ASTRO’s Stream Team consists of hand-picked live-streamers of varying interests and styles. On top of hosting on the ASTRO channel, they run their own streams and provide monthly give-aways of ASTRO products.
Drift0r is known for his very technical YouTube videos where he meticulously breaks down Call of Duty mechanics in order to give you, the viewer, the upper hand. On his Twitch, channel however, he cuts loose and focuses on the enjoyment of the game and having fun. Currently based in Dallas, Texas, while Drift0r enjoys a variety of games, you can depend on seeing League of Legends and Call of Duty make an appearance on his livestream.
ASTRO: Who are you?
Drift0r: My name is Brad but I go by Drift0r online.
ASTRO: Where are you from?
Drift0r: Nowhere. It sounds crazy but I’m not from anywhere in particular. I had a criminal family growing up so we moved a lot. I’d say “The South” in general is a good way to say it. I mostly lived in Mississippi, Texas, Kentucy, Arkansas, and in hotels.
ASTRO: Do you stream on your own or with a team?
Drift0r: No team, just with my friends.
ASTRO: What kind of things can people expect from your stream?
Drift0r: They can expect to see me fight my way out of Bronze in League of Legends, subscriber challenges in CoD, and me just goofing around on new games that come out.
ASTRO: How did you first get into gaming?
Drift0r: Playing Mario Bros & Duck Hunt on the SNES in 1991! I played a lot of Nintendo games as kid, then moved to PS1/2, then Xbox & X360, and now currently playing PC, X1, and PS4. I play a bit of everything.
ASTRO: What game(s) are you currently playing?
Drift0r: Evolve, Advanced Warfare, League of Legends, and Alien Isolation is the list for the near future.
ASTRO: Which game(s) or game series has been with you the longest? What can you not get enough of?
Drift0r: Probably Call of Duty. I’ve been playing and making a living on Call of Duty for almost 4 years now. It has been a crazy train ride and I’m going to keep on riding. Silent Hill will always have a soft spot in my heart though.
ASTRO: What is your favorite game-related memory and why?
Drift0r: Psychically reflecting a sniper shot and killing a friend. Back in 2005 I ran a clan in Unreal Championship 2 which was an unusual version of Unreal for the Xbox Original. It had a game mechanic where everyone had a shield. If you activate the shield at the EXACT same time as being hit it will deflect the bullet back onto the attacker for extra damage. I had been playing all night with a friend called Adam.
We got tired, stopped playing, and just talked for hours. We just sat in the lobby, characters not moving, and talked. He was a proper online friend. About 2 hours into the talking my mine just screamed “NOW!!!!” so I tossed my shield up. At the exact same time Adam had fired a headshot on my character without any sort of warning. The deflection had to be timed to the exact frame for non-projectiles so deflecting sniper rounds was near impossible. It deflected perfectly, bounced back and killed him. I could hear him screaming on the other end of the mic.
All I could say is “I will tell my grandchildren about this shot.”
ASTRO: What do you hope to see in the future of gaming?
Drift0r: Less DLC, less micro-DLC, less pay for buggy early access, less pay to win, and less buggy game launches. I understand business and how these things generate revenue but at a point they aren’t even fun to play anymore. I just want to see good standalone games at launch.
ASTRO: If you could tell your younger-self one thing, what would you say?
Drift0r: Invest in Google, get braces earlier, exercise more, and punch Ryan in the face. You will get away with it as a kid but will forever regret not punching him as an adult. Also, to tell your future wife’s mother to get her lungs examined. That way she won’t die painfully of cancer.
ASTRO: What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do?
Drift0r: I get hundreds of messages per week with people asking me for tips on how to do what I do. I give the same advice and it is the best advice anyone can give. Firstly you must have fun with what you do. If you chase popularity you will fail. Just play your games and enjoy them. Take pride in your craft and make the best possible videos every single day. No cutting corners. And lastly you must be patient. Nobody is famous overnight. It took me years.
ASTRO: What, in your opinion, makes your stream unique and awesome?
Drift0r: I have doge. Not just one doge, but two doges. They stop by on occasion.
ASTRO: What has been your favorite game to stream thus far?
Drift0r: League of Legends. I’m terrible at the game but can’t stop playing it. I think I have an addiction.
ASTRO: Which Astros are your favorite to use?
Drift0r: Most people would say the headsets, which are quite nice, but I really like the MixAmp Pro. As a streamer and content creator I’m constantly fiddling with my audio settings, routing it different places, using difference inputs/outputs/balances ect ect. The MixAmp Pro is kind of like a magic box for me. Tons of inputs, outputs, levels, modes, balances, and picks up on the PC. It lets me solve a lot of problems that would otherwise be near impossible.
ASTRO: What do you do when you’re not streaming?
Drift0r: Streaming and YouTubing is my only “job” at the moment so it does take a lot of time. I graduated with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, and a Masters in Business Administration about two years ago but decided to pursue gaming instead. Looking back, I want to kick myself for spending so much time and money doing that when I should have been YouTubing and Streaming more. That is terrible advice for others though. Such a risky path. Only do that if you are a bigtime gambler.
ASTRO: What about your hobbies—those fabled things you do for fun when you’re not gaming?
Drift0r: Gaming is a hobby of mine so I still game more. I read a lot, probably a lot more than I should. Read regular books, comic books, manga, and scientific articles. As I get older I’m reading more comic books than anything else though. I just like the simple things. I also travel a bit. Will be visiting Singapore with my wife soon.
ASTRO: Favorite vacation spot?
Drift0r: Flagstaff Arizona. It is a hidden hippy mountain town in an otherwise hot desert filled state. Amazing place, nice people, and nice food. Also crazy to see snow on cactuses.
ASTRO: Best movie of all time in your opinion?
Drift0r: Kill Bill Volumes 1&2. Really an amazing film. I actually like most of Tarantino’s films. I also have a thing for indie films. I kind of like digging through the garbage to find gems. Could go on for days about these but should probably stop now.
ASTRO: The music that is, to put it succinctly, “your jam”?
Drift0r: I don’t listen to music. It is odd, I know, but I just don’t. There are a handful of songs that I like but I rarely listen to them. I was never musically inclined. Yes, it is weird. Yes, I have suffered for it. Picked on in high school about it, threated on a work crew, and often called “soulless” or “demonic”.
In my music appreciation class in Freshman year in University (I had to take it) the professor asked us to write a brief essay about our favorite genre of music. I wrote about how I didn’t listen to music and couldn’t have a favorite genre. He gave me and F and said some rather unkind things after class.
ASTRO: And speaking of jam—what’s your favorite food?
Drift0r: PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM, Korean BBQ, and Pancakes.
ASTRO: Best brain food:
Drift0r: Anything by Asimov of Clarke will be very engaging.
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