This story is about a son who turned his passion for gaming into a livestream career, but had to fight for respect from the people he loved most.
Some people go to university after SPM. I chose to go live on Twitch instead. It’s been two years. I was making enough on Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts that my dad agreed to a gap year to see if I could make it full-time.
The problem? My mom didn’t take it seriously at all. She constantly barged into my room while I was livestreaming, asking random questions, and then trying to chat with my audience. It was beyond disruptive.
I told her these interruptions messed with my audience retention, and my dad backed me up, explaining this was my job. She’d say, “Ini rumah kita, bukan ofis,” or “I’m your mother, I can masuk anytime I want.”
To her, gaming is just buang masa—something people do for fun, not a career. She kept comparing me to my cousin studying engineering in the UK. “Tengok la Daniel tu, belajar pandai-pandai. You? Main game je.” Never mind that I was already making money.
The Stream That Changed Everything
Last week, I had a sponsorship tryout stream, and she walked in mid-game to ask if I had done my laundry. I lost the opportunity when I got distracted mid-game and messed up my flow. I was devastated.
My dad confronted her, only to be accused of “choosing my internet hobby over their marriage.”
I tried everything, even locking my door. She’d bang until I opened it, driving viewers away and costing me another sponsorship.
That night, I sat my parents down and tried to find a middle ground. It didn’t work. All I did was start a fight between them. But I figured that wasn’t such a bad thing. At least they were talking to each other instead of at me and steamrolling over me. I left them to it.
The fight lasted days, making the weeks leading up to Hari Raya 2023 terrible. They resolved nothing, and my mother’s livestream harassment continued.
Enter The Family’s Black Sheep
Desperate, I turned to my cousin—a game developer, streamer, and host—to explain how tough this industry is. He listened as I explained everything, including what opportunities I had lost.
We were at the family Hari Raya gathering. And I’d ambushed him for help when he’d snuck out for a cigarette while famously trying to quit again. I saw the moment his temper snapped and I realised maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
The family knew his temper. The lawyers, doctors, and engineers avoided “the black sheep” who only showed up for Hari Raya and birthdays.
The air turned cold as his anger boiled over. He exhaled sharply, flicked the cigarette into the bushes, and growled: “Need to talk to your parents. NOW.”
He was the family’s black sheep, first of his generation educated abroad, earned a degree in Hospitality and Tourism—or “Hostility and Terrorism”—and got married (and divorced) overseas. Progressive in his thinking, a mixed bag of opinions. He does things his way or throws you out the window.
The Unexpected Intervention
Still, he had me bring tea for my parents and myself, and coffee for him. He skipped small talk and ripped into them immediately. “You gave Rizal a YEAR to have a shot at making it as a streamer. He was making money. And now, because of your ignorance, he’s lost TWO sponsorships. That’s RM20,000 GONE. RM20,000! That’s HALF A DIPLOMA at a local private uni in 2025!”
My mom—his aunt—scoffed and rolled her eyes. My cousin’s retaliation was instant, throwing the documents across the table.
“Read. Educate yourself. Try getting a job.” Harsh words to a 20-year housewife, but it worked.
She wasn’t scoffing anymore. Her eyes went wide as she took in the glaring yellow highlights.
My cousin turned to my dad. “You wanna support your son? Then SUPPORT him! What are you so goddamn scared of? Grow a spine, man! Your ball in a jar somewhere?” Clearly, my cousin had never heard that expression about women ruling the home.
For once, my dad didn’t look away. He stared at them. “Not gonna bullshit either of you. He might not make it full-time, but you’ve already cost him RM20K.”
A Fight That Finally Meant Something
My mom’s face twisted. “You think this is real work? You think it’ll last?”
My cousin laughed. “You haven’t had a job in twenty years. Your old job? Probably doesn’t exist. You couldn’t do what he’s trying to do. You don’t even understand what it takes to get as far as he has.”
Dad didn’t flinch. “What can he achieve in nine months?”
For the first time, my cousin paused. He shrugged. “I don’t know or care.” Then he pointed at me. “That’s his problem.”
My mom scoffed. “You’re always like this. Just letting things slide! Saya yang kena jaga everything, make sure he has a future, and you-”
“Oh, so now you’re the only one who cares about his future?”
And just like that, another full-blown argument erupted. But it was different this time. They were fighting about who was responsible for this mess, not about whether I could stream. Afterward, things stayed awkward, but my cousin’s words stuck.
Earning Respect, Slowly
Dad said he’d support me if I could show I was earning or learning useful skills. For one thing, the latter will always be easy to prove: graphic design, photo and video editing skills. To stay profitable, I had to learn new skills—tracking earnings, financial planning.
Mom stopped barging in when the “live stream in progress” sign was up. She still wasn’t happy—no apology, just silence. It was an improvement. I took what I could get.
Two months later, she asked me whether I was making any money. I told her honestly: about 400 USD (RM2K) for 20 streaming, and 10 hours editing and managing socials.
An Apology Without Words
My parents never apologized, but their small actions—letting me stream, mom staying silent, dad asking about sponsors—said enough. Months later, during a family gathering where my cousin was absent, I overheard mom bragging to an aunt that I was getting “paid in USD.”
Sometimes my mother leaves a snack and tea on a side table before the stream starts. No words—just that. And while I didn’t bother to check, I think my dad started watching my streams.
I Learned About More That Streaming
In the end, I didn’t make it as a full-time streamer—few do—but I kept streaming a few times a week, making some money. Despite streaming not working out, I learned this: Family doesn’t have to understand your dream—only respect that it’s yours.
Standing my ground taught me where the line is—and that even parents need to see it.
I’m doing a business and finance double major, and I’ll have to figure out what’s next since I’m in the UK for the twinning program in 2026. But I’ll figure that out later. For now, life is good. I plan to enjoy it.
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