PAX East is THIS WEEKEND, and we’re so stoked to see the #BBTVfam representing at gaming’s biggest event! Abdallah Smash is breaking down the world of gaming and letting us know his thoughts on everything from PAX to the question: are gamers really athletes?
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
My name is Abdallah and I run the Channel AbdallahSmash026 on YouTube! I’m an official Nintendo Brand Ambassador who enjoys giving first looks at all the latest games on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS! I upload daily family-friendly content for all to enjoy!
What type of content do you make?
All of my content is focused around Nintendo. Be it a newly released game or a classic title from previous generations of Nintendo consoles, I’ll cover it all in a family-friendly manner.
How long have you been a YouTuber?
I started my YouTube Career as a hobby back when the Nintendo 3DS came out with Mario Kart 7, ever since early 2012. I’ve been making videos with narration as a hobby and in 2016, I quit my full-time retail management job (that I’ve been a part of for 12+ years) to pursue YouTube Gaming full time!
PAX east is a pretty incredible event! What are you most excited to do/see?
I really like meeting people at events like PAX East. It’s really fun when you get flagged down a hall by a fan that recognizes you from the content you make! I usually greet fans, take pictures, and offer up autographs to whoever recognizes me! Aside from interacting with fans, I enjoy participating in various tournaments throughout the event. There are free tournaments ranging from all different games at any hour of the day – got to keep winning those gold medals!
The games that got you playing!
Give us some of your first video gaming memories and how that has influenced your content to date.
I’ve been a Nintendo fan since the NES era. I’d say that Mario Kart 7 was really the first game that influenced my content. One can take a look at my YouTube Channel Video page and sort it by ‘earliest’ and still see my very first uploads! Oh, boy – those are rough to watch! I still remember when 3DS Capture Cards weren’t invented yet and the only way that I could record was to build a rig for my Digital Camera to point at the screen and the only way that I could reduce daylight reflection was to record in the pitch black of my upstairs bathroom!
Do you like ‘vintage games’ or newer games?
I enjoy newer games better than vintage games. As classic as vintage games are, the difference between those and newer games is like night and day – graphics, gameplay, and overall hype surrounding it. Heck, I still have my entire collection of NES, N64, Gameboy, Gamecube, Wii, and WiiU classics all in my entertainment center for times when I want to jump on that vintage nostalgia trip.
What do you wish the wider public would understand about gamers?
I wish that people would really understand the amount of work that goes into “playing video games on YouTube for a living.” A lot of people seem to think that it’s not a real job or it’s not as hard as their line of work, but there’s plenty of work involved with this career.
Do you think professional gaming is a sport?
Totally. The level of dedication professional gamers have is equal if not more than mainstream sports. I’m glad to be a part of the beginning of such a exciting ESports era!
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