In this week's interview, we talk to the notorious slipperyjim who is most known for making outlandish videos where he farms areas repetitively and shares the results.

Hi Jim, thank you for taking part in the interview! Please introduce yourself.

Hey guys, what's going on?! It's me, slipperyjim8! That's my intro that I stole from a friend when I started making videos. I live in a shed in Australia and make memes for money.

How long have you been streaming for? How did you get into it?

I've been on and off streaming since before Twitch was a thing. I've only since started taking it semi-seriously after obtaining a faster internet connection. It isn't fibre. That's the next step, for sure, but it's fast enough to stream at slightly above bad flip-phone quality so whatever works, works.

What can people expect from your stream? What kind of schedule do you follow?

My schedule is sporadic and gameplay even worse. I would like to say that I have everything planned out but I don't. If you happen to catch me when I am streaming, it's going to be one of three things: I'm grinding some map/zone repetitively and having a bad time, I'm playing the game normally and having a bad time, or I'm doing something completely unrelated… and having a bad time.

You are well-known in the community thanks to your unique and, let's be honest, crazy Path of Exile videos. How do you come up with all these ideas?

When I first started playing Path of Exile, I needed the Relentless Fury axe and didn't know about any of the external trade websites. So, I did what anyone with a grinding attitude would do: I found out where the axe Divination Card drops and farmed Kaom's Path for 10 hours. I recorded the loot drops and made my first crappy loot video.

While I didn't get the axe, I got some sort of recognition for the video. So I just kept making them, mostly from zones and farming divination cards I needed. Two birds with one stone.

Once I achieved all my goals I opened up a google form asking for suggestions. Since then I've had a nice list of things to farm.

How long does it take to run 10,000 maps? What is the main challenge here?

With help it takes a month. If I did it solo maybe 3.

The main challenge is time. I don't get burnt out if I have some sort of rewarding ridiculous goal. So completing 10,000 maps is the goal and the reward is all of the loot saved upon the way. I suppose for some people the hardest part would be not spending the loot to gear up your character. But hey, gotta keep everything consistent for that incredibly small scientific accuracy in this RNG-filled wonderland.

How and when did you find out about Path of Exile?

My brother-in-law and I were about to start our 4th playthrough of Borderlands 2, the go-to game for when nothing new is happening in our lives. He then changed his mind and linked me this free-to-play game called Path of Exile. The community only played Hardcore at that time so I rolled a witch in Hardcore Talisman, made it to the sewers and had my spine snapped by a giant grasshopper. I re-rolled, got to the sewers, had my spine snapped again. So this time I learned from my mistakes, got to the sewers and had my spine snapped. So this time I stopped playing Hardcore.

What was the moment that got you hooked on the game?

Playing softcore made it easier to progress, for sure, but I can't really say that I got hooked on the game. I'm more hooked on the community. The way people influence design decisions and the way GGG so quickly responds to make changes. Call it corny but I just liked seeing people's comments on my videos. I liked seeing people's reactions to me doing something so damn boring. (Not the game, just my relentless farming).

I guess I'm hooked on the community more than anything.

What are the top highlights from your time streaming Path of Exile?

Making the first Elder and Shaper Headhunter was a highlight for sure. In a gamestate where Nemesis couldn't be rolled on Zana and Shaper and Elder bases only just started existing.

That and getting two Headhunters in a row with Ancient Orbs. Also, getting a Prismatic Eclipse with three white sockets and +2 range - or moreso seeing everyones reactions :D

Is streaming your full time job? If so, what were you doing for work prior to streaming?

Streaming and Youtube are my full time effort. I don't know if I can call them a job yet but I'm not doing anything else so let's call it that for sure. Prior to streaming I was between a whole bunch of un-fun volunteer jobs and before that I ran the cash register in a craft store. I think I started there when I was 9.

What hobbies or interests do you have outside of streaming?

I collect stuff. That's more of a passive hobby. Coins, Rocks, Stamps. For a more Hobby-Hobby, I've been getting into quadcopters. I purchased a FPV (First Person View) one to practice with. I got one flight in before the FPV part broke. So now I guess I'm pretty good at line of sight flying. The receiver is broken though and I haven't got around to fixing it - or moreso I don't know how to fix it. So I haven't got around to buying a new one yet.

If you could say one thing that every Path of Exile player should hear, what would it be?

Quantity is better than Rarity. Please stop farming with Rarity.

How much pressure is involved in being a streamer? How do you manage it? How has streaming affected your life?

For me streaming is like talking in front of a crowd. That is to say, I hate it. So I just hide the little red number that tells me how many people are here and I just talk to myself. Way easier. Streaming is something I've been wanting to do for ages. It's a pity the age of DayZ is over.

I'd say it's affected my life more positively than negatively. I still get anxiety and depression but not as severely as I did before. I used to not have control over the things causing me grief but now that I'm basically working for myself, if something gets too overwhelming I can step back and have a break, then continue at my own pace.

There are many new streamers looking to make their way in the Path of Exile community. What advice do you have for them?

Find a niche or do the Ziz strategy and never stop streaming. If you're online all the time you'll get a community sooner or later. If you're not, find a stupid thing to do and don't stop doing it.

Are there any new streamers or content creators you want to give a shout out to?

How long can I make this reply? Dawes I guess, Sefearion, Empy, Lighty, My twin brother Octavian0, iHuyTV, CatmasterOP, Ziz and Zig and CuteDoge and now I feel the dread forgetting people. Engineering Eternity, for sure.

Do you have any projects on the horizon you want to share with the community?

I'm contemplating starting the Gucci Hobo Challenge, which is where you use SSF uniques only. So I guess if you want to see the madness unfold you can follow me on Twitch or if you would prefer a mildly edited summary you could check it out on YouTube.

______________

Thank you so much for participating in the interview! This has been fun.