ParkerGames Interview at Super League Gaming in Denver

Do your kids play Minecraft? Of course they do. Every kid on the planet does, right? As a parent, I am super impressed with the game because of the creativity, resourcefulness and collaboration it inspires. Not to say I actually understand how it all works – but my 12 year old son Dex sure does. It’s pretty much what he did all summer, y’all.

And the Minecraft got even more organized when Super League Gaming came to Denver and held an event in our local movie theater. We got a taste of what the actual League is like (Fall registration open NOW for cities all over) when a bunch of kids and their parents set up on laptops and played various challenges against each other on the biggest gaming screen you have ever seen (yes, in the actual movie theater). Dex’s best game was 4th place, but he was more stoked to meet and interview the event’s special guest Parker, aka You Tube star ParkerGames.

I admit I sometimes do the parent “I don’t get it” when it comes to YouTube stars, but with Parker – yes. I get it. Incredibly friendly, engaged and funny. He goofed around with all his fans, asked questions and genuinely cared about how they were doing in the game.

In turn, he was also kind enough to sit down with Dex and answer his questions. Yes, my 12 year old conducted his first interview, and it was with an online hero of his. This geek mom could not have been more proud.

How did you get into Minecraft?
Parker: Minecraft, I found from Yogscast. I found it with a friend of mine, who actually made Mineplex (the minecraft server). We played on it for a while, and then I started doing videos on it and he started coding in it and we both ended up doing well with it. Solid! It worked out.

How did you come up with the name Jeffery (the horse in your videos)?
Parker: I was just off the top of my head, it just kind of happened. It’s not like I sat there like, *dramatic accent* what should this horse be named? It was like…Jeffery. Like it just, happened. And then it became the biggest thing ever, the fans are called Jefferies now.

What is your favorite flavor of donut?
Parker: Donut? That’s a tough one. Umm.. Jeffery flavor? No, kidding. Horse flavor? Gross! I’m gonna say, just the normal, glazed. With sprinkles.

Who’s your favorite person to record with?
Parker: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I love recording with TYBZI, he’s a fun person. And HBomb is always a great one, because we have different personalities that we just work together really well. I think Graser’s a weird one too. He’s always fun to record with. He’s a weird dude, but I love him.

What do you think is the future in terms of social media and those kind of things?
Parker: The next big thing for social media… oh man, I mean YouTube is going to be a thing for a long time, and live streaming is becoming a thing now, like I’m on Periscope, although I haven’t done much with it yet. Twitch, and actually YouTube is making a whole new section just for gaming, which is crazy. So, they are taking it very very seriously. Live streaming is definitely the next big thing.

How long do you record everyday?
Parker: A video probably takes a hour and a half to record, and then usually four to five hours to edit. And one thing that I want to keep doing is editing myself, because I like it, and I like the idea of not making everyone else do everything for me, so it takes time. And on social media, there’s a lot of things you have to keep up with, interacting with the fans. I love talking to everyone on Twitter!

Dex: How long on average do you play on Mineplex?
Parker: It depends on a video, sometimes I just hop around Mineplex trying to think of a idea, and like sometimes I just play. Like yesterday, I just played for two hours because I wanted to play. I used to play there a lot more, just because all the games were so new. Recently I have been just enjoying gaming in general, and I’m trying to branch off from just Minecraft.

What’s next for you?
Parker: I’d like to move into acting eventually. I owe everything to YouTube, everything I’m doing now… like showing up here today and doing all this stuff with Super Gaming League. I couldn’t have done that, the travel, everything, without YouTube. I get to play games for a living, coolest job in the world! But yeah, I’m working to transition that into acting stuff. That’s the end goal basically, the 5-10 year plan, but right now I’m just enjoying it. I really couldn’t be here without the fans, I love you guys. You are the whole reason we are here!

Huge thanks to Super Gaming League and Parker for their time! We will be in the Denver Fall league, so we hope to see you there.

Note: We paid for our entrance to the event, but Super Gaming League invited us to interview Parker.