Originally Published: 18th July 2020 on eGG Network

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Asnur Atiqah

When you’re a timid and shy 18-year-old who is scared of standing out from the crowd, the last thing you’d want is putting yourself in the spotlight – visible to thousands of viewers. But that’s not what Asnur Atiqah, better known as Charlie to her fans, decided to do. Almost a year ago, she decided to tackle her fears head-on, by pursuing a career as a streamer thanks to the strong encouragement from her friends and family. Now, a successful streamer and official Facebook Gaming partner, and her own line of merchandise – you can say, the rest is history.

Asnur started her streaming journey in August 2019. It didn’t take long for her to be noticed – by her third month, she hit 20,000 followers and was made an official Facebook Gaming partner. However, she didn’t just luck out on success – Charlie put in a lot of effort to make it work.

The recently turned 19-year-old treats streaming like a regular nine to five job – except that it starts in the PM and ends in the AM. A regular day for her involves getting up before she starts streaming, having ‘breakfast’, putting on makeup and getting dressed, and plonking herself in front of the computer to play games for her audience – viewers who watch her play games until the wee hours of the morning.

But streaming is not just fun and games for her. Charlie has made it a point to keep to her daily routine, which she believes helps viewers find her content. “You need to maintain a consistent schedule. Like a TV show or drama, people expect you at that time when they log on Facebook.”

MrCocan and her father, both of them content creators, were key influences on her career. They gave her a lot of advice when she was starting out. In fact, it was her father’s use of a webcam on his stream which inspired Charlie to do the same. “The first few sessions were a bit awkward. I had to learn to overcome my shyness and nervousness by practising my intro in front of my mirror before I started my stream!” she recalled.

Makcik Bedah

Now, you might be wondering how she came up with the name Charlie, here’s a fun fact: it was inspired by ‘semut Charlie’ (also known as Paederus). Impressed by its toxic potency despite its small size, Asnur named herself after the insect, aspiring to be just as impactful one day (hopefully not by harming humans!).

Though Charlie is rarely recognized by her fans in public, on GTA V Malaysia roleplay servers, it’s a different story. One of her characters, Makcik Bedah – a striped-bag toting lady who’s usually up to no good and hilarious antics – is infamous. She’s reached a point where other people will call her Makcik Bedah even when she’s playing other games.

She also has a host of other characters she plays on stream – from Farah Nab, the gangster lover; to Pipah and Dayan – JPJ and police officers respectively. There’s a reason Charlie plays these crazy roles – she has made it her mission to dispel stereotypes about female streamers. “Just the whole female streamer stereotype is tiring me. I mean, why can’t a girl be entertaining? I’m constantly battling stereotypes. It can be exhausting. Gameplay brings people in, personality makes them stay.”

While she has been successful in changing that perception for her viewers and fans, she does encounter the occasional stumbling block. Asnur mentioned that some male content creators have refused to play with her due to their own relationship statuses!  For her, it’s no big deal because she’s professional about it. The streamer prefers to keep her real-life separate from her streaming activity.

If she’s not up to shenanigans in GTA V, you can find Charlie duking it out in team-based games like PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends. She’s also a fan of streaming horror games, especially those with support for multiplayer. Occasionally, she’ll also take part in tournaments like the Facebook Gaming Creator Games: Battle of Heroes 2020.

Charlie says streaming is something that she could do forever, and from watching her rhapsodic streams, you can tell she means it. The Malaysian creator hopes to expand her 100,000+ viewer base to include neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Charlie

Her advice to aspiring content creators? “For those who are starting out, you don’t need the best setup – you can upgrade your devices as you go along. However, make sure you have a high-speed internet connection because having a good frame rate is important.” She also mentions that it’s important to build a community of fans. Without them, she wouldn’t be where she’s at.

She continued, “just be yourself and sincere in what you are doing. Let your parents be your backbone and follow their advice. It’s okay if you’re not successful in other fields. One day, you will in yours. Follow your passion, it’s what really matters.”

Tune in to Charlie’s streams on Facebook Gaming to catch her antics live. Follow eGG Network for more stories about your favourite Facebook Gaming creators, and remember to apply for our Game & Grow program to take your stream to the next level!