Add The Followpoint: BTMC, the Face of osu! news post

news/2024/2024-03-07-the-followpoint-btmc-the-face-of-osu.md

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+layout: post
+title: "The Followpoint: BTMC, the Face of osu!"
+date: 2024-03-07 10:00:00 +0000
+---
+
+Join us for an interview with BTMC, one of osu!'s most iconic content creators!
+
+![](/wiki/shared/news/2024-03-07-the-followpoint-btmc-the-face-of-osu/banner.png)
+
+[BTMC](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/3171691) is definitely a name in the community that doesn't need any introduction, their influence reaching every corner of osu!'s vast community while still continuously improving and innovating their content, all in the goal of serving the community.
+
+Next to content creation they are also a top osu! player, event organiser, and community contributor with tenures in [Project Loved](/wiki/Community/Project_Loved) and osu! World Cup casting.
+
+Let's take a look at how their osu! journey started, where it's led so far, and what the future holds for them!
+
+---
+
+*Let's start with a short introduction. If you needed to introduce yourself to someone not familiar with you in one sentence, what would you say?*
+
+> Depending on the audience, I typically introduce myself simply as Ed to keep the focus on the current topic rather than shifting it towards my roles as a Content Creator and Founder. However, in specific contexts like this, I would use the following:
+> 
+>My name is Edward Ling — more known as "BTMC" under my online handles; I've been playing osu! for over 10 years, created content full-time for the game for 6 years, became a 2020 osu! World Cup Champion, and am the founder of osu!'s most ambitious in-person event, The Roundtable.
+
+*How did you get introduced to osu!, who are your earliest influences from the game?*
+
+> In 2013, while playing on the "MCPVP" Minecraft server, I was first introduced to osu! through its content creators like [Zephhyre](https://www.youtube.com/@Zephhyre), who posted an osu! video titled "[OSU! Catastrophe - MuryokuP [Cataclysm Difficulty]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVUP7B9Tco)", and Gayzmcgee (now [Aricin](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/1419095)), who suddenly started livestreaming osu! on their Twitch. Funnily enough, by complete chance, I was at a convention and ran into [meiikyuu](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/1043627), the mapper of the beatmap featured in Zephhyre's video, and we've now been together for over two years. I like to think it was her that actually brought me into this wonderful community.
+
+*How did your content creation career start, did you ever think you would be making content for a living?*
+
+> My content creation journey began with a rivalry with a former MCPVPer and an unexpected twist. After facing two false DMCA take down notices from a Brazilian Minecraft YouTuber, I made all my videos unlisted, but when I republished them, my osu! content detailing my osu! rivalry with [ChaosRaidz](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/3715823) unintentionally went public. One of which is now infamous in the community: "[And some say he never played osu! again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKja2Ee7Pys)".
+> 
+> I never initially envisioned content creation as a career; the concept of earning a living from YouTube and livestreaming was far from mainstream at the time. The term "[Creator Economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creator_economy)" wasn't even coined yet. However, I knew I wanted a path that wasn't confined to a traditional 9-5 job or a single career trajectory. Discovering that livestreaming earned me more in a week than a month at my job scooping popcorn at a movie theater, I fully embraced the uncertainty and dedicated everything to find a way to make it work. Because of that, I'm extremely humbled by all of my viewers, supporters, and fellow creators from all across the industry for making this possible.
+
+*As your YouTube and Twitch channels were growing, your in-game rank was also increasing. Would you say that creating content surrounding osu! was a part of the reason you became one of osu!'s top players (in terms of the time you put into the game)?*
+
+> Surprisingly, it's the other way around. As a naturally competitive person, I found osu! created the perfect environment for 100% accountability. Failing to set a score is 100% my fault, and so I could focus on how to improve instead of leaving it to teammates and luck. That also means that I have 100% confidence in my achievements. If I was able to set a score before, I know without a doubt I can do it again.
+> 
+> I fundamentally believe the osu! audience on YouTube and Twitch were and still are underserved. I simply did the bare minimum of just uploading videos about my scores over time and the people interested in my progression eventually found me. It's rare to find players dedicated to the sport, so I have no doubt the ones who are and document their stories will find people interested to listen. osu!'s content space has a lot of opportunity to innovate and find even bigger audiences, and it's the reason why I continue to have faith in the future of this game as a content creator and competitive player.
+
+*You became so good at the game that you got the chance to represent the USA in the 2020 osu! World Cup! How did that feel? Did it make you feel like that solidified the fact that you are not only a successful content creator, but also a top player worthy of representing your country in the World Cup?*
+
+> Making the team gave validation to my achievements and efforts as a competitive player, however my overall contributions during the World Cup left more to be desired. The USA boasts numerous exceptional players, enough to form multiple World Cup-worthy teams, but only eight are chosen each year, and not always the top eight in the country. The team typically relies on the "Core Four" players for every map, complemented by four specialists with non-traditional skills. As one of those specialists, I felt honoured but also recognized the need for further improvement to secure a spot among the "Core Four.".
+
+*You had a chance to collaborate with a lot of content creators from different spaces, do you have a favourite collaboration you've done?*
+
+> [r/place](https://www.reddit.com/r/place/) definitely takes the cake, specifically during the years of 2017 and 2022. Although it wasn't me organizing or hosting specifically, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity it gave to all content creators and all niches of varying sizes to come together for a fleeting event. The friends, alliances, stories, and drama that came out of it was one that will never be forgotten.
