Jerome stumbled back to his seat and stared at the screen in disbelief.
“Wait… did they just call out my name?”
His chat was going crazy, or as crazy as five people typing furiously could get. They showered him with praise but by far the happiest for him was DoBre. And thank god for her. While he was still staring slack-jawed at the screen, thinking they had all misheard and were mistaken about the situation, she went out on the web and dug out a confirmation.
“Check this out, you’re on their feed,” she said, linking Shinkodo’s social media account. Right there on a post that congratulated the winners, was a list of names. His was there, staring him in the face.
A weird noise escaped his throat, a mixture of a laugh, an incoherent syllable and a wail, the same you’d hear when someone is about to cry but isn’t quite there yet.
The next few hours ended up being absolutely life-changing, thanks in part by Jerome’s foresight. After the announcement, he somehow had the clarity of mind to change the name of his stream to one that had more chance of attracting viewers- “I WON SHINKODO’S VR CONTEST. OMG!!!”
He didn't expect much but to his surprise people showed up. There was a trickle of gawkers at first. Jerome knew that they had clicked on his stream in part because they were hyped about vr as most gamers were right now. So he did is best to entertain them with talk of the new technology. He threw in lots of humor and just generally tried not to embarrass himself too badly. Even tho the numbers were low, each minute they watched helped propel him higher in the site’s rankings, pushing the algorithm into recommending him to more and more people. And came they did. By the dozens, then the hundreds and then the thousands. The number had increased until it hovered at 4000 concurrent viewers.
There was a certain amount of pressure that came with suddenly being put on the spot. Jerome was nervous, hands shaking and a voice in the back of his head nagging him. You don’t have the charisma to do this. You’re just a loser who’ll never amount to anything.
He told that voice to shut up and did his best to keep his cool. Luckily all the training he had done in case this very scenario happened came in handy. Score one for preparedness.
And then all these thought melted away as he realized that those watching him were people with the same love for the industry as he did. They showered him with congrats, they left funny or witty comments that he could play off from and the whole thing just became fun.
Once the the stream ended, Jerome paced about his apartment. His mind was racing, thinking about what he should do to capitalize on the situation. Winning the vr pod was amazing in itself but the real prize was the opportunity that receiving it one week early created.
To succeed in life, you usually had to be first to do something or be one of the best at said thing. Jerome couldn't compete with big streamers right now as they had more money, time and clout then him. But by receiving the pod one week earlier then most, he would be first, a trendsetter.
He guessed that he would gain a bit of notoriety in the following days for being one of the contest winners. If he played his cards right, he could use that to boost is visibility and get the ball rolling but the real window for his success was that one week. He had one month to prepare for it. He would spend it creating as much content as he possibly could.
Jerome started by going over to MyChan, the leading video-sharing website, and uploaded highlights of his stream to his account. Just like Clutch, one could earn ad revenue from videos. He had tried before in his teens, uploading comedy sketches with friends and game walkthroughs but never got that much out of it. Recently, he’d just been using it to watch videos but it was time to dust it off and try again.
Once uploaded, he noticed how amateurish his page looked. He had gained a lot of experience since his early days on how to make catchy thumbnails, search engine optimization and such. He worked until the wee hours of the morning, revamping his channel using every trick he’d learned.
Jerome barely slept a wink and before he knew it, it was time to head to his second job. At work, he was in a strange headspace, both exhausted and wired at the same time. He made mistakes as he was distracted by everything that was happening and his boss was losing patience with him as he stopped frequently to scribble down notes or to check how many views he’d gotten.
He also browsed his emails and noticed he’d gotten one from Shinkodo. They wanted to speak to him to verify his identity and shipping address, as well as go over a few legal matters. He used the contact number provided to get in touch with a representative and got everything sorted out. In order to accept the prize tho, he would have to sign an agreement to let the company use is likeness for promotional purposes. All standard stuff he didn’t have a problem with.
Talking with them about all this promotional stuff gave him an idea. He wasn’t sure if it would pan out but tried anyway. During his lunch break, he looked up the article mentioning the contest winners and by extension, him, on the biggest gaming news website and contacted the writer. Jerome had originally just wanted to ask if the article could be updated to include a line about him being a streamer and were viewers could go to check it out. Shockingly, not only did the writer agree but he was asked for an exclusive interview. Since the subject of vr was trending currently, they were willing to pay a thousand bucks.
Jerome sucked in a breath and almost agreed on the spot but stopped himself. People who made money and were on top in this world didn’t just agree to the first thing to come along quietly. He decided to take a gamble and told the writer that unfortunately, he was already in talks with the second biggest gaming news website for a similar exclusivity deal although they paid 1500$ instead, but since he liked this site better he would drop the other guys if they matched the payout. Jerome ended the call 1500$ richer.
He barely noticed the day go by, so focused on is own machinations as he was. Once home again, he called back the news writer to conduct the interview that would help propel his career forward, engaged with those who left comments on his video or sent him emails and then set up an out-of-schedule stream. He had tried to do a daily stream in the past but it hadn’t garnered enough interest so had scaled it back to two days a week but now was willing to try again.
