In the realm of gaming content creation in Malaysia, there's a name that has risen swiftly to prominence, capturing the attention of local gamers – Bang Joel, also known as Joel Lim. His down-to-earth content and rapid impact have made him a standout figure in the Malaysian TikTok community. In this interview, we'll explore what sets Bang Joel apart from other content creators, how he swiftly garnered millions of followers, and the story behind his journey in gaming content creation.

1. Hello Bang Joel, it's a pleasure to connect with you today and thank you for joining this interview. We are eager to get to know you better and learn about your unique journey in the gaming content creation realm. To start with, could you take a moment to share a bit about your background and what led you to dive into creating gaming content?

Thank you for the opportunity! There are quite a few events that led to this decision. First and most obvious reason is that, gaming is my passion and I’ve started playing console games even before primary school, therefore I wouldn’t have done any other content direction. Secondly, I own and run a headhunting firm serving global gaming companies which are expanding in regions like the SEA and North America region. Through this experience I understand that KOL marketing is huge in this industry, and I have long realised that creating a strong personal IP is important to go a long way. Therefore, I feel this is an opportunity and challenge I should take up and fortunately, this journey has been fulfilling so far.

2. Your rise to fame on TikTok has been quite remarkable, gaining 1 million followers in just 64 days. Can you share some insights into how you managed to achieve such rapid growth?

Thank you for the compliments. To be honest, I’ve never expected such rapid growth in the first place, my initial goal is to grow 200K in a year. Looking back, I can summarize the success into a few major points.

Firstly, my content direction revolves around street interviews and I structured them in a way that most questions are almost similar. This is a sure fire way to create a strong impression for the audiences and develop a unique IP branding for my channel as we studied that street interview is the current trend that works well on short videos. A great example is Daniel Mac who gained his fame by asking people with luxury cars “What do you do for a living?”. In my case, I always start the interview by asking “Adik ada main game?” which translates to “Do you play games?”.

Secondly, I started my gaming contents right before the month of Ramadan which apparently the timing proved to be a catalyst like how our local TikTok icon - Khairul Aming grew his channel rapidly a few years back during the Ramadan period by creating daily creative recipes revolving around his sambal brand.

Thirdly, as my content puts the focus on interviewing random people on the street, this gives a 1 minute limelight to the interviewee and audiences love the concept of anyone having the opportunity to be featured on a popular channel, therefore the channel growth snowballed.   

3. Your content primarily revolves around street interviews related to the Malaysian gaming scene. Are there specific reasons why you decide to go for this style of content creation?

I feel like my response to the previous question has answered this one for the most part, but to add on to my previous points, I feel fulfilled as my content brought happiness to both interviewees and audiences, this is what keeps me going with this direction. Secondly, I want to utilise my channel to promote more of our country’s esports scene so more awareness and publicity will be given to this sector and indirectly contribute to its growth. That is why I constantly attend the top tier esports tournaments like MPL by MLBB and PMSL by PUBG Mobile, interviewing professional players and prominent figures in that area. 

4. Most of your content seems to revolve around mobile games like MLBB and etc. Besides mobile games, is there a game that you've played the longest, found the most memorable, and enjoyed the most?

Back in the days I loved PC and console games, specifically FIFA, Need for Speed and Call of Duty series. The FIFA series is the one I’ve played the longest and enjoyed the most since high school. As my closest friends are all football fans, we would play against each other from day time until before dawn because the losing side will always request for a rematch, and the cycle continues until we actually feel tired.

5. Gaming is a rapidly evolving field, with new trends and games emerging frequently. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest in the gaming world, and how do you decide which topics to cover in your content?

I’d say besides following the major gaming and esports media, as well as prominent gaming KOLs, I push myself to get to know in person as many important figures in the industry as possible – including the game developers, publishers, media agencies, esports team owners and professional players. This is the best way to set myself apart and keep myself up-to-date with the industry news, so that I can plan ahead with the latest trends and topics.

