Meet Pang Zbing z., the gaming queen who has conquered the gaming industry and takes on the title of being the most-followed YouTube gamer in Thailand.
With video games being all the rage among teenagers and adults worldwide, it comes as no surprise that gameplay videos are one of the most popular ones on YouTube. Naturally, the gamers who create these awesome videos are considered celebrities in the eyes of their fans. But we have on our list that is more than just a gaming influencer. Having been in this game-streaming community for 8 years, she’s an inspiration and idol to many people. It’s none other than Pang Zbing z. who has trailblazed the gaming content in Thailand and is now the most-followed gaming influencer. She has over 15.6 million subscribers on her Youtuber channel and she has won the hearts of all local and international fans with her fun, exciting, and engaging content.
With her gifted talent and amazing ability to spread joy and entertainment to all the viewers, we didn’t miss the chance to have a talk and get to know about Thailand’s most-followed gaming Youtuber and influencer. Here, we sit down with Pang Zbing z.to chat about her life as a respected gaming influencer. Read on for our exclusive interview with the young and driven gamer and YouTuber, covering all things from her love for gaming to her care-free lifestyle outside of gaming.
Since the start of your journey, have you ever imagined becoming the most-followed gaming Youtuber in Thailand?
That was never in my thought at all. My focus has always been on maintaining consistency in content production and I try to learn as much as possible from every trial and error. I kickstarted this journey right after graduating from university because I felt that what I’d learned didn’t give me the career paths that I was interested in. So I shifted my attention to running my own business and discovering my true dream. I tried making handicrafts and handmade accessories and sold them in weekend markets and via online platforms, but it didn’t work out well. At that time, there’s a lot of news about people getting paid for game content streaming so Youtube sprang into my mind. Coupled with the fact that my parents had made tremendous investments in order to help me start my own life, I decided to seriously pursue it so that my parents didn’t have to put in any more painstaking effort just for my sake. That’s pretty much how things came about before becoming successful in life.
How do you feel when you look back to your early days of running a Youtube channel and streaming career?
I feel that I’ve come a really long way to get to where I am today. Although I have always loved playing games, I had zero knowledge about live streaming and video editing when I started. I had to learn and remember how people do it and then adapt it to my own preference. Also, I relied on the statistics that I obtained from observing which content of mine has a high number of views to determine where I was heading towards in my content production. It’s funny when I rewatch the old clips that I uploaded and see how naïve and skill-less I was back then [laughs]. Looking at the improvements and progress that I’ve made, I feel that I have a greater sense of responsibility in everything that I do. Any past clips that contain obscene language, I hide them from public view.
Does a greater sense of responsibility come from the fact that more teenagers and young people are watching your content?
Absolutely. One of the reasons is the nature of my sponsored content. I have to work with Online Station from time to time, whether it’s fan meetings, game casting projects, or other related events. And because I’ve continuously gained exposure to this kind of work, it expands my target audience as well as my fanbase. Thus, I try my very best to be more careful and cautious with every action and word of mine, and I make necessary adjustments to my gaming style to make sure that it’s appropriate entertainment.
How long did it take for your parents to accept and acknowledge the fact that you can earn a living from playing games?
It didn’t take long for my parents to fully understand me. It’s because they had already spent so much time trying to understand me when I was still trying to find my true self, especially during times when I had to sacrifice my sleep time just to create all the handicrafts for sale. So building my career as a gamer and Youtuber isn’t something that would make them worry about me anymore. I’ve learnt countless lessons throughout the journey of self-discovery and understood the reality, and I’m thankful that my parents were very open-minded and allowed me to go through that learning process.
When did you eventually manage to find your rhythm in streaming and producing gaming content?
It took me two years after starting my Youtube channel. A lot of survival-themed games were out at that time, and my main goal was to stream games that are unique, funny, and exciting. The horror-themed games were widely played as well and that made my channel more diverse in terms of content. Also, I added a variety of elements to every clip that I shared such as creative video editing and voice acting. A bunch of positive feedback came back and I just simply picked up from there until I become good at it.
