The Power Up visits 368, a gaming and streamer hub based in NYC

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Our host Narz is bringing you a breakdown of everything happening in the world of gaming, introducing you to rising stars in the industry and special guests every episode in this collab with Complex Networks.

In the early days of Twitch, streaming was a new and lonely endeavor. But now, spaces such as 368 in New York City provide gaming creators with tools and networks to collaborate. 

Our host Narz stopped by 368 to speak with 368 staff about the state of streaming, the video game industry and more.

Gabe Olivero is a content creator and one of the hosts of Super Late at 368, a late night talk show about the latest news in the game industry. Olivero first encountered 368 as a visitor who frequented the house’s events. 

“I started making videos, making content online,” Olivero told In The Know. After meeting several people including Paul Leys, CEO and co-founder of 368, those contacts eventually turned into co-workers. “[Paul] gave me the co-sign, checked okay and then from there we started working at 368.”

There have been creator studios, collectives, agencies and houses for YouTube personalities for over a decade. The streaming industry has been booming but the infrastructure to support streamers, particularly smaller personalities, has been sparse.

That’s what inspired Leys to create 368.

“We just felt like there was this whole creator community that was not being realized on the internet,” Leys told The Power Up. “They weren’t being recognized. It’s the underrepresented creatives of storytelling.”

368 has had some big names pass through such as Trevor Noah. The host of The Daily Show came by to play some FIFA and record a roundtable podcast discussing his favorite teams.

Danny Brown and Hannibal Buress have also visited 368, highlighting the increasingly blurring line between traditional media celebrities and gaming content creators.

California may be the heart of the American gaming industry but New York City is still an important, though often overlooked, hub for gaming. Several prominent gaming creators call New York home, including our own Narz.

But being a gamer isn’t restricted to geography — and neither is being a gaming creator.

“The community is what I love about gaming,” Narz said. “Whether you’re from Asia, South America, from Europe, wherever you are, if you are part of that you share the experience old and new alike.

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If you liked this piece, check out The Power Up episode on the intersection between esports and basketball.

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