Women of G FUEL: Gibi

Welcome to “Women of G FUEL,” an interview series where we shine a spotlight on the ladies of the #GSQUAD. This time we’ll be talking to GibiASMR , also known as Gibi.

Back in the early days of YouTube, a small but passionate community of content creators placed a name to a unique sensation called ASMR — also known as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. After stumbling down a YouTube rabbit hole, you know the ones we all take at 3 AM, Gibi found some of these ASMR videos and, “realized that I had this thing that I never knew even how to put into words in my own brain.”

After putting a name to an experience that Gibi had been experiencing for years, and following some of the original ASMR content creators like Gentle Whispering and Heather Feather, Gibi felt a spark to become a part of this community.

Taking that leap can be scary, and while Gibi felt a connection to the community, she was nervous to post her first video to YouTube. During her time in high school, she filmed a video that regretfully, “didn’t even make it to my computer - I deleted it off the camera.” She lamented at how cringey the video was and remembered thinking that she was, “just gonna stop and let the professionals do what they do.” That barrier between fan and creator seemed too daunting at this point for Gibi, so she continued to pursue other paths but never left the ASMR community as a fan.

It wasn’t until years later when Gibi was in her senior year of college as a film major that the spark to create ASMR content struck again. With a newfound confidence of being in front of the camera, years of editing tracks, and a much better understanding of the type of content she wanted to create, Gibi took her first leap as a ASMR content creator.

Her boss at the company she worked for had a Blue Yeti microphone laying around, which is THE classic ASMR microphone. She gathered the confidence to ask her boss to borrow it for a “project,” bought a DSLR camera off her cousin, and set out to make her first second ASMR video. She just kept thinking, “I know what I’m doing, I know the community, I know what I want to do. I have the technical skills and I’m just going to go for it.” She hit publish on her first official ASMR video in June of 2016 and she hasn’t stopped since. 

Between balancing a full-time course load in her last year of college and a full-time YouTube schedule, 2016 was a tough year for Gibi. Finishing school was important but so was building the momentum of her YouTube channel. Gibi made the decision that although juggling both a full time YouTube and school schedule was isolating, it would eventually be worth it. No one, including Gibi, understood, “the magnitude of where her channel was going to go.” 

Gibi was ecstatic when she hit 12,000 subscribers on YouTube. She remembers thinking, I’m legit now - I’ve got 12k” and that’s when she told her family that this was what she was going to do full time. 

A lot of ASMR YouTubers stick to the platform that works for them, especially considering making a jump from one video content platform to another is risky. For Gibi, streaming on Twitch couldn’t have come at a better time. 

It was her manager who actually suggested that Gibi try out Twitch to connect more with her followers as well as just doing something more fun. When her manager pitched the idea, she loved it — eager for a way to play video games, relax, and talk to people. And the most important thing for Gibi was forming and strengthening that community aspect. “Having the Twitch community was just absolutely incredible and my favorite memories are on Twitch.”

The difference between YouTube and Twitch for Gibi is that on YouTube, “somebody is sitting either in their desk chair or lying in bed, and you know, I’m talking to them — it’s their job to relax. But on Twitch, I’m like, ‘interact with me, let’s talk, let’s play’ - I’m getting to relax.” And it’s not just that Gibi gets to relax — she gets to enjoy her favorite pastime. 

As a kid, Gibi played a lot of video games and it’s in part due to her brother. She grew up playing games like the Sims, Harvest Moon, Rhythm Heaven, and DDR but missed out on some of the classics. So she’s been taking the time to explore the classic titles like Five Nights at Freddy’s, Bioshock, and Dark Souls, which she hated, on her Twitch channel with her community. And if there’s one Woman of G FUEL who can end the age old debate on which platform wins out, PC versus console, it’s Gibi.

She had always played story games on her console, because that’s what she had, but would always play games like the Sims on her computer. But when she finally got up and made the permanent shift to PC, she suddenly realized, “Oh - this is what I’ve been missing my whole life.”

When it comes to making those big leap moments, like posting her first ASMR video, Gibi is cautious. She works very hard to make sure what she’s doing is the right thing without blindly jumping. But looking back at her hard-earned journey, the highlight reel is well worth the stress and long hours that she had when she started. 

Some of Gibi’s favorite moments were her two “million milestone” streams where she streamed for 24 hours, or getting the opportunity to meet up with other ASMR content creators. For her, they were physical representations of her hardwork and dedication that she was able to share with her community and her fellow ASMR colleagues.

It’s clear that Gibi has made a name for herself in the ASMR community — not just on YouTube and Patreon, but on Twitch too. Admittedly, she knows there is a ceiling to her content and it’s why creators like herself need to think outside the box. To change things up as it were, and not just switching from coffee to G FUEL in the morning!

This is exactly why she created her very own app — Zees, an ASMR app. Gibi created the app after noticing many apps made for people who enjoy ASMR were composed of stolen content. With no good ASMR app on the market, she just said, “looks like we’ve gotta do this ourselves, don’t we?” and set out to make the app.

For Gibi, it’s about ensuring her content is up on her YouTube channels and focusing on her primary platforms, but it’s also about innovating and growing as a creator. And at the end of the day, it’s about creating content, however it will be consumed, that you would consume. As Gibi says, “If I would watch it, I’m going to create it.”

This article was written by Hotspawn. Hotspawn combines news, in-depth analysis, and how-to guides into one place to help you learn everything you need to know about esports.