"I had a goal in life to make a lot of diffe🉐rent passions my job. And so far, I’ve accomplished it," says gamer and content creator Kelsey Impicciche when asked about what she does f𒁃or a living. And boy oh boy, has she accomplished that goal.

The 28-year-old BuzzFeed producer and talent, YouTuber, Twitch streamer, and "all-around nerd" keeps pretty busy nowadays. While most people will probably recognize her 🌃from her frequently trending YouTube series, "," which streams exclusively on the BuzzFe✤ed Multiplayer channel, s𝔉he also hosts another show on the BuzzFeed Multiplayer Facebook page, "", and additionally uploads consistently to her .

Despite Impicciche's busy schedule, she was gracious enough to chat with us at TheGamer about some of her favorite games, provide some backstory about the creation of The 100 B♕aby Challenge, and her experiences as a female gamer in today's day and age.

How long have you considered yourself a “gamer”?

To be quite honest, it wasn’t until the past three-ish years that I considered myself a gamer. I was afraid to label myself and feel like people would discredit me somehow. I wouldn’t tell people that I was a gamer for a long time, even though I loved video games. I didn’t play them as often as I thought people needed to, to “earn” [that title]. So I didn’t really call myself a gamer until I started working in games. And then kind of by default, I was playing games double than I normally would, an꧅d I finally felt comfortable with the term.

What kinds of games did you play growing up?

The Nintendo 64 was kind of the first console that I fell in love with. I’ve been a big Nintendo girl my whole life. The GameBoy Color [...] was a big mome🌠nt of my life. [My] favorite games growing up [were] 🎃definitely The Legend of Zelda series, Ocarina of Time specifically was absolutely one of my favorites. I got very anxious about Majora’s Mask - but I still loved it! And I think my first non-Nintendo console was probably the PS2. I really liked Psychonauts and Kingdom Hearts. And of course [...] I also played a cr*p ton of The Sims.

Via: BuzzFeed

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One of the things you’re most famous for is your "100 Baby Challenge in The Sims 4" video series on the BuzzFeed Multiplayer channel. How did that series come to be?

Long ago, we [at BuzzFeed Multiplayer] figured out that our audience very much liked The Sims. I had just finished a season of "In Control," which was my other show. I was looking for something to do, and I had been a long-time passionate watcher of other Simmers on YouTube. And I’d seen a lot of them do this challenge. And it was a weird title too - it’s a very clickable, buzzworthy title too. I pitched [the idea] to the head of Multiplayer, and he said to go for it, saying “It’s just one video, but if it doesn't do that well, it’s not the end of the world.” It was the end of the year [2018] and I was just trying to fill space and try new things. It made me really anxious because before that I was never the main and only character in probably almost any video. Whenever I produced videos or were in videos, I normally liked to surround myself with other people. But I was like, “I can just do it, because I’m free and I know The Sims the best out of anyone at BuzzFeed.” So we shot the first episode, and I think as we were deciding upon doing it, the lead at Multiplayer said, “Why don’t we title it ‘Single Girl Tries the 100 Baby Challenge.” We had done a video called ‘Single Girls Find Their Dream Daddy’ […] and that did pretty well. People liked the aspect of being single - it’s pretty relatable, either you’ve been there or you’re currently there. [I thought] it would be a funny juxtaposition of a single person having this many people. I edited the whole first episode and thought it was really funny. [I thought to myself] “I had a lot of fun doing it, so I hope people liked it!” Over holiday break - I wasn’t even in the office when it went out - I remem👍ber seeing it and being completely floored by the reaction that people loved it! Because it was just me, for 15 minutes talking about and playing The Sims. I was very pleasantly surprised. And I thought, “Well great, if this does well, then I can just do this forever.” And that’s kind of what happened! And we went a full year before I decided to take a break.

What’s been the most surprising thing about the 100 Baby Challenge?

The fandom. I love fandoms; I’m a very passionate nerd, and I’m a part of a ton of fandoms. It’s interesting to me in thinking about fandoms on YouTube, because it’s kind of difficult. It was so cool because I accidentally cultivated a fandom. Certain things that I just did out of necessity meant a lot to people. Like the garden salads - like that didn’t mean anything to me, it was just the cheapest [meal option] that would keep my character healthy. Because in The Sims, characters tend to gain weight, especially when you're getting pregnant that often. And I knew that, so I thought, "I’ll just feed [Chelsea] a garden salad so the food doesn’t [add] to that." And that’s why I did that. And everyone just thought I was weirdly obsessed with them. It was all part of logical thinking, but I didn’t explain it. There’s a lot of things [that fans have latched onto] - like I have yellow chairs in my home. It’s interesting how so many little things that I didn𒀰’t even put that much effort or thought into really struck people and made people fall in love with [the series]. It was really gratifyin♎g to watch it unfold and see all the inside jokes.

