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ESO Stream Team Member and Elder Scrolls Online content creator Brian AKA ManCaveGaming AKA ManChops talks about his journey as an ESO streamer and his love of PvP.
Hello, Brian! Glad you could stop by for a chat today. We’d love to hear more about your ESO adventure—when did you first come to the game?
ESO was a game that has always been on my radar since my friends and I dreamed of Skyrim multiplayer mods. However, when the game was released, I was running a Racing Team via iRacing and was 100% focused on making the team financially stable, keeping my drivers engaged and happy while also racing myself, so as you can imagine my time was very limited.
All the while, I followed and watched a streamer by the name of Saphnir who streamed ESO almost every day. She was very engaging, I always interacted with her, asked her questions about the game for about a year before I pulled the trigger and dove in headfirst. I was immediately hit by nostalgia from my days of spending hours in Skyrim with friends in a voice chat. The stories that almost every NPC has, the voice acting that keeps me immersed—it was and continues to be amazing.
When did you decide to begin streaming ESO on Twitch?
This was actually a tough decision to make. I had to pass ownership of my Racing team and all responsibilities in order to make this decision and shift my Twitch channel from racing to ESO. The positive community within ESO was surprising, as the Racing scene can be a bit toxic, and I did not want to foster and build a community that stems from toxicity.
On February 2021, I made the full change over to ESO. I noticed an immediate positive effect in my attitude on and off stream; that's when I knew I made the correct choice, and this is a community I want to be a part of and continue to build.
At the start of my journey, I came across a streamer called Nine Tale Fox, who really took me under his wing and showed me how to really play the game—the X's and the O's. He gave me the playbook if you will. Nine Tales and his wife Mrs. Nine Tales continue to coach me not only on how to become a better PvE player, but also how great this community is and how to give back to a community that really shows up and gives to their streamers.
What kind of ESO activities do you and your Twitch audience enjoy?
As I enjoy every facet of ESO, my audience gets to see just about everything ESO has to offer at various times. However, I do tend to focus more on the PvP side of things. My focus when showing PvP is positivity, showing the community that it’s okay to be good at PvP and still have a positive attitude. I always tell my community, "It’s okay to die in PvP, it’s okay to suck at PvP, it’s okay to be scared at first. Come to Cyrodiil with me, and I will help ease that fear while creating laughs along the way.”
PVP tends to get this stigma that "people in that place are evil and nasty and mean” or "I will never be good enough to even think about stepping foot in those places.” I want to eliminate those stigmas by helping people step outside their comfort zone a little bit. While, yes, some PvPers can be mean, it's okay. Mean people can be any place, so laugh it off and move on. I try to lead by example to help create a future of PvPers with a more positive mindset.
As a Twitch streamer, how do you ensure your audience is engaged and having fun?
I include my viewers in almost anything that I do. If I am running in a dungeon, anyone can join, and if the party is full, we can run it again until everyone gets a shot. If I am doing PvP, everyone is invited. I also offer to help viewers by assisting with gear or helping fill up sticker books—whatever I can do to put a smile or laugh on someone's face. If they feel better than they did before my stream started, then I feel like I did my job.
I am also active on Twitter and Discord, helping others with build advice and even life advice. I always tell my community I am always just a DM away if you ever want to chat, and I mean that.
Do you have any advice for others looking to stream ESO on Twitch?
Be yourself, be open, be honest. The ESO community is tightly knit like a small town. Everyone knows everybody so be open to collaborations. Don't be afraid to ask other streamers questions and host events with other streamers. You will get back what you put into this great community.
This month, you're being featured by Twitch as part of their Black History Month support. Has this spotlight helped grow your channel?
Twitch has featured me on the front page nearly every time that I stream. I have seen a 20% increase in followers and viewers since February. The new followers are also very engaging, which is important to me as I like to talk, learn from, educate, and laugh with my viewers. I really try not to just be a face that plays a video game but to treat each stream like I have invited you to my house: Let me entertain you with conversation and my silliness.
What would you say is your most memorable moment captured live on stream?
My most memorable moment was clearing Cloudrest Vet with other members of the stream team. Matygon hosts an event once a week called "Trials with friends” where streamers get together, have a drink or five, and make fun of each other while attempting to clear some hard content. My audience got to see the funny, unfiltered side of some of the top ESO streamers.
This was the second time I laughed so hard on stream that I had tears rolling—it was great.
Your ESO streams tend to focus on PvP in Cyrodiil. What is it about ESO’s PvP that makes it fun to stream for you and your audience?
The community within ESO is unique when it comes to the MMO genre. Everyone is nice, polite, and helpful until... PvP is brought up. It creates such a fear within the community when it's even mentioned.
My goal is to bring that same welcoming feeling from the PvE aspect to PvP. When I host events with my viewers or with the Fox Den guild, I always stress fun first. I don't care how many times you die, I don't care what bad experience you had before, come to Cyrodiil or IC with me, and I will make it fun and exciting for you.
Whitestake’s Mayhem is now live. Do you have any tips for newer (or PvE-exclusive) players who want to join in?
Yes! You will die, and you will die often, AND THAT'S OKAY. Even the best of the best die in PvP, so stop being hard on yourself. I recommend taking the class you have the most fun with, slap some trickery gear on, and go have some fun.
The Legendary item that I recommend in PvP would be Gaze of Sithis and, if you don't have a healer with you, maybe Ring of Pale Order. I will be PvPing almost daily during the event, so never hesitate to ask for an invite to the group. Everyone is welcome.
Before we sign off, could you tell us where people can find and follow you for more content?
Never hesitate to send me a message. I reply to everyone!
Thank you, Brian, for taking the time to speak with us today. If you know an ESO content creator who you believe deserves to be celebrated with the #ESOFam, please share them with us via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
