Creator Spotlight - Gosfather

With our newly established Stream Team in the form of The Bilge Rats, a small collective of streamers working alongside the Sea of Thieves Community team on charity and community events, we decided it was time to get to know some of them a bit better. Our first candidate is a familiar face to many, often seen striving to lift up other creators using his own platform. It’s been a long time coming, but we caught up with Gosfather to talk about his streaming and Sea of Thieves journey!

Interested in signing up to the Sea of Thieves Creator Crew? Find out more here.

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

[A]: I was five years old and my parents bought me an Amstrad CPC 6128, it was the posh model with a funny disk drive but still took 30 mins to load a game on tape. Dizzy was boss but I soon moved to a Sega Master System and was a Sega boy from then on (still have my Game Gear!).

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

[A]: Been about since the Closed Beta, but only really got involved when I started streaming. A few dabbles on Mixer before making the leap to Twitch. Made some amazing friends and mired myself in the dark world of ‘Pirate Game Politics’ (copyright Hardway Jones 2022).

I have spent a lot of time mentoring other streamers and I think my development and interaction with the community really stemmed from that. I try my best to continue in that role today and initiatives like The Bilge Rats Stream Team have really helped me connect with new people I may not have come across otherwise.

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

[A]: I’m gonna start out by sort of insulting all streamers: I really think streamers are more akin to radio DJs than what I would call ‘content creators’. I feel YouTube and TikTok creators produce ‘content’ as it’s more often methodically planned and executed. Most Twitch streamers shoot from the hip, and that in itself is a talent.

The spontaneity of streaming appealed to me, but it’s always been a hobby, first to emulate friends and occupy time during lockdown, then things got out of hand and grew into a real passion project. It’s a release and a chance to be stupid and have a laugh as a distraction from the often-serious nature of real life, playing a game I truly love.  

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

[A]: It was Sea of Thieves that drew me to Mixer and Twitch, but I started as a Just Chatting streamer. The appeal of Sea of Thieves is that it's fundamentally a Just Chatting game, as the downtime allows one to be really interactive with chat.

My content is based around humour and shenanigans, but I feel my extra appeal is that I often tackle more controversial subjects surrounding the game. It’s approached with respect and integrity and praise is given when due, but challenging technical or community issues should never be a taboo. I know as a result my opinions themselves will attract criticism, but that’s what makes the discussion and debate worthwhile. Remember, you have no obligation to agree with me and many don’t! I always wanted my stream to be as honest as possible and that has to start with me.

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

[A]: The ability to network and knowing the ‘right people’ is often a thing, as it is in the wider entertainment business. Growth and progression are often hindered or made difficult if you do not understand the social landscape. I have often ducked or avoided these traditional ways of working and I fully acknowledge that by focusing more on fun it has at times probably been detrimental to my channel’s growth.

[Q]: What different channels do you have?

[A]: My Twitch channel, a much-neglected YouTube channel and *ahem* my Twitter/X.

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

[A]: In the closing days of Arena I was blessed with the ultimate community ‘tribute’. A player created a new pirate and server-hopped until they found their way into our lobby. It was one of the funniest and most strangely flattering experiences I’ve had as a content creator/streamer and made my crewmates laugh so much they were struggling to breathe! The legendary pirate that pleasantly found us was the infamous ‘Gosfarter’.

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

[A]: I still think the community is underestimating the impact the game coming to PS5 will have. The player base has practically doubled. It’s exciting the game could have an indefinite lifespan with enough players on multiple platforms to sustain it. New players bring new ideas and new eyes to create content for, the rejuvenation of the Creator Crew, the establishment of The Bilge Rats Stream Team, and an influx of new Partners could not come at a better time. 

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

[A]: The easy answer would be getting the purple tick (Twitch Partner) for just mucking about on a video game and I am very grateful for the plaudits and praise my channel has garnered, but for me the greatest accomplishments have come behind the scenes.

I have been able to help and mentor many streamer peers and friends, and watching many of them achieve their goals of Twitch or Sea of Thieves Partner and even getting to the level where they consider streaming/content creation to be their career has been extremely satisfying. It’s far and away my greatest contribution and accomplishment within the community. Though I’m sure I’ll be remembered as a one-trick (giveaway?) soapbox, haha.   

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

[A]: It’s a play on my IRL name, but to be honest it was a straight port of my gamertag which I created after Xbox initially issued me with a gamertag of ‘Cinnamon’, which greatly amused my mates.

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

[A]: HAHAHA me make videos? You assume I have the talent? I have PixieDevilChild who looks after me (shameless editor plug).

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

[A]: Always treat content creation as a hobby until you have a reason not to. It’s a chaotic game and no one really knows what the next big thing will be. It could be you!?! But concentrate on having fun, put in the graft, control what you can control and pray the voodoo pays off!

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

[A]: Never stream if you’re in a bad mood or a bad headspace, Twitch audiences are smart (to a point) and will figure you out if you are unintentionally putting on a show. A bad mood produces bad content and will likely negatively impact your gaming experience and that of your audience. Twitch is escapism, people watch to feel good and forget their troubles, they don’t want the burden of yours as well!

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

[A]: I put the cream on first, then the jam.

Thank you so much to Gosfather for taking the time to talk to us. We look forward to watching more of his shenanigans on the seas and seeing his channels continue to go from strength to strength!

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