6. From a viewer’s perspective, prolonged exposure to the same type of content can sometimes become monotonous. We're curious if you have any intentions of diversifying your video content in the future. If there’s any ongoing initiatives in this direction, could you give us a hint about what's coming up?

This is a question that I constantly ask myself too, but there’s a saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. My content direction is what sets my channel apart from other gaming creators, so as long as my content still maintains its popularity, I will not change the main direction. However, I have been doing different types of content every now and then, including live streaming as an experiment, and will continue to do so in search for the next big trend that can justify the change of content direction.

7. Frequent interactions with the gaming community must offer a lot of insights into player preferences and trends. Have you noticed any shifts or changes in the gaming scene over the past year or so? If yes, could you elaborate on them?

I will answer this question in two parts - game preferences and esports.

For game preference, MOBA and shooter mobile games like MLBB, Free Fire and PUBG Mobile have been the most dominant games in our country for the past few years. However I found that UGC (User Generated Content) mobile games are wildly popular among younger generations, especially Roblox. Therefore I feel that UGC games could be the next big genre succeeding MOBA and shooter games once this young generation grows older.

As for esports, the scene has consistently gained more attention from the public based on the viewership of the tournaments season after season. This is especially important to get more sponsorships and support to ensure the growth of the industry. 

8. As a prominent figure in the Malaysian gaming community, what do you believe is one of the biggest challenges that the gaming scene face in Malaysia?

The biggest challenge, especially the esports scene lies in the financial part. The esports tournament in Malaysia has strong viewership, however the pay for most of the esports player on average are not enticing enough to be considered well paid. As I understand, most esports team in our country struggles to make a profit as they face challenges in securing sufficient sponsorship funds and the tournament prize pools are just not high enough.

In my opinion, there are two ways to improve this situation — our government providing more financial support through tournaments or directly to the esports team; or more importantly, traditional media giving more publicity to the esports scene to help improve the impression of the gaming scene to the general public, not just the gaming community. Broadcasting esports tournaments through traditional media will definitely help, producing teen drama series revolving around esports will give the scene a huge boost too as this is a successful strategy done in China, a great example is the drama series “You are My Glory” (你是我的荣耀).

9. Balancing a career as a content creator can sometimes be demanding. How do you manage your time between creating content, staying engaged with your audience, and other aspects of your life?

The life of a content creator is definitely demanding, especially when I also have another business to manage. That is why having a purpose for your channel is extremely important and for my case, it is to bring happiness to the interviewees and audience as well as to promote the esports scene. Prioritising and scheduling all the important tasks like attending tournaments and events, content shooting and editing, liaising with agencies and clients are crucial to ensure I don’t miss things out. 

10. Having gained such immense attention in a short period, has it had any impact on your life? For instance, do you find it problematic for people to easily recognize you in public?

As a content creator I embrace the attention I have gained so far, that’s the only way that I can be sure that my contents is still giving an impact to the gaming community. I’m happy to get recognized in public as these are the real fans that have spent their precious time to engage with my contents, so the least I can do is to acknowledge them back and more often than not, this act will actually make their day.

11. Last but not least, if you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to start a career in gaming content creation, what would it be?

Find a direction, a tagline and a purpose that sets you apart from the other creators, and consistently produce content in that direction until your video views and engagements are consistently at a high level, that’s the only way you know your contents are giving an impact.

And that concludes our interview with Bang Joel. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to him for generously providing us with this invaluable interview opportunity. His journey in the realm of gaming content creation is a true reflection of his unwavering passion and dedication to empower the gaming community. From his down-to-earth style to his remarkable ascent to fame, Bang Joel's story deeply resonates with aspiring creators and dedicated gamers alike. As he continues to produce content that brings delight to his audience and advocates for the local gaming scene, we are eagerly looking forward to the exciting prospects that await this exceptional Malaysian gaming content sensation in the future.

If you want to learn more about Bang Joel, do check out his official social media channels:

• TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@gamingwithjoellim
• YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@gamingwithjoellim
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/gamingwithjoellim/