What are the reasons that attract followers to your Youtube channel?
I think it’s my personality and the way I do my voice acting and storytelling. It makes people feel like they aren’t just watching me playing games but also for entertainment. Besides a variety of games that I play that creates diversity in my content sharing, I do lots of fun lifestyle content as well. From vlogging my overseas trips to playing with my cats at home, these kinds of videos significantly attracted viewers who love lifestyle content and that helped me to grow my channel.
Do you feel burdened by fame? How do you deal with stress and setbacks that come with it?
Yes, and at times pressure can get the better of me. A continuous increase in the number of subscribers means that I have to inevitably deal with hate comments which can upset me. However, I tried my best to not pay attention to them. I have my group of friends and my boyfriend who are always by my side to cheer me up, and a bunch of fans that are always supporting me, so I focus my energy only on these people to maintain positive energy in my content production. In addition, the Online Station team is always available when I need them for consultation and guidance so that helps me a lot.
Is there any difference between your character as an online influencer and in real life?
Quite similar actually [laughs]. People in my personal life know me as a fun, easy-going, and carefree person. However, I can be very serious sometimes due to the nature of my work that requires well-organised management.
A lot of followers and teens look up to you as an idol and inspiration and even consider running a Youtube channel like you. Is there a difference between becoming a Youtuber now compared to your time back then?
There’s a very big difference. There’s wasn’t a lot of gaming influencers back then so it’s very difficult to find learning sources. You can see that the quality of game-streaming videos is very low compared to now because advanced programs and tools weren’t readily available for us to do high-quality editing. But now that everything is widely accessible, it’s so much easier and eliminates the extra amount of effort that you need to put in to deliver great content to your followers. And you’ll be subjected to fewer conditions on Youtube as well if you start a channel. Moreover, you can even do live streaming via Twitch which is a gaming community where you can build your foundation as a streamer. Depending on which angle you’re going for, every resource that you’ll need is already out there so make good use of it.
Does a growing number of gaming influencers make everything even more competitive and challenging?
Things have always been competitive and challenging from the start. The growth of your channel depends significantly on your content’s reach. For instance, your gaming content might appear in Youtube’s recommendation sections as gaming or lifestyle content which can affect the number of views. On the other hand, it depends on the nature of your content. You tend to attract followers if you stream games that are trending at that moment. Some people even do it by posting short clips on Tiktok to drive traffic to their social media platforms. It depends on your promotion strategies to grow your base.
How do you think society’s perception of the gaming industry will change in the near future?
I can say that it has changed tremendously from the past and it’ll continue to change in the future. People start to see numerous benefits that gaming offers in terms of making money as a job and being an advertising platform. Many brands such as snacks, drinks, electric appliances, and even eyewear are reaching out to gaming influencers and game-streaming platforms for product endorsements. I’m very certain the gaming industry will grow even more from now on, and that people from older generations will have a better understanding of its potential rather than just downplaying its importance.
Any tips for people who aspire to be a gaming influencer like you?
You need to know yourself well before knowing that this is something that you want to pursue or not. Things aren’t going to be easy and there will be countless challenges and obstacles along the way. You have to be mentally prepared to handle ups and downs in your journey as well because success is never possible without overcoming rounds of failure. It takes a very big while before there’s a guarantee that you can make money from it, so don’t over expect. For all the teens and young adults who are still studying, make sure that you have a high level of self-discipline to maintain good time management. And if this is something that you know you’re passionate about and bound to do, then I would say go for it and enjoy the best of what it has to offer. You’ll definitely learn and grow so much.
What are your go-to activities when you’re not in gaming mode?
Playing with my cats and hanging out at new places to refresh myself.
If you’re stranded on an island, what are the three games that you would bring along?
That’s a really tough choice for me. I would say Animal Crossing, Among Us, and The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.
