Originally Published: 6th November 2021 on eGG Network

Text Version:

How many people do you know would give up a career travelling across the world for something as mundane as sitting in a room to play video games all day? Few, seeing how exciting life in the air and in other countries can be, especially during a time where we’re all chained to our homes thanks to the pandemic. Li Shun Yang or better known as ShunYeungHD to his fans is one such person. In fact, the Hongkonger quit his day job as a flight attendant many years ago because he didn’t have enough time to focus on streaming!

Starting out as an unknown streamer about six years ago, he grew from playing ARK: Survival Evolved for minute crowds to him soiling his pants running from ghosts and demons for his legion of fans. If that sounds familiar to you because of a particular Swedish YouTuber that we all know, you’re not wrong.

“One of the major people I looked up to was PewDiePie, he’s the reason I got into streaming,” Shun Yang reflected. When he found his audience growing after streaming spooky titles, amongst other things, he decided that would be his new path. What began as a pastime turned into an opportunity to make a living, it was a happy accident. Fortunately, for him and his fans – if he wasn’t working as a streamer, he’d likely be a government servant for the immigration department (a job he had rejected after becoming a full-time streamer).

But, it hasn’t been a completely smooth journey for him. For one, he’s streaming without the encouragement of his family. Despite them tuning into his streams occasionally, they haven’t given him their full blessing to pursue this career. The best he can do for now is build his own success in hopes of changing their minds.

Though the sports buff (who enjoys gymming, swimming and travelling) didn’t find it difficult to be in front of the camera, he found it even more awkward to have it on while nobody was watching. Having little to no audience was one of the biggest challenges ShunYeungHD had to overcome when he was a fledgeling but fortuitously, he had friends to rely on. By making appearances on the streams of popular content creators like Songsen, Laowu, JP and Lunacy Hollow, he was able to tap into their fanbase to grow his own audience.

Making content relevant to your audience is important, especially when you’re still growing. And putting out the right content at the right time can give you a boost in traffic. ShunYeungHD is notable for having a lot of Malaysian fans, despite not being one himself, due to his series of vlogs during his time in the country. It also helped that the crossover audiences from his friends’ streams were Malaysian. Another thing he had to do was learn to edit his own videos.

“Having VODs or highlights on your channel are important for growth. I had to learn how to edit videos by following online tutorials. It’s important to have all these basic skills first or you’ll be very lost when starting out,” said Shun Yang on advice for newcomers to streaming. “Competition is very tough right now, so let your personality shine to stand out.”

Just like every other popular streamer out there, ShunYeungHD has his fair share of haters. Despite what many people think, streamers do read what people write in chat, and sometimes the comments he receives bring him down. Regardless, he’s determined to not let it stop him from doing what he loves. Yet, he did mention, if he ever stops streaming one day, he wants to remain in the gaming industry – probably in the backend of esports.

ShunYeungHD, who is based in China and sometimes Hong Kong, relies on VPNs to stream on Facebook. When asked why he chose this approach despite the multitude of Chinese streaming platforms available, he replied that he found the audience on Facebook more challenging to engage, which gives him the motivation to do better. He’s also a fan of variety, preferring to create content for various games instead of only one, which explains the plethora of games he streams on his channel.

He may not be the biggest streamer yet, but if he keeps up his growth and working mindset, he’s bound to go places. To his supporters, he offers his gratitude and thanks to them for accompanying him on this journey so far, and to his fans in Malaysia – he promises he’ll drop by to visit once the pandemic is over.

Catch ShunYeungHD streaming live on Facebook or his VODs on YouTube. Stay tuned to eGG Network for more in-depth profiles of your favourite streamers!