Robert Rayhart is an 18-year-old, from Fort Myers, Fla., who has a future goal that might seem to some as strange.

Robert wants to become a full-time streamer.

Now some of you may not know what a “streamer” even is. A streamer is somebody who uploads live footage of themselves either playing some sort of video game or designing something, all while talking online to the viewers for people’s entertainment.

I’ve been watching Robert — whose professional name is “Noticed” on Twitch — for almost a year now, so I decided to ask him about streaming and his experiences with it. 

Q: Please explain what being a streamer is to you?

A: Being a streamer to me means getting up everyday, getting online, and entertaining hundreds of people doing something I love to do. To me it means always getting a laugh going, always asking my amazing viewers how their days went, what’s been on there mind lately, etc. After a while you start to grow these bonds with each and every viewer, you know what’s happening in their lives, and you can start to relate to them on a personal level rather, than just an entertaining level. It’s like having a friendship with a thousand people all at once. I love it.

Q: What made you want to be a streamer?

A: Streaming was always a thing I would always do on the side and honestly it’s grown on me. I love the live viewer interaction, I love when everyone comes in chat, and we can all relate to the same jokes, the same sayings, the same inside things that only we know of because we’re all a part of the same community.

Q: Who, if anybody, are you inspired by, in terms of streaming?

A: Honestly, growing up all my life I’ve always made an effort to post things to YouTube because I just love the camera and the spotlight so much. I loved the idea of making videos and having hundreds of thousands of people watching them. I’ve always wanted people to look up to me and know my name, I’ve always wanted to be recognized on the streets by random fans and stopping to take pictures/ sign things with them. I just loved the idea of being “Noticed” — see what I did there? Anyways, a lot of those channels fell through and I finally told myself that I needed to sit down one day and finally make a channel for me and actually stick to it. If I liked it I would stick with it and keep uploading, if not I would drop it and pursue other paths. To this day I still want to do nothing more than to keep making content and live streaming everyday. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

Q: What is your favorite part about streaming?

A: My favorite part about streaming is how I can entertain and put on a show for hundreds of people and change hundreds of lives through doing something I love. I love getting on and being able to talk to everyone about the various things that are going on in their lives. It doesn’t get old and there is never a dull moment.

Q: How does the chat affect the streaming experience?

A: I say this all the time to my viewers: ‘Without the chat what’s the point of the live stream?’ The viewers are the No. 1 reason why you’re doing it and you stream so you can have them watch you. Whether it’s just Kappa spam, or they’re rioting for you to play Teemo jungle, Twitch chat is the prime reason for live streaming.

Q: What do you think makes streaming so popular?

A: I think the ability for everyone to get on and relate to the same things is what brings in such a large crowd. You could say “Kappa” to someone random in the grocery store and they would have no idea what you’re talking about — I’m sure some of you even reading this don’t. While in Twitch chat “Kappa” has a meaning and only those who come to watch live streams can relate to it. It’s little things like that, that in my opinion brings in a crowd.

Q: How has streaming affected your life outside of the stream?

A: Streaming has changed my life tremendously. It is all I do in my free time and it’s all I think about in my off time. I’m even going as far as delaying my schooling to pursue this and see where it takes me. I’m truly addicted and I couldn’t be happier.

Q: How long into the future do you want to stream, and how long do you think you will?

A: I think I will stream until I am no longer relevant and the new batch of content creators comes around, then I would like to get involved into bigger projects, acting in movies, TV shows, maybe even do motion-tracking for a game? I don’t know, we’ll see where life takes me.

Q: What is your favorite game to stream and why?

A: “League of Legends” is my favorite game to stream right now because it has the largest viewer base and people can relate to it the easiest. Also because Kha’Zix is op, Kappa.

Q: Any additional comments or notes to make?

A: Yes. A lot of people would just say because they get to play video games all day, which honestly in my opinion is the completely wrong reason to get into this business. If you just want to play video games all day, then this is not for you. I like to tell a lot of people this when they ask me for tips on growing. You have to love entertaining, you have to love putting on a show, you have to love making things funny and entertaining for people to watch at every given second. That is what makes a successful streamer. Let people see the potential in you, and your time will come . . . I promise.

(To watch Noticed’s stream, go to http://www.twitch.tv/noticedtwitch. You can also follow him on Youtube at youtube.com/c/Noticed, or on Twitter @Noticedd_.)

–Dec. 31, 2015–