"I first found Kern Obi on tiktok building Legos, and stayed for the out of this galaxy experience viewed on the screen. Everything about watching Kern is easy going and entertaining. You can tell she is fun, smart, and loves what she does. If you're not on tik tok you can also find her streaming some very hard dungeons in games like Elden Ring, Dark Souls games, or Bleak Faith: Forsaken on Twitch. After watching her and being entertained each stream, I knew she would make a great Streamer of the Month for Rift Damage, a brand partner; and someone everyone should meet." - Josh
Let's jump into the interview!
Kern used to build LEGO as a kid, but wasn't until 2022 when she got back into them and started into her build streams. She started with a Vader Helmet and before she knew it she had a growing audience. She kept buying more helmets (and you can still see of the them in her stream cams) and then her community even started buying more things for her to build.
RD - How long have you been gaming for? KO - "I first started gaming way back when in kindergarden! We are talking 30 years ago (Dated myself)." RD - What was the first game you played? KO - "My very first game was the original Nintendo Mario Bros / Duck hunt game."
RD - What was the first system you owned? KO - "The original Nintendo but I've had so many over the years, N64, SEGA Genesis, Playstation 2 & 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Game Cube, shoot even the old school Game Boy."
RD - Do you remember the first name you ever gave a Hero/Monster in a game? KO - "That was forever ago, so no haha."
RD - What streamer did you watch the most before you started streaming?
KO - "Honestly, I never watched streamers I was busy playing games myself."
RD - Who or what got you into streaming video games? KO - "I've been playing games for ever but I was always the shy, fly under the radar type person. It wasn't until recently I turned over a new leaf and went live on a platform (Tiktok) for the first time ever in 2022 building LEGO sets. My community that grew there enjoyed hanging out with me virtually and I did too. So I started going live with the camera pointed at the TV while I gamed as I usually did and they suggested streaming on Twitch. So I set it up and started streaming from my bed where I normally would play. It evolved from there."
RD - What would you say to your community if you could? KO - "I don't think words could express the amount of gratitude and love I have for them. They've embraced me even in my evolving state and always backed me on whatever endevour I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone on (Streaming/Photography). Without them I wouldn't be where I am today." See More of Kern's Photography HERE.
RD - If you had any ability from your favorite game, what would it be? KO - "Uh.. respawn?"
RD - Do you remember your 1st stream? How did it make you feel? KO - "Yes, I thought I would be nervous the whole time but after the nervous bladder wore off and I hit the go live button it was like second nature. Just hanging out with people and chatting about whatever."
RD - What equipment are you looking forward to getting for your stream in the future?
KO - "Currently a stream deck is my next purchase. I'm still learning about Twitch every day."
RD - Has Streaming changed your life at all? How? KO - "Absolutely, I've met so many awesome and interesting people virtually! It's definately boosted my self esteem when it was at a low point and really made me feel more comfortable in my own skin."
RD - Where did your streamer name originate from? KO - "Kern is short for Kernel which is the pronunciation of Colonel, my childhood nickname because I was the first born child. Obi is obviously starwars based because I'm a fan and my buddy Brian was the one who originally came up with the name! I bought it off him by QVCing one of my LEGO builds for him on live Haha! Thanks Brian!"
RD - What do you consider to be your career highlight? KO - "The entire journey has been the highlight! I've enjoyed the small streams at the beginning with my OG people supporting me up to where I am now with new people joining every day! But honestly I think the best thing ever is when people in chat engage with each other. Like when I was streaming Elden Ring and people would find a stranger in chat to help them with a boss they are stuck on. It really starts to feel like a community when that happens."
RD - If you could only play 1 game for the rest of your life, what would it be?
KO - "Oh man.. only 1??? I'd have to say some kind of MMORPG like WoW or something just on the fact it has the social aspect of it and there's a million things to do in the game."
RD - What is an "inside joke" or "saying" you have with your community? KO - "There's a few. That's what she said, Phat Loot, Daddy Vader!"
RD - When you have the choice in games, do you prefer acts of good or acts of chaos? KO - "I'm a woman it depends on my mood HAHAHAHA"
RD - What was the most Challenging thing about setting up your stream? KO - "The most challenging has been learning all the little stream things you can do like chat commands, sound effects, etc. I use to be up to speed with technology but I've been out of that game for a LONG time. Trying to get back into it now is rough." What about the most fun thing? KO - "The most fun thing is finding awesome things I like and I think chat will enjoy, like anything Star Wars related.
RD - How did you feel when you were asked to be the Rift Damage “Streamer of the Month”? KO - "Honored! I'm still an infant streamer in my mind. I think my community will be proud of how far I've come."
RD - Do you use OBS or StreamLabs for broadcasting? KO - "OBS"
RD - How is playing video games different than streaming video games to you? KO -"The only difference is having chat to talk to and that's my favorite part."
RD - What was your favorite upgrade to your stream or computer? KO - "Anytime I add something Star Wars I obsess over it."
RD - Would you stop playing video games for the rest of your life for $500,000? KO - "Hell no."
RD - Any Shout-outs you would like to give? KO - "To my peeps, my community, my friends! May the force be with you! <3"
Say something to your community. KO - "I appreciate every single one of you more than you know!! Without you I wouldn't be where I am today, I will forever be grateful for that and for your friendship! Without you, trying to achieve my goals would have extremely hard, THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID! Love you all!"
If you are into smart aleck responses and "that's what she said" jokes make sure to follow her Tik Tok HERE or her twitch HERE.