Creator Spotlight - PhuzzyBond

In our latest Creator Spotlight is your friendly neighbourhood (but sometimes ruthless) pirate, PhuzzyBond! We asked him some questions about his Voyages across the seas so far, and what experiences those travels have brought him.

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

[A]: I grew up aware of gaming consoles, like the Family Computer Disk System and the MSX computer. But back in the day, it was hard to get them where I lived. In 1992, my relatives came from the US to visit, bringing with them the original Game Boy. My first hands-on experience was with Tetris and Metroid II: Return of Samus. I was horrible at Tetris but was able to complete Metroid several times and was hooked since then.

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

[A]: As an Audio Engineer and a musician, I stumbled upon an Inside Xbox video on YouTube called ‘Rocking The Plank: The Music of Sea of Thieves’. I immediately fell in love with the shanty; the video featured a few clips from the seas. Upon searching further, I watched a video by JackSepticEye playing the Closed Beta; it was the moment I decided that this is where I belong, and a few days later, I ordered the game for my wife and me.

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

[A]: Content creation was never something I intended to do, even though I worked with video producers and animators regularly. I blame Merrick; when The Hungering Deep DLC launched, I was lucky to be one of the first few to encounter the legendary beast, along with my wife, Jackie, who is also a sailor. Noticing that there was no sighting of the beast anywhere on YouTube, I decided to capture the experience and upload it to share the glory of 12 pirates working together. That was my very first upload, and with excellent feedback and comments, I decided to combine my love of gaming and production skills into one place, which became my YouTube channel.

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

[A]: I believe that helping others is the core of maintaining a healthy community. If someone is happy with their gaming skills, they are confident within the community. So, after sailing the seas regularly, I compiled a few hints and tricks and ended up specializing in guides. But generally, I cover all types of Sea of Thieves content.

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

[A]: I tend to make every video count, so it’s hard to slap a few scenes together and upload. Thinking of content to produce is always a challenge that will never leave your sight. Still, it does get more comfortable as you grow, since you gain better experience of what the audience likes. But maintaining quality and getting better each time is a race that has no end.

[Q]: What different channels do you have?

[A]: I stream on Twitch and upload on YouTube, but I have other social links that I use to promote my media, which are Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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

[A]: My first encounter with the Hungering One, gathering the ships, recruiting crew members, and the summoning south of Devil’s Ridge. Those glowing tattoos, the rumbling sound and the shattering attack of the mother Megalodon is something I will never forget.

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

[A]: I am always interested in the unknown, so I enjoy approaching other ships and acting accordingly, like Judge Dredd of the seas. New players, help them out. Average players, depends on their reaction. Experienced players, it’s a pirate’s life for me! Most probably, I will collect taxes.

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

[A]: Pretending to be a noob (new player), it’s a series on my channel where I dress up in a sailor’s outfit, join open crews, and ask for guidance. If I get help and they are patient with me, I reward them with a visit to the Hideout and give them an Athena Voyage; their reactions are priceless when they realize it was all a pretence. Every player I encountered ended up doing the same to newer players when they claimed the Pirate Legend title, and the legacy carries on, as it shows players the joy of helping newer recruits.

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

[A]: Probably the question most viewers ask me when I am streaming. In my younger days, I used to be a very active musician. My favorite band that I created was a funk band, where we played slightly off-tune distorted notes. So it sounded fuzzy and noisy, and over time the audience started referring to me as the Fuzzy Guitarist, so I ended up being called Fuzzy, and for creative reasons, I just changed the F to a Ph. Bond was later added upon creating my Xbox gamertag, as it was only created when I started sailing the seas. A Captain needs a family name, and Bond represents the way I interact and deal with other players, James Bond-style. Bond, PhuzzyBond.

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

[A]: In our state, it is straightforward to produce a high-quality video, so that’s not the only thing that matters. Always keep in mind viewers want answers, so if you satisfy that, you will get there. You have to let them know that you are good through joining communities and getting out there for exposure. Quality alone is not enough; this is the way I had it. When I started creating content, Captain Falcore and Captain JesseTattoo noticed the quality of my videos and helped me out with visibility, which was what truly shed light on my channel, and it took off from there. Be an active member of the community.

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

[A]: Shameless self-plugging, “like for like” and “follow for follow”, are the most destructive things for a channel. Do not do that.

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

[A]: When I am not gaming, I am baking. It puts me in a Zen state of mind, which gives me ideas for better content, as long as the cake tastes good!

That's all for today’s Creator Spotlight. Thank you to PhuzzyBond for letting us look into his life as both a creator and a Sea of Thieves fan! It’s probably about time we embraced our inner Sea of Friends and helped out some new pirates…

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