The night’s show never reached the same proportion as the last one, but it was a stark difference from his average. Hundreds of people had shown up and that number was bound to go up as the article went up the next day. That sealed it. He was gonna go for his dream with everything he had, caution be damned.
After work on Sunday, he went shopping. In a move that was very stupid and could utterly ruin him, he maxed out his credit card and bought a new camera, pc parts to upgrade his old rig, studio lighting, a recent popular game that he could play now and pre-ordered two of the vr games that would release when the console did. Nothing ventured nothing gained, he kept telling himself as he watched, with a strained smile, the cashier scan his card.
The following weeks were a blur as he spent every waking hour working. He worked his regular jobs during daytime then rushed straight home, scarfed down food and then created videos he thought people would be interested in, followed by a stream while those uploaded. During his breaks, he would study what was trending and come up with topic ideas or researched ways to make his work more discoverable.
He was like a man possessed, sleeping only five hours a day, sometimes even as low as four. It wasn't healthy but he wast planning on doing this forever. He just wanted to hit the iron while hot and keep the momentum going. A mixture of endless anxious energy, mental restlessness and the strongest coffee blend he could get his hands on kept him moving through the fatigue.
By the end of October, he had around 40 videos, which combined had nearly 3 million views. The stream highlight were he had won the contest accounted for 2/3rd’s of it as it had gone on trending. It might not have seemed like a lot compared to the bigger creators but it was still a solid number. His metrics dashboard showed that he had earned 4000$. A little over what he made with his two jobs combined in a month and his numbers were only increasing. Who knew what he would make when he got his prize.
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The world felt different now, as if he had stepped in a dream. A weight he didn’t even know he had been carrying for so long was lifting off his shoulders. He could finally do what he had wanted to for years, what he felt he never would be able to, which was to entertain people and have a career instead of a soul-sucking job.
His next months rent secure and trying to be forward thinking, he took another gamble and quit his weekend job. This would allow him many extra hours to sink into his current endeavor, and maybe a few to sleep as he was ready to crash from exhaustion. More videos meant more money to offset the lost wages. Besides, he had a money-generating idea that could bring him even more then what he was earning at the restaurant but he needed to get the vr pod first.
Another tool in Jerome’s business arsenal was the Clutch affiliate program. He had to reach a minimum of watch time and followers on the platform in the last 30 days to be eligible. With this, he’d receive benefits like a bit more push by the platform to make him visible and better streaming quality (although only partners had reliable quality that didn't dip in high traffic times). But more importantly, he’d gain the ability to have subscribers. People could pay 7,99$ a month and gain a few perks like custom emotes. A streamer with 1000 subs would make 8000 bucks minus a 50% cut to Clutch and taxes owed at the end of the year.
Jerome reached the milestones necessary to gain affiliate status Sunday Nov 3rd. He sent in his request and was approved by lunch time the following day. He advertised it on all his accounts and soon had 42 people signed up, DoBre being one of them. His heart welled up and he vowed to thank them the next time he was on the air.
November 5th was the day he finally received his prize. People from Shinkodo showed up with a large package, a small film crew and journalists in tow. Neighbors came around to see what was up then word of mouth spread through the entire megablock and soon it was a real circus outside his apartment.
Size wise, the living was too narrow for both the pod and his furniture. The couch and coffee table had to be sacrificed. Those quickly disappeared when Jerome asked the group of tenants rubbernecking outside if anyone wanted them. The unit was then professionally installed and configured by Shinkodo’s people. Of course, Jerome filmed everything that day and uploaded it. He ended up on trending again that night.
This was it, the moment of truth. The console would be commercially available in 7 days, on Nov 12th, so he had to redouble his effort if he didn’t want his fifteen minutes of fame to be just that.
He had taken the four vacation days he had left at his call center job for this week with the plan to call in sick for the rest and spent that time pumping out content. He did an in-depth analysis video about the Impulse Casque’s specs and showed off how it looked and operated. There were even a few game demos pre-loaded in the console to play with. The amount of views, exposure, revenue and clout he gained in that week was astonishing.
Jerome braced himself when the casque was officially released and other creators jumped on the wagon. He did see his number stumble but not has bad as he had envisioned. Seems like now that people knew he existed, they liked his what he had to offer and were showing up for more. So more he gave them, with the day one games that he had pre-ordered.
Emboldened by his numbers and his first payment from MyChan, which he’d receive the 15th of every month, he decided to quit his job.
That day, he went to the bank to pay off his cards then went to the call center to quit. He told the manager to go fuck himself. There actually was a reason for doing that besides the fact that he hated the man and the job. Like soldiers in olden times, they would fight harder if put in a situation were they couldn't retreat from. Jerome made sure the call center wouldn't rehire him and would hurt his prospects in finding another job and basically burned his bridges. It would make him desperate to succeed. Perhaps a stupid move that would hurt him in the future but the thought of returning to being a nobody in a minimum wage job for the rest of is life was something he would bear no longer.