What’s one of your favorite or most fulfilling moments from doing the 100 Baby Challenge?

The most fulfilling moment was going to VidCon and having a panel and meet and greet with fans and seeing everyone show up. I got teary-eyed and emotional because it was so cool to see peop🧔le who were so passionate and loved the content that I made. It’s very behind-the-screen and a lot of times it just feels like a numbers game. And sometimes you can forget about the face that’s there. So that was really special. The whole challenge feels so holistic to me, so it’s hard for me to pinpoint specific wins and losses. I think [one] big moment for me [was] the passing of the first matriarch. There was a lot of fear from me, like “Will the next one not be loved the same?” But Kasey, I think, has crushed it in her own way and her own journey. I think there’s been a lot of push and pull of whether she should be more or less similar to Chelsea. But I think I’ve found a good place where I like her.

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What's your favorite thing about The Sims?

One of my favorite things about The Sims is the positivity. The game intrinsically is very accepting of whoever you are and whatever kind of person you want to be. I always loved that as a kid. I’d always play around with different romantic relationships and different family dynamics, and things like that. It didn’t limit you. And I think through that, the culture around The Sims and the gamers that love it are oftentimes a reflection of it. They’re very accepting and very warm, and just [cultivate] a really good family dynamic, I suppose. That’s kinda what the 100 Baby Challenge is, it’s just a story about a crazy family. The best part for me about The Sims is the community and the game itself is very inclusive. [I also love] that you can play the game howev🐎er you want. If you’re obsessed with building, you can build things, or you can build your sims. Or, like me, I’m more into the stories, and what crazy things I can get up to next. It kinda gives a home to all different types of gameplay. And making your own story, pretty much unlike any other game that’s out there.

So, myself and so many other people look up to you as a very prominent female gamer who promotes positivity and inclusivity, which is incredibly inspiring. Can you talk a little bit about your experience being a female gamer in today's day and age?

Well, recently it hasn’t been that bad. Once you get to a certain status, people don’t want to discredit you. I think being a female gamer is interesting. It’s not completely without problems or difficulties, but I think it’s getting better. At least in my experience, because I’ve been more open and honest. [...] And that’s something I’ve struggled with personally my whole life about caring whether or not people think I’m a gamer. Or whether or not they think the game I play is [considered] a “gamer game” or not. I can play whatever game I want, be it a simulator or a first-person shooter and I don’t care what other people think anymore. I will say, even as much as in like the last year, I’ve been harassed on my Multiplayer games just from my character,𓄧 wearing a pink outfit, and my username having the name “Kelsey” in it. So it’s not gone. But I will say that the cool thing about being a public female gamer is that the more I talk about my love and excitement and passion for games, the more people I find in the world that will be like, “Oh, me too! I like that too!” And then I can cultivate my own community and don’t have to feel like I have to fit into any other community controlled by people who might gatekeep or people that might not like the games I like. Like they can like their games, I don’t care. And I’m gonna like my games and do my own thing over here. And the people who agree and want that safe space I want to make will gravitate towards me and it’ll happen organically. When I was young I didn’t talk about liking gaming, I kind of just talked about it with my brother, my mom didn’t even know I liked video games until I started working in them. She was like, “I thought your brother was the gamer!” And my mom didn’t really like games that much, so I didn’t want to talk to her about it. At school, I didꦺn’t have a ton of people who I knew that played games, so I didn’t bring it up. And I think that’s like the main thing, I just felt like “This is an interest that I can’t share with anyone - so why pursue it?” And it was only until I was like, “No, I want to!” that I finally found a bunch of people who love it too.

Via: BuzzFeed

What advice do you have for any young women who are looking to pursue a career as a gamer like you and don't know where to start?

My best advice, which I feel is most people’s advice, is to just to go for it and do it. Now with YouTube and Twitch and things, there’s a little bit of tech involved [...] but ju💦st use what you got, figure it out, and start doing it. That’s how I became a YouTuber: just by being bored and learning how to edit videos and film them. I didn’t go to school for this, I went to school for acting, which in some sense has been useful, but in other senses has been a completely different thing. So I would say - just start now! You’re gonna be bad at first; I was bad at first. If you go [all the way back] on my YouTube channel, my first video is still there. But I want people to be able to watch it and go, “Oh, yeah she was bad!”😼 I’m not ashamed of where I started because it’s all a learning process and it was fun. It was fun to make that video and it’s still fun to make the videos I’m making now. You just get better at it by doing it. At least for me. And finding people online and reaching out! I think one of my first close friends in LA, she was also a small YouTuber and I reached out and was like, “I like your videos, they make me laugh! Can we hang out sometime?” And my internet friend became a real-life friend. And we’re still friends five years later. It’s putt🔜ing yourself out there and making yourself uncomfortable and reaching out to people you want to be friends with online and also just doing the thing! Just start now. If you’re interested - go for it! You’re going to learn a lot.

