Creator Spotlight - HappyKrakenX

In this latest addition to our Creator Spotlight series, we had the chance to catch up with the self-proclaimed Queen of Chainshots, HappyKrakenX! Unlike her tentacled namesake, this captain brings a mixture of positivity, cats and singing to the seas. If provoked, however, she’ll stay true to her name and effortlessly topple your masts with her unrivalled chainshot accuracy. Join us as we get to know the Kraken herself!

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[Q]: What was your introduction to the world of games?

[A]: I remember getting a PlayStation 2 for Christmas when I was around the age of 10 and I have loved gaming ever since! Some of my favourite games over the years have been Gears of War, Rocket League, Portal, Apex Legends and of course Sea of Thieves!

[Q]: How did you become part of the Sea of Thieves community?

[A]: A friend recommended the game to me around eight months after Sea of Thieves was released. I remember saying “I don’t think I’ll enjoy this game” and I couldn’t have possibly been more wrong! I set sail in January 2019 and immediately got Krakened. I fell in love with the game (and the Kraken!) and have been actively playing ever since.

[Q]: How did creating content become your ‘thing’?

[A]: Once COVID hit and I knew I would be spending a lot of time at home, I decided to finally buy myself a gaming PC (I used to play on Xbox). I remember watching Twitch for the first time to earn some Sea of Thieves Drops, and always wanted to try my hand at streaming as I loved the community side of things. I had my first stream on February 28th, 2020 and I just knew that creating content was always going to be something I loved and enjoyed. I never thought I would be able to call this my full-time job, but I was able to finally quit my job and go full-time back in April 2021!

[Q]: How do you decide what kind of content to create?

[A]: I think it’s really important to create content on things you have a genuine interest in. For me, it was a no-brainer to play Sea of Thieves on my first stream as that was my favourite game. More recently, I’ve gotten into video editing and creating content on YouTube and again, I try to make videos on things that I enjoy about the game. For me, I really enjoy explaining things and helping people, so I started to make a lot of tutorials and informative videos.

Music is also a huge passion of mine when it comes to content creation and I’ve been writing/producing songs all my life. Those who know me well will know that chainshots are my favourite things in Sea of Thieves, so again it may come as no surprise that the first original song I wrote based on Sea of Thieves was called ‘Chainshot’! More recently, Flameheart’s non-stop trash talking inspired my current Sea of Thieves original song ‘Mute Flameheart’. One of these days we will get that mute Flameheart button!

[Q]: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced while creating content?

[A]: I think a pretty common challenge that I face often is worrying whether my content is good enough. I’m definitely a perfectionist so I spend a lot of time making minor tweaks and wondering how I can make my videos or the stream better. I would say it’s important to learn to be okay with making mistakes and to be proud of anything you make! It’s better to post a video and learn how to improve for next time rather than not posting at all.

[Q]: What different channels do you have?

[A]: I stream most nights a week over on Twitch and I also post regularly on my YouTube channel! I post a lot of Sea of Thieves-related things on Twitter and also on my Instagram (often alongside pictures of my two rescue kittens Mango and Maysie!).

We also have a Discord server where we have a lot of community events and places for players to find like-minded crewmates to sail with!

[Q]: What’s been your most memorable Sea of Thieves moment so far?

[A]: I remember a few months ago I was sailing with my shipmate PabloCordonX off-stream, and we hid our ship behind a rock to swim over to a nearby Sloop that was parked at a Seapost. Once on board, we realised they looked new so decided to talk to them instead of attacking and we discovered that it was actually their first ever day on the Sea of Thieves!

We asked if they had ever sunk a ship before and they told us they hadn’t. We asked if they wanted to take a ship down together and they excitedly said yes. Pablo took a mermaid back to our ship behind a rock and I said to the new pirate “Oh look, there’s a ship behind that rock! Let’s get it!”.

I took the helm while the new pirate fired the cannons at our ship (they believed it was an enemy ship). At the same time Pablo was on our ship firing cannons back but purposefully missing the shots and we ended up helping this new player to sink our own ship! They told us that it was the most fun they’ve ever had in any game and thanked us for making their day, and also for making their first experience of Sea of Thieves a positive one.

That was definitely the most memorable experience for me. Either that or finding the Shrouded Ghost!

[Q]: What do you enjoy most about the game now, and what are you looking forward to in future?

[A]: The thing I enjoy most about Sea of Thieves is that you never know what will happen in a session. That distant ship on the horizon could end up being a group of really friendly pirates who you end up crewing up with, or it could be an enemy ship that results in the most intense battle ever! So I love the balance between having really wholesome moments on the seas, while also having amazing fights.

I’m looking forward to watching Sea of Thieves grow in future. I feel incredibly proud of the hard work that went into the Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life update and it’s so amazing to see how many new players it brought in.

[Q]: What’s something you’re particularly proud of accomplishing in gaming?

[A]: It’s the little things that really make me proud. Whether that’s helping out a new player on the seas, getting to crew up with other content creators that I look up to, giving a big raid to a new streamer or simply someone in my chat telling me that I’ve made their day… those kinds of things mean so much!

[Q]: How did you come up with your channel name?

[A]: A real-life nickname that I get called by family and friends is ‘Happy’ because I smile a lot! As mentioned earlier, the first time I set sail I got attacked by the Kraken and absolutely adored it, so I knew I wanted my name to be associated with the Kraken. I figured I could put those two words together to form ‘Happy Kraken’, but I like things in threes, so I wanted a third part to the name. I figured I could whack an ‘X’ at the end for X marks the spot! So… HappyKrakenX was born!

[Q]: What do you like to get up to when you’re not streaming?

[A]: I am really passionate about music, so I spend a lot of time writing songs, playing my guitar and keyboard and messing around on Adobe Audition! I also love spending time with my kittens and seeing family.

[Q]: What advice would you give to a new content creator?

[A]: The most important piece of advice I could give is to do whatever makes you happy. If your heart is in your work and you love what you do, then I think that really shows and people pick up on that! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way either, that is how we learn to improve :)

[Q]: What’s one thing you would advise a content creator not to do?

[A]: Don’t be afraid to post your content! I know sometimes the internet can be a negative place but don’t let insults or nasty comments get you down about your work. If you try your best, then you should always be proud of yourself!

[Q]: Could you give us one more random fact about yourself?

[A]: My eye colour is super-weird. They are mostly green but have a blue circle round the outside, and then towards the middle they are brown!

Thanks as always to our Spotlight guest – we appreciate HappyKrakenX taking time out of her busy schedule of sinking ships and writing songs to answer our questions. Be sure to give her a follow and catch her the next time she sets sail on stream. You may just learn a thing or two!

Keep up with all the latest from Sea of Thieves by following us on our many social channels. You can also find previous Creator Spotlights in our News section, see the latest in our new Community Hub and check out all our current Partners in the Sea of Thieves Partner Directory. Until next time!