Jerome was finally able to enact the money making scheme he had thought up a few weeks earlier, which was to rent his top tier vr pod to those that wanted to experience true full-dive but couldn’t afford it, which was basically everyone who wasn’t filthy rich. Since he wasn't using it while he edited videos or engaged with his audience on social media, he figured he could put it to good use and make extra money.
Jerome posted an ad on a few gaming forums, letting people know he was looking for renters. He charged forty bucks an hour, which was twice the current minimum wage. A lot of people saw his ad and signed up but problems quickly arose. First, he ended up spending too much time building a waiting list, scheduling people or answering the same questions over and over. Then there was the customers themselves. Some where no-shows which wasted both is time and potential earnings, kids showing up to his apartment without parents which was an absolute no-no in a litigious society and then there was that teenage boy he had to throw out by the scruff of the neck because he tried to stay longer and getting rowdy as he wasn't getting his way.
Jerome didn't have the time and energy to deal with all that bullshit. What he needed was one singular responsible adult who rented his machine long term. This gave him an idea. He went to forums were video makers and streamers talked about the business side of things and helped each other, and copied his rental post there, adding that it was a great business opportunity for those wanting to take their gaming channels to the next level.
It didn't take long to find someone. He had received a bunch of messages from interested parties. One was a single mother who was in the same line of work as him. Her name was Stephanie Briar but went by “Miss Bunnykiss” online. She had sent him links to her two channels and he was able to see her work. On one of them, she did playthroughs of more family friendly games and content geared towards a younger audience.
Her second, more mature channel was were she did avatar fashion and lifestyle videos inside Central, Shinkodo’s social hub. A place were people lived and socialized through their avatars. They had their own condo and could groom and outfit their characters to their liking with digital goods that cost real money before heading out into the large cityscape to partake in fun events.
She had a sensual voice, something she was aware of and used as a tool. When speaking through her well endowed avatar, it explained why men were her biggest audience. Some people would complain saying it was manipulative but Jerome didn't fault her for it; time’s were hard.
Besides, having that sort of online persona did come with drawbacks. Men had to deal with obscurity, women had the opposite problem, too much attention of the wrong kind. Each had their problems.
Stephanie was consistent, professional and had managed to carve herself a little community. It wasn’t huge but she lived off of it and it was still bigger then his own for now. Maybe she could teach him a few tricks. She seemed like a down-to-earth person so he scheduled a meeting with her.
When she came to his place, standing before him was a petite and slightly chubby 29 year old woman with green eyes behind glasses, and brown hair tied in a ponytail. Not pretty nor ugly, just an average woman who like him was focused on her own affairs. She was bright and no nonsense so they got right into it.
He showed her the machine and let her try it for an hour. She came out convinced that she wanted to take her channel this direction. She wanted to expand and also, after what she’d just seen, figured that it wouldn't take long for vr to take over and wanted to be the first one to do avatar content in full-dive.
They started talking price and times she would use it. A daily six hour block was good enough for her since she had a kid and couldn't spend all day gaming. The latter reason was also why she wanted to come during the day, when her seven year old son was in school. This worked with Jerome since he mostly did his thing later in the night.
Price wise, Jerome decided to charge 25 bucks an hour, which covered rental and electricity cost as well as shelf space for her food. They came to an agreement. She only had to pay before each sessions in the beginning but would have to pay monthly later.
It was awkward at first, Jerome used to living alone, and not the smoothest with the opposite sex but after getting to know each other for a few days, they settled into a groove. After a few weeks it was like they were old friends.
December rolled around, and things were looking great. All his numbers where continually on an upward trend and because it was holiday season, the ads were worth more since companies made the most money in this time period, so paid higher advertisement prices. Instead of the regular 5$ per thousand impressions, it was sitting near 9$.
Unfortunately, he could only earn ad revenue on MyChan as he needed to be considered a partner on Clutch to get that privilege and he wasn't there yet. Also, he received less donations from his viewers since they had Christmas gifts to buy for their own family. Still, he managed to make more then usual.
Jerome shook when he received his second paycheck on Dec 15th. He had passed the 10 000$ mark. So much had changed in less then two months, it was crazy. But with an eye for the future, he was ready to take the next step.
He had thought long and hard about were he wanted to take his business. Instead of playing random games, he wanted to niche down with a specific type of content, something that he could make his. When people would think about it, they would associate him with it. It had to be popular, with potential to grow a big player base and something that lasted a long time. Single player games were out as they were short-lived. He might play them on the side but he wanted something with a more social and competitive aspect to it.
One night he scrolled through lists of upcoming releases. That was how he stumble upon the one game that fit all his criteria. A mmorpg with a huge world that would keep expending in the following years. There was a lot of buzz due to it being the first vr version of its kind. And he remembered the oath he took with his pal DoBre. The more Jerome thought about, the more he liked it. Rising Sun: Online, that’s were is future resided.