I’m writing this today because I simply need to get it off my chest. We recently hit a major milestone that I had set for the channel: officially reaching Twitch Affiliate status. On top of that, looking at the dashboard, we’re incredibly close to unlocking the achievement for streaming 25 unique days in a single month. We’re currently at 21/25, with just four days left to go. Over the last 30 days, we’ve pushed over 73 hours of stream time and maintained a solid core of 6.1 average viewers.
First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who helped and supported me. OGComfuzio is not a channel built for everyone, nor is it aimed at everyone, which makes your organic support mean that much more.
And yes, I’m going to brag a little: we’ve achieved these goals without giveaways, without !drops, and without buying our way into an audience. I didn’t lure anyone in with false pretences, promise free stuff just to inflate my numbers, or try to manufacture a community overnight. People came because they wanted to be here, and that means something to me. And for the most part I didn’t even have my camera on!
To those who stood by me: thank you. And to those who insulted me, belittled me, and ultimately blocked me: it didn’t work. We’re growing on our own terms.
The Ethos Remains the Same
If you’ve been reading this blog or hanging out in the chat, you already know how we operate. We don’t chase empty hype or play trash titles just for views. We are here to entertain, educate, and spark real, unfiltered conversations.
I’ve always been clear that our community is a strict, mature space. We don’t believe in shielding people from opposing opinions or uncomfortable arguments, but we absolutely demand respect and logic. Honest debate, humor, and sharing historical facts will always be welcome here. Disagreement is not a problem; deliberate disruption, harassment, and malicious behaviour are.
My ban hammer is instant when it comes to toxicity, real-world propaganda, or anyone bringing malice into the chat. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from the consequences of breaking the rules of someone else’s community. You are welcome to challenge my opinions, question my arguments, and disagree with me. Just bring something more substantial than insults.
We thrive on evidence, reason, and the freedom to have a proper discussion. That standard isn’t going anywhere.
The Lurkers, the Chatters, and the Phalanx
Of course, there is still plenty of room for improvement. The majority of our viewers are lurkers, and that’s perfectly fine. You don’t owe me a conversation just because you’re watching the stream. Whether you’re actively participating in chat or simply enjoying the content in the background, you’re welcome here.
However, Twitch has its own progression system, and some of the goals depend on unique chatters. That means there’s a difference between having people watching and having people actively participating in the community. I’m currently working through the milestones for unlocking additional VIP roles.
So far, we’ve completed the 5/5 and 10/10 goals, and we’re working toward 15/15. Whether the system stops there or evolves into another milestone afterward remains to be seen. From what I’ve experienced, the requirements seem to change as I progress through the levels.
I’m not going to force anyone to chat just to make a number go up. I’d rather have people participate because they actually have something to say. If you feel like joining the conversation, by all means, do so. If you prefer to lurk, you’re equally welcome.
The Phalanx isn’t built by forcing everyone to march at the same pace. It’s built by people choosing to stand together.
The Next Objective: The Funcom Creator Program
Reaching Affiliate status was one of the goals I set for OGComfuzio, but it was never the final destination. We still have Twitch milestones to complete. We’re currently at 21/25 unique streaming days and 26/100 raids toward the respective achievements. We’ll get there in due time.
My main objective, however, goes beyond Twitch achievements. I want to qualify for the Funcom Creator Program.
Why Funcom? Because I genuinely love Dune: Awakening, I enjoy Conan Exiles, and I want to build more content around the games I actually want to play.
I’ve purchased both games at full price. I didn’t wait for a free key, a sponsorship, or a partnership to decide whether they were worth playing. I bought them because I wanted to play them.
I’ve also recommended other streamers for the Funcom Creator Program. Some of them got accepted, received keys for cosmetics, DLCs, or even the full game, and eventually stopped playing Dune: Awakening, in some cases even after just 1 stream.
Meanwhile, I’ve never received a single key as a reward.
And you know what? That’s fine. I believe opportunities and rewards should be earned fairly. I don’t expect to receive something simply because I want it, and I wouldn’t want to be handed something I hadn’t earned in the first place.
I’m not here to judge those creators or speculate about their reasons for moving on. I don’t know the full circumstances of their participation, and I’m certainly not Funcom’s lawyer. Whether the company considers someone’s activity sufficient under its program guidelines is a matter for Funcom to decide.
But the experience has reinforced something for me: I want to pursue this opportunity for the right reasons.
