Cat’s meow
Popular gamer ‘Kittyplays’ introduces novel esports show
Ia bit past 2 p.m. on a Sunday — beware the hand cannon. On a 30-by-30-foot screen inside the Hyperx Esports Arena at Luxor, havoc is being wreaked on a spring afternoon, one pixelated-pickax swing at a time.
“Behind you!” Kittyplays warns as digitalized munitions pop and explode in a cacophony of color and sound.
“Got him,” her partner Myth replies as the action intensifies.
In a room full of gamers, a pair of professionals are going at it, seated at computer consoles onstage, teamed up against some soon-to-be vanquished
opponents during a quick session of “Fornite,” the mammothly popular online shooter-survival game that’s been devouring the free time of millions over the past two years.
A capacity crowd packs the bleachers erected in the center of the room, ranging from preteens in baggy shorts to older dudes downing craft beers.
They watch the pros do their thing with the rapt, excitable attention to detail of color commentators breaking down a sporting event.
They do so during the debut of “Playtime With Kittyplays,” hosted by 27-year-old esports star Kristen Michaela — better known as Kittyplays to the 600,000
subscribers to her Youtube page, where the ascendant gamer has racked up more than 57 million views.
On this day in March, she’s launching something new to both her and esports: part talk show, part celebration of all things gaming related, “Playtime” rides a loose, playful vibe, featuring notables inside and outside the gaming world, from Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who gets interviewed in a pretaped segment while wearing fuzzy Sasquatch slippers, explaining how gaming benefited his handeye coordination and ability to strategize quickly when he was young, to video drop-ins from popular players such as Pokimane and Bizzle.
“Playtime” returns for its second installment Friday, this time with a video dropin from streamer and caster Ben “Drlupo” Lupo, a prerecorded interview with Minnesota Twins pitcher Trevor May and more.
Preaching to the nonconverted
“Playtime” is posited on inclusion and immersion, with fans in attendance being able to compete against star players and plenty there for any non-die-hards as well.
For instance, before gaming with Myth (Ali Kabbani), Michaela did a sit-down interview with the popular streamer, focusing less on wonky game talk and more on broader themes of dealing with success at an early age and the process of self-growth within the spotlight’s glare.
The show works on two levels: There’s abundant content for esports fanatics, but “Playtime” also is a conduit for casual gamers or those who maybe just want to peek into this booming industry.
“That’s been my goal over my career, to kind of create that bridge between people who don’t know a lot about gaming and people who know a lot about gaming and showing people that gaming isn’t a separate pillar,” Michaela explains. “You’ve got celebrities, pro athletes, musicians — people know a lot about those entertainment areas — but gaming is more of an umbrella. It’s not separate.