above! Check out his other work here: Zeyles' Twitter