Funcom’s published creator-program guidelines include audience reach, community engagement, a healthy channel in good standing, and content dedicated to Dune: Awakening, Conan Exiles, Aloft, and/or survival games. The Twitch route calls for an average of 20 concurrent viewers over the last 30 days, while the alternative YouTube route specifies an average of 1,500 views over the same period.
Those are the guidelines I’m working toward. I understand that meeting them doesn’t automatically guarantee acceptance, and I’m not expecting special treatment.
I’m not a Funcom employee, and I’m not here to defend every decision the company makes. I’m a gamer who enjoys its games and wants to create content around them. If I eventually earn a place in the program, I want to be able to look at that achievement knowing that I built my channel by doing what I genuinely enjoy.
I don’t want to become a Funcom creator because I might get free games. I want to become one because I already play the games.
That’s the goal. Everything else is progress along the way.
Preheating the Oven for November 19th
All this building up, all these milestones, all this work on the channel? Think of it as preheating the oven. Yes, I know, you don’t exactly preheat an oven and then heat it again, but you get the idea!
November 19th is the date I’m looking toward, because that’s when I’ll finally be diving into Grand Theft Auto VI on my base digital PS5.
And before anyone asks: no, this isn’t a sponsored stream, and Rockstar hasn’t given me a key. I pre-ordered the game during the first hour that pre-orders opened on the PlayStation Store, using my own money. The €100 edition cost me less than €80 in real money because, during the previous year, I bought two €50 PlayStation Store cards for €40 or less each.
That’s how I like doing things: planning ahead, finding a good deal, and paying for the games I want to play. No sponsorship required.
Until GTA VI launches, the channel will continue with a selection of games that I genuinely enjoy:
-Dune: Awakening – the game behind my main creator-program goal.
-Gears of War: E-Day – because I still have plenty to say about the latest entry in the franchise.
-Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online – a little preparation for returning to the world of Grand Theft Auto.
-Total War: Rome II – because you can’t have the Phalanx without a little ancient warfare.
-Hytale – another world I’m looking forward to exploring.
-The Outlast Trials – possibly, depending on how things work out.
And here’s where the community can get involved. For games that support co-op or multiplayer, you’re welcome to join me by redeeming 1,000 Drachmas in Channel Points. If the game supports playing together and there’s room for you, we’ll see about getting you into the action.
I want the stream to be more than someone sitting in front of a screen playing games. I want it to be a place where people can participate, have fun, discuss what we’re playing, and occasionally join the battle themselves.
So consider this the warm-up. We’ve got milestones to finish, a community to keep building, games to play, and a very big date on the calendar.
November 19th. GTA VI. My own copy, my own PS5, and no sponsor telling me what to say.
The countdown continues!
Passion Over Paychecks
Let’s talk about the financial side of things. Streaming is a hobby, and gaming is a passion. My career in DevOps is what pays the bills, and I have absolutely zero desire to become financially dependent on my viewers.
Twitch unlocks subscriptions as part of Affiliate status, and while I didn’t originally plan to have them, I deeply appreciate every single one of you who has chosen to join the ranks of the Phalanx. Whether you’re a fresh Phalangite or on your way to becoming an elite Argyraspide, your support is recognized.
However, my stance on donations remains firm: keep your money, or redirect it to a meaningful cause. I strongly encourage supporting hospitals, humanitarian aid, or programs for children with special abilities, a cause I actively volunteer for.
If you still choose to support the channel directly, know that those funds will be put toward improving the stream or aiding those same causes. I appreciate the gesture, but nobody should feel that they need to spend money to earn my respect or become part of this community.
I’m here because I enjoy gaming and interacting with people who share that interest. I don’t want that relationship to become a transaction.
Viewer Interaction: Entertainment Without the Price Tag?
Now that I’ve reached Affiliate status, Twitch has opened up another set of possibilities, and this is where I’m facing a bit of a dilemma.
I want to make the stream more interactive. I have ideas for different effects, sounds, and other ways for viewers to mess around with me while I’m playing. Some of these interactions can be handled through Channel Points, which viewers earn simply by watching and participating in the channel. Those will remain a major part of the experience because I want people to be able to interact with the stream without having to spend money.
The problem is that not every tool works the same way. Services such as Blerp and Tangia offer additional possibilities, but some of their features involve Bits. And that puts me in an awkward position.
As I’ve already explained, I’m not streaming to make money. I have a career that pays my bills, and I don’t want financial contributions to become the price of admission for having fun on my channel. At the same time, I don’t want to rule out entertaining features simply because they involve Bits.
