Istanbul Gelişim University Public Relations and Publicity Department Research Assistant Zeynep Özcan had a pleasant interview with Twitch broadcaster Özcan Ilgın. The interview talked about Ilgın's career and the Twitch platform. The interview is as follows:
First of all, thank you very much for not to refuse us and for accepting our interview invitation. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hello, I'm Özcan Ilgın. I am in my forties. I have two undergraduate degrees; actually, I'm a financial advisor. However, by considering that the sector was not suitable for me, that life was not for me, I made a risky decision (especially by doing madness according to my surroundings) and after the age of my thirties, I won a university again. I was graduated from the Communication Faculty of Istanbul University as the first in the faculty. I am currently pursuing my master's degree in the General Journalism programme there. I also work in-game media; I'm on PlayStation Turkey. I am a videographer and an announcer.
How did you start the game industry? How long have you been interested in it?
It will be a very classic answer, but I've been playing games since I was 5-6 years old. So I have been playing games for over thirty years, since the time of the black box Atari 2600 I have been with games and I love them very much. Black boxes, Commodore's, PlayStations, computers I started the game industry by doing content production in professional terms, in 2013, in the days that I was very overwhelmed by the financial consultancy and accounting world. I learned that Murat Sönmez, who produces game content at the Konsol Üssü he has switched to Multiplayer, the company I worked with before. I sent him a friend request on Facebook, he accepted it, even though I had never met him, I texted him with a sign of courage. I stated that I wanted to enter the game world. Murat Sönmez said that they needed a freelance writer from outside and asked me for essays; I sent them too. “It seems that we have a gem at our disposal. You write really well,” he said. I will never forget the word “Gem”, which motivated me a lot. Thus, I started to work as a freelance writer in Multiplayer, and in February 2015 I was recruited. I worked as a social media manager and news editor. Since December 2020 I have been taking place in PlayStation Turkey.
How did you start to make streaming videos on Twitch?
The world has changed a lot; everything was based on image and video. For this reason, we focused on video content of Multiplayer and I also participated in these videos. People recognized and loved our works. They sent requests and articles to start video streams. In 2018, I started broadcasting live games on Twitch with a chat. I still do it occasionally but I will publish regularly from the end of February.
So, why Twitch?
Twitch is the platform of the Amazon company and one of the oldest live streaming platforms. You can also access live broadcast replays. However, it is a platform used only for live broadcasting rather than adding videos afterwards like YouTube. Although it has established, a strong platform and powerful competitors, I chose Twitch because it is the most known and loved platform.
Which kind of games do you prefer for what reason?
Competitive games like PubG, Fortnite, Battlefield are not for me. I was playing games like CSGO and Call of Duty in times of old. But - maybe after a certain age, I don't know - I can't spend a lot of time online anymore. You need to spend a lot of time on a competitive online game and play very well. Some spend 10-15 hours a day, and as soon as you enter the game, they leave you out of the game, you don't get any pleasure. The genres of games I like are that have emotional stories, tell about a journey, and especially horror games. I love the games that take you on an adventure like a movie. For example, The Last of Us… is a very nice game.
If you were a game character, which one would you be?
This is a very difficult question. Actually, I wouldn't want to be anybody. For example, there are the characters Ellie or Joel character in The Last of Us. They are going through so much pain and bad things that no human logically wants to experience those pains and traumas. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick the Joel character from The Last of Us. Because he is a very fatherly and solid character, a strong person. They even call it Joel Reis in the gaming community. We love Joel Reis!
What does the game mean to you?
It means a friend who has not deceived me since my childhood. In childhood, sometimes you feel alone, fight, or be offended by your friends. In those times, you look for a harbour to shelter. Each person's shelter is different. In my childhood, mine has also been games. That is why I see games as a friend who will take shelter, will not cheat. There is also something like this: The game console is something magical. It makes you a character that the emotions and the atmosphere of that character identify with you and you can do whatever you want them to do. In this context, games are really important, very valuable to me. They are not only friends for me but also offer a world that I have identified with. Can you summarize yourself in three words? Excited, obsessed and energetic.
Is there anything you want to add?
Thank you very much for inviting me to this interview. Besides, I can say that there are strange reports about games being harmful in mainstream media. A dinner knife can also encourage people to do bad things but with that knife, you can also cook great food, and so can a cook who makes great food. In summary, I mean that everyone's level of influence may be different, but just because of games, people do not become murderers or lazy. On the contrary, there are examples in Europe and America: Some games are used in education to improve the intelligence of children. For example, children's intelligence and creativity advance while creating the world from cubes in Minecraft. Therefore, games are not harmful, on the contrary, I would like to point out that they offer new worlds and that games with stories can create knowledge of history and geography, the acquisition of story writing, emotional bonding, empathy and love.