What do video games mean to you?

In my opinion, video games are the most exciting storytelling experience. I loved stories, that’s been my obsession since I was a kid. I loved TV and movies and books, and poetry - anything that can tell a✅ story. But I think what’s unique about video games is that they have the ability, kinda that cartoons can have, where they can create anything. Anything can be in their world. But also - you’re an active participant in creating the story. And making the story whatever it is. The story doesn’t happen unless you’re in your seat playing the game. And I think that’s really eඣxciting and cool🥀. And I think more and more we’re seeing games challenge older media for storytelling. How to make a really touching and engaging story. You’re not just sitting in a movie theatre in a darkened room. You are [actually] Link battling to save Hyrule, or you’re on the back of a horse deciding if you want to be the hero of this town or cause a little trouble and not be allowed to go back to this town forever again! Or you’re a Sim and you’re gonna decide whether you’re gonna have 100 babies or maybe just like 8 and be like, "Yeah that’s good, I did it." It’s up to you! It’s entirely up to you, and there’s a lot of interactive multiplayer games where you can be a part of the story together. It’s something that can be for any age group. And I think that’s really cool. I love games.

Looking ahead, what are some things you're looking forward to in the next season of 1oo Baby Challenge?

Oh my gosh. Well obviously, we’re going to have to say goodbye to Kasey at some point. It’s not the end, she’s still kicking, she’s still crushing it. But I will be interested in seeing the third matriarch, and see if she’s the final matriarch of the challenge. It’s very possible she could be. I’m excited to bring in a new crop of pot🦂ential lovers for our Kasey. It’s always really fun to see what new and creative things there are. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of new houses. And overall, I’m just really excited to have a lot of new Sims packs to play with, between now and the summer. (We’re talking about bringing the show back in the summer.) Between now and the summer, there’s gonna be plenty of new content Kasey hasn’t had to deal with yet. You know, she could maybe make a tiny house, or one of the kids could get killed with that weird [murphy] bed - anything could happen! And that’s what I’m super excited about - new and funny stories with the characters that I already love. I think it’s gonna be really cool to see it through to the end. And I’m gonna get pretty emotional at baby 100.

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What are some things that you're looking forward to seeing or hoping to see in the gaming industry and in your own future career?

In the gaming industry, I’m hoping to see more diverse storytelling. Although we have a diversity of genres, we don’t always have a diversity of casts or what the story is. A lot of it is like coming of age tales - I think it greatly mirrors modern age media in general, where there’s a lot of male-led coming of age tales. Which I enjoy and consume. But I think it would be exciting to see more. There’s a lot of variety out there, and I would love to see more variety in gameplay and stories in general. I’m also really interested in seeing more groundbreaking game work. We saw a lot of incredible game work in 2019 and 2018 in the field of games in the different ways of making the game function, different ways of showing very realistic and cinematic gameplay. So I’m excited to see a little bit more of that and see what other new and exciting things everyone’s coming up within the upcoming year. There’s a lot of new games coming out, in a lot of new franchises that I’ve never touched. So I’m super excited to dive into Animal Crossing, I’ve never done it before. Or Final Fantasy. So this is gonna be a really fun year for me to have these new games that have such big fandoms and communities that I🦩 can finally be a part of. It sometimes can be hard to come into a game franchise because the technology’s so different. So I’m excited about that as well, for the gaming industry. I’m also excited about the inclusion of livestream and esports growing. I love watching esports so it’s gonna be a lot of fun to see what changes are coming up this year. For myself, I'm excited to grow beyond The Sims and see what other crazy things I can get into. But [I'll] still keep The Sims in my back pocket because it's my first love. And yeah! Just hopefully keep makingꦰ some crazy awesome gaming content on Buzಞzfeed Multiplayer and beyond.

Thank you to Kelsey for taking the time to speak with us and to BuzzFeed for the interview opportunity! If you're in👍terested in following Kelsey's content, check out the BuzzFeed Multiplayer ﷽and channels and page, as well as Kelsey's personal  and  channels, and and pages.

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