BONUS CONTENT: Nihachu Origins

As an industry, streaming is all about community — but that doesn’t just mean the viewers. It takes a village to run a Twitch stream, even if the streamer in question is just one person; people like moderators, emote artists, graphic designers, and video editors all play a huge part in the streaming ecosystem.

That’s why, to celebrate the release of Nihachu Origins, we surprised Niki by getting in touch with the people who’ve been at her side through every step of her career: her moderators. Being an online personality isn’t always easy, and internet notoriety invariably comes with hate, toxicity, and — in the case of women streamers — deepfakes. So for many streamers, moderators are the main line of defense for their community, protecting it against trolls and maintaining a safe and fun environment for the streamer, chatter, and lurker/viewer.

With the help of Nihachu’s head moderator, Kory, we were able to collect letters from some of the 30+ moderators around the world who help keep Niki’s chat friendly around the clock. The letters themselves were all different — some were handwritten, some were typed, and one was even an original poem — but the one thing they had in common was that they all came from people who care about Nihachu and her community. Watch this exclusive video to see the moment we surprised Niki with the letters from her moderators, and hear about how, through streaming, she’s found her own online family.