+
+*A lot of aspiring/small content creators look up to you, do you have any tips to share with them?*
+
+> Create the content you genuinely want to watch. If you're bored watching your own content, chances are other people are too. When I first started livestreaming, I would watch my own VODs and make adjustments to my stream if I thought certain sections were boring. To this day I re-watch my own YouTube videos because I genuinely think my videos are awesome and entertaining. I can look back at older content and come up with new ideas that would have made them even better. Over time you will discover guidelines and formats that will work for you and your audience specifically.
+
+*Some people love to say that osu! "content creation meta" has been stale for many years now, what do you think about the current state of it, what would you love to see more of?*
+
+> I'd love to see less talk and more action. Be the change you want to see in the world.
+> 
+> While others see the space as stale I see it as ripe for innovation and home to endless opportunity. In fact, I'm overwhelmed by all the different things I want to do but am at a loss for the time or talent to explore them properly. As such I'm constantly looking for aspiring creatives and talent to join my team to push boundaries for osu! together.
+
+*Finally, before moving onto your recent IRL ventures, what osu! content creators would you recommend for people to watch?*
+
+> Because I'm an osu! content creator, I actually struggle to watch other osu! content because instead of consuming and appreciating the content for what it is, I see potential areas of improvement and different ways that I would've tackled the same concept differently. The only osu! content creator I watch actively is [pishi](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/3178418) with his [videos on lazer's development](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmWVQsxi34bMTmgpDArfxJ32Q0mBLhcE-). However, I openly offer help and am in constant communication with every osu! content creator to offer my help in advice or feedback. A rising tide lifts all boats here.
+
+*Moving onto "IRL", I believe the Roundtable was the first time you hosted an IRL event, how did you come to the idea of it?*
+
+> The original idea came from Pishi and [Kroytz](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/2339768), and was originally inspired by the events hosted by Beyond the Summit. I was hanging with them, and we realized that technically the only thing we were missing was money, so when I mentioned I'd cover it we got straight to work.
+
+*Hosting such an event is a huge undertaking, both financially and logistically. What were some of the biggest/unexpected obstacles you faced during its organisation?*
+
+<!-- lint ignore no-missing-blank-lines -->
+
+> The first event was organized in 3-4 weeks and had a relatively small team stationed in my living room. We wanted to scale things up, so we brought in more staff which needed a larger venue and that resulted in many unexpected obstacles that we had to figure out as we went. Examples include:
+> 
+> - Venue Costs
+> - Insurance
+> - Legal & Liability
+> - Safety
+> - Floor Layouts
+> - Catering
+> - Transportation
+> - Power Consumption
+> - Internet Infrastructure
+> - Parking
+> - Setup Logistics
+> - Production Coordination
+> - And so much more
+> 
+> There are some things that we literally can not prepare for unless we have access to the venue and the result was an experience for everyone that I'm not completely satisfied with. There were many lessons learned from the second event that will be improved for the future but despite all the delays and "scuffness", I'm extremely humbled and thankful to see overwhelming support from the community, players, and staff.
+
+*What lessons did you take away from the first event that you implemented in the 2nd iteration of the Roundtable?*
+
+> Well the goal of The Roundtable Invitational is to create an experience for its most talented and invested players to look forward to and to create a show that can bring together the community and showcase the best that osu! has to offer.
+> 
+> There were many aspects that I feel we improved on such as catering, prize pools, and event variety, but the one I feel the most proud of was our technical team behind The Roundtable Battle Royale overlays. We wanted to make the user experience of viewing the event better, as we hope that some people may get introduced to osu! through the content on The Roundtable. The team, as lead by [Deadrote](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/7943969), was able to create an overlay that was innovative, groundbreaking, and easy for viewers to understand and follow along which I'm extremely proud of.
+
+*To wrap things up, what does the future hold for BTMC? Do you have any 2024 goals you are willing to share with the community?*
+
+> It may not be the most interesting one, but balance is my main focus for 2024. There are many things that I really do care about, but often times I feel my time in one area is taking time away from others, and that's something that I continue to struggle with. It can be event organization, YouTube video production, Twitch livestreaming, osu! skill pushing/score grinding, building my community across various social media, networking, making and maintaining amazing friendships, attending events and meeting my community, and so much more.
+> 
+> It's difficult to juggle everything, but I hope to find a balance in the near future, and with many amazing talented people offering their support, I feel that could happen sooner than later.
+
+*Bonus question: is your steak better than mangomizer's?*
+
+<style>
+blockquote .osu-md__figure-image {
+  margin-left: 0px;
+}
+</style>
+
+> There's only one way to find out
+> 
+> ![](/wiki/shared/news/2024-03-07-the-followpoint-btmc-the-face-of-osu/weirdchamp.jpg)
+
+---
+
+This interview has been a great insight into BTMC, their community and career tenure, and hopefully inspired you to engage with the community yourself in creative ways, such as writing, content creation, making art, organising etc.
+
+Thank you to BTMC so for taking the time to answer these questions — and thank you for reading!
+
+—0x84f