We conducted an interview with the German Destiny YouTuber Venero TV. We wanted to know from him: What does it feel like to be the most hunted man in the Destiny galaxy?
Bungie regularly puts bounties on players. For a few hours, a player is then a “Bungie Bounty.” They are in the Crucible and continuously sign up for PvP matches.
Whoever participates in matches with this player fights for a special reward, the emblem Sign of Rejection, awarded to the victors.
It is a community stream event. Destiny players gather and want to either take down the player or protect and lead them to victory.
Last week, on July 3, 2017, it was Venero TV’s turn, a German YouTuber. We talked to him about his experience.
Thousand people in the stream waiting for me to start the countdown
What does it feel like to be the most wanted man in Destiny for a few hours?
First of all, thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed by you.
It was something completely new when people were eager to get you. On normal days, you sometimes receive a message from a player in the lobby saying it was cool to have played with you or that they liked your videos, but this was different. The stream was very full, one thousand or more viewers who were eager: They wanted to know when I would write the next countdown for players in the chat.
There were also many international viewers present, so you could see various languages. The messages flowed so quickly that, to be honest, you couldn’t keep up. Only when the countdown started, did everyone suddenly fall silent: 10 … 9 … 8 … It was magical.
Ingame, it was mostly civilized, except for a few group teabags and message spams to cover the radar; it was a peaceful atmosphere.
Regarding technical things: On which platform did you play? How long did it last? How many did your team lose and win?
It was on PS4. I started streaming at 6 PM. The official bounty started at 7 PM German time. The whole event, where you could win against me, lasted until 9 PM. However, I stayed an extra hour to chat with the community a bit, as the chat became clearer after 9 PM.
The win rate could be described as balanced. Everyone in the lobby gave their best because even the people on my team wanted to win the emblem.
How would you describe your skill level in Destiny’s PvP?
I would classify myself as a “good player”. Like many other good to very good players, I am no longer a regular player in Destiny’s PvP. It has lost its charm over the three years.
The last time I played Osiris was about six months ago. Of course, this also decreases the “skill”. That’s why I’m now more in the lower segment. I simply lack practice.
Eventually, I just ran in and shot
Do you play better in this situation and make an extra effort? Or are you more under pressure and play worse?
I played significantly worse. There was immense pressure, and you were just too excited to play concentrated. 1400 people watching you is not something you always have. Even as a YouTuber, I had huge stage fright. Eventually, it became a mindless “running into the enemies and shooting”. My head and hands just didn’t want to cooperate. It was an amazing feeling.
The invitation from Bungie came via Twitter
How did Bungie reach out to you? Does an email just land in your inbox or are there contacts?
Cozmo (Community Manager of Destiny) sent me a message on Twitter asking if I would be interested in being the Bungie Bounty. He then asked me which platform I wanted to play on, what day, and at what time. He also asked if I preferred to stream on Twitch or YouTube.
It’s difficult to establish oneself as a German Destiny YouTuber, but it’s possible
You have about 17,400 subscribers and 2.78 million views on your YouTube channel. How long did it take to establish yourself as a YouTuber in Destiny, and was it hard?
Yes, it was not always easy. Bringing something that others don’t have is hard. Back then it was the “How to Flawless” episodes and the Top 5 episodes that didn’t exist in the German Destiny space.
Overall, it was and never is easy when you have Ziro.TV and Nexxos Gaming, two big ships in front of you. Because if they post the same video just one hour earlier, the success of your own video is not as great. But you have to: take ambition and pack lots of patience. I see all of this as healthy competition and do not let envy or the likes guide me.
What are you most looking forward to in Destiny 2?
I am most looking forward to the story. I just hope to catch everything this time, understanding why I do what I do. A beginning and an end.
A final question: In your videos, one could often recognize a “Putin carpet.” What’s the story behind it?
I am originally Russian. And I am often there because part of my family still lives there. One day, I saw the Putin carpet at a bazaar and thought it was a cool idea, as Putin is quite well-known and controversial in Germany. I thought it would be a funny conversation starter that people would like to bring up with me. As you can see, it works quite well. However, I’ve had the carpet for much longer than I have been doing YouTube.
Thank you for the conversation!
Another interview with a German Destiny YouTuber from the community can be found here:
