Nick Eh 30 is on a mission to spread positivity in gaming one stream at a time. We caught up with the Luminosity Gaming streamer to talk about his approach, what inspired it, and the challenges he has had to overcome because of it.
Nick Eh 30’s Twitch community is incredibly wholesome, so much so that you might be left convinced you’ve visited Twitch in an alternate dimension. The Eh Team, as his Twitch community is called, is 2.9 million followers strong, while his YouTube is even more immense closing in on 6 million subscribers.
Nick Eh 30 rose to prominence during Fortnite’s glory days, when Epic Games’ Battle Royale mode took off in 2018 and 2019. While other content creators have since moved on to titles such as VALORANT or Call of Duty, Nick Eh 30 stuck with Fortnite, cementing himself as one of the leading content creators for the title.
From daily video content to regular high-level gameplay streams, Nick Eh 30 is ingrained in Fortnite’s DNA, and even his own custom game Nick Eh 30 Zone Wars made it into the game as an official Limited Time Mode (LTM).
Aside from being outrageously good at the game, Nick Eh 30 has dedicated himself to being a positive role model in the space. Well known for being family-friendly, he has grown an empire built on a foundation of respect and positivity. We caught up with Nick Eh 30 to talk about his approach, what inspired it, and the challenges he has had to overcome because of it.
Family first even after global success
Few streamers would choose to unbox their 1 million YouTube subscriber video with their parents, but Nick Eh 30 is different. While his fame may be now global his family has stayed close throughout his meteoric rise.
Both Nick Eh 30’s mother and father are heavily involved in their son's growing empire; from managing his multiple brand deals to upgrading his stream room - which the family built together. Nick Eh 30’s brother, also recently got involved, assisting with the booming YouTube channel and moderating Nick’s stream “making sure it’s super positive”.
“My family plays such a big part in what I do,” said Nick Eh 30. “The whole family’s involved in this process, and I wouldn't have it any other way.”
What family values do you think you learned from your parents that define you as an adult?
“The first would be to treat everyone with respect, no matter what background they’re from,” said Nick Eh 30 without hesitation. "The second would be to be appreciative of what you have, that’s a key thing to being happy, and a key part of why I’m able to be so happy on my stream.”
Becoming the Nick Eh 30 we know today
Nick Eh 30’s positivity is contagious, but he wasn’t always like that. It was a conscious decision after starting his career on YouTube.
“I wasn’t always happy, I wasn’t always super crazy positive, but I did try my best when I started out on YouTube,” said Nick Eh 30. “If it was the first video they were clicking on, I wanted them to leave with the best impression as that might be the only video that they watch.”
"I definitely tried to act intentionally positive. Back when I started out I wanted to be a little happier than I was, and one of the ways to do that was being super outgoing in my YouTube videos."
“I wanted to make sure that what I was putting out there was good energy to make sure that everyone who was watching could be happy. And you could say I faked it till I made it,” said Nick Eh 30.
“I definitely tried to act intentionally positive. Back when I started out I wanted to be a little happier than I was, and one of the ways to do that was being super outgoing in my YouTube videos, and then it kind of manifested into who I am today. It became a permanent change.”
Positivity is a choice, so choose how to react
Over time Nick Eh 30 began to share with his viewers a crucial life lesson; that we can often not control what happens to us, only how we react. Whether it’s a stroke of bad luck in real life or being killed by a stream sniper. “You could get upset,” said Nick Eh 30. “Or you could choose to learn from it.”
“We can always choose which way to go, and it’s all about learning. I think with regards to myself and my streaming, one of the things that keeps me so passionate about trying to bring positivity and be a good role model is I genuinely enjoy it."
The Fortnite content creator went on to say that the kick he got spurred him on to late night editing sprees, with the goal of being able to share more content for people to enjoy…. and they did.
“It kind of became a self-sustaining model,” said Nick Eh 30. “So if you really, really are passionate about something, and you love it, I think that you should make sure that you are pursuing it."
So what is it the Luminosity Gaming streamer hopes people take away from his stream? “I just want them to have a good time and leave for a positive feeling,” said the Fortnite streamer.
“We all have bad days. But I think sometimes, when I’m watching streamers and they’re having a bad day or they get upset, it does leave me feeling kind of down. I don’t like it when people get upset or angry. It kind of kills the vibe so to speak. So if I die in-game, I don’t want to transfer that kind of negative energy to my viewers, whether that’s adults or younger fans.”
The sacrifice Nick Eh 30 willingly made
Nick Eh 30’s mission to keep his stream family-friendly is a noble goal but does impose some limitations. Over the years, it has limited the amount of streamers he can collaborate with, and which games he can stream.
Nick Eh 30 will even go so far as to vet players he is considering playing with by checking their past broadcasts, regardless of their level of fame.
“It’s more than just not swearing, I look at if they die, do they get upset, are they going to bring the vibe down or are they trying to learn from it and get better,” said Nick Eh 30.
“I like to look at just who they are as a person. Because there’s more to it than just playing with people who are the best. I know people like good gameplay, but I think there's something to be said about just having a good time and being entertaining and finding the right group of people that you mesh with.”
As a result of this approach, it has meant he has had to turn down lucrative deals that would jeopardize his family-friendly community and brand. But it is a sacrifice the streamer has happily accepted.
“I feel like it definitely has impacted my channel, you could say negatively, but I always think you know what, I've come such a long way, it doesn't even matter. I feel like at this point people trust me, and I'm happy with where I'm at. Just like with everything there's pros and cons.”
The keys to a family-friendly community
The swift rise of Fortnite: Battle Royale in North America in 2017-2019 with it’s much younger viewer base - compared to titles such as Call of Duty and Halo - sparked conversations about whether streamers should be role models for their viewers.
While some did test the water with trying to ease profanities and steer clear of drama-driven feuds, the majority carried on as usual. Nick Eh 30 on the other hand, consciously took a very different approach and looked to create a community that shared his ideals.
“There’s always stuff going on in the world, whether it’s personal, whether it’s friends, whether it's COVID. As people we always want to get away,” said Nick Eh 30. “There were times when I watched YouTubers back in the day like PewdiePie or Jacksepticeye and when you left their videos, you felt good, you felt you were part of their community."
“PewdiePie when he started for example had the Brofist at the end, and it was just so welcoming. I love that feeling, and with times being so tough now, I want my community to be just as welcoming.”
Having learned the benefits of positivity, he was keen to ensure his community was the same, and made it his mission to create a safe and inclusive environment.
Manners maketh man in the EH Team
Manners are expected in Nick Eh 30’s Twitch Chat and anyone looking to crash the party are either educated of the rules of the house, or swiftly shown the door.
Positivity is not simply encouraged, it is part of the EH Team culture.
“Who you surround yourself with influences a lot of who you become even through school, through university, through gaming. Who you're hanging around with kind of determines what you say, and how you talk and just how you act,” said Nick Eh 30.
“I think it's not necessarily so hard as people might think to find positive people. You have to put in a little extra effort and you could find the people who are similar to you or people who are more positive than you. And there's so many out there.”
It’s not news that call outs, e-beefs and drama generate traffic far more regularly but Nick Eh 30 strongly believes there is a place for positivity in gaming. Adamantly, in fact.
“Positivity definitely belongs in gaming,” said Nick Eh 30. “There’s so much more to it than toxicity and negativity, and I think that’s what I’m trying to showcase, one stream at a time.”