So here’s the dilemma: do I set the Bit costs extremely low, making these interactions accessible to almost everyone but potentially opening the door to spam and abuse? Or do I set them relatively high, keeping things under control but potentially making the features so expensive that nobody uses them?
I don’t want to turn the stream into an endless barrage of sounds and effects that disrupt the game. But I also don’t want to introduce cool features that might as well not exist because nobody can justify using them.
There may be ways to balance this through cooldowns, usage limits, and a sensible choice of which interactions are available for free. I’ll be exploring those options. But before settling on a configuration, I’d like to hear from the people who will actually use these features.
What would you prefer? Would you rather have very cheap Bit interactions that you can trigger frequently, even if that means I need to put stricter limits on them? Or would you prefer more expensive interactions that happen less often and feel more like special events?
My priority is to make the stream more entertaining, not to squeeze money out of anyone. Channel Points will remain an important way to participate for free, and nobody should feel that they need to spend Bits to be part of the Phalanx.
I genuinely want your input on this one. It’s your community too, and I’d rather build something we can all enjoy than make the decision in isolation and discover that I’ve got it completely wrong.
Giveaways: Not How We Started, but Not Off the Table
I’ve already mentioned that we reached our initial goals without giveaways or !drops, and I’m proud of that. I didn’t need to bribe people into watching, and I didn’t need to promise free stuff to convince anyone to stay.
But let’s make one thing clear: I’m not against giveaways.
If companies reach out and offer game keys for promotional purposes, of course I’ll consider participating. If I get the opportunity to give games away to the people who support this community, why wouldn’t I?
There’s a difference between using giveaways to artificially attract an audience and using them to reward or engage with an audience that already exists. I have no problem with the latter, provided the arrangement is legitimate and the terms are transparent.
I also have some ideas of my own for potential giveaways, although nothing is confirmed yet. If an opportunity makes sense for the channel and offers something worthwhile to the community, I’ll consider it.
The point is that giveaways will be an additional opportunity, not the foundation of this channel. I want people to be here because they enjoy the games, the conversations, and the community. If they happen to win something along the way, all the better.
The Rules of Engagement for Sponsors
Reaching these milestones naturally opens the door for collaborations and sponsorships. Because I don’t rely on subscriptions or bits to pay my bills, I have the luxury of operating with a degree of independence that I intend to preserve.
I’m highly open to collaborations with creators who share our mindset and play similar games. When it comes to sponsorships, they’re welcome, but only under my rules.
They must be genuinely relevant to our gaming community or gaming in general. I’ll gladly talk about good books, for example, but don’t expect me to try and sell you random appliances. And free-to-play and browser games are a huge NO-NO when it comes to the kinds of promotions I want on this channel.
Just because someone offers money or a product doesn’t mean I’ll automatically accept. My audience isn’t a collection of wallets waiting to be emptied, and I have no intention of treating it that way.
Any sponsorship must also preserve my editorial independence. A company can pay for advertising space, but it doesn’t get to buy my opinion. If I promote a product, there needs to be a legitimate reason for doing so, and I won’t pretend something is good if I don’t believe it is.
And regarding VPNs: my default stance is that I’m firmly against VPN sponsorships. If a provider actually wants to partner with this channel, my requirements are non-negotiable. They must demonstrate transparency, maintain a clearly documented and independently scrutinizable no-logs policy, support the operating systems relevant to our audience, and provide a credible methodology for evaluating their privacy claims.
I want independent audits, publicly available findings, and meaningful opportunities to scrutinize the technical claims being made. Simply putting “zero logs” on a website isn’t enough. No external test can conclusively prove that a provider never logs anything anywhere, but that doesn’t mean we should accept marketing claims without demanding evidence.
If a VPN provider can’t meet those standards, we have nothing to discuss.
The March Continues
Affiliate status is a milestone, not the finish line. We still have Twitch achievements to complete, a community to develop, and a long road ahead if we want to meet Funcom’s creator-program criteria.
I’m not going to promise that we’ll reach every goal by a particular date, and I’m not going to compromise the channel just to get there faster. We’ll keep streaming games worth playing, having conversations worth having, and building the Phalanx one step at a time.
To everyone who has watched, chatted, raided, supported, or simply spent some time with us: thank you. You helped make this possible, and I appreciate it.
To those who thought insults, belittlement, or blocking me would make a difference: we’re still here.
We started without giveaways, without !drops, and without buying our way into an audience. We earned the progress we’ve made so far, and I’m proud of that.
Now it’s time to set our sights on the next objective.
Once a phalanx starts marching, it doesn’t stop just because the road gets longer.
Onward!
