In the early days, when my curiosity guided the course of new streamers to follow, I would occasionally click into streams where the host didn’t even speak English. Italian, French, Spanish, and in this case Dutch, language barriers did not prevent me from watching gameplay. It was kind of enlightening to be able to sit in with people outside my country and experience the same joy that gaming provides to anyone.
If the mood struck me, I would go to Google Translate and convert a little greeting from English to whatever language applicable, just to let them know I was around. With this particular streamer, something surprising occurred: she started speaking English after I made it apparent that I spoke it. Even more, she spent the entire rest of the stream speaking English so that I could understand. Such consideration was not necessary, yet she took the time to ensure everyone was included.
Introducing namesmelanie. (← Link to her Twitch channel.)
What makes namesmelanie appealing most of all, aside from the graciousness she showed this dumb American dude, is her unpredictability. Attending a stream of hers for the first time, translated to English, she has a habit of spouting obscenities and pouring her emotions into the gameplay. I had grown so used to Twitch streamers attempting to be “professional” and “cozy” that it was a staunch difference to hear this streamer tell a baddie that their ma’s a ho.
Now, she isn’t a one-trick pony; cursing enemies and the frustrations of gaming is only a part of the fun. Random references to pop/internet culture, bizarre shrieks and babbling, energetic quips to suit the mood of the game—her repertoire is rather varied. Her willingness to partake in chaos also scores her points as an entertainer, whether it be egging herself, drawing a mustache on herself, or donning a maid outfit. These are special occasions, of course, though the little details in every stream still persist.
As a humorous aside, let me elaborate on a story from when I first followed her:
I followed namesmelanie after attending one stream of hers, looking forward to seeing more. The next time she streamed—whether the next day or a couple days afterwards, I don’t recall—I only appeared for a few minutes near the end, since she started at around 5 a.m. in my timezone. Stating I was only staying for a moment since it was so early, she seemed delighted to see my message. “I’m really happy you came back,” she told me, which was a very nice thing to hear. I closed my laptop and got ready for the day, my interest in Twitch again invigorated.
She did not stream again for over two weeks.
As for the content she plays, it tends to fluctuate somewhat, though her heart belongs to The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo in general is also a consistent slice of games played, such as Super Mario Galaxy, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Most recently, she has stuck her head into the quicksand that is Ocarina of Time randomizers, struggling her way through seeds of varying difficulty.
Though it would be uncivilized of me to go this far without mentioning a personal favorite of Melanie’s: Doki Doki Literature Club. A large selection of her clips are dedicated to her reaction to the game, and it’s a recurring theme to compare her to totally-innocent cutie Monika. She may or may not also have a cosplay of Yuri hanging around, and may or may not have spent an unhealthy amount of time playing the game with fan mods. That’s Just Melanie.
Memes are fun and running jokes are cute, but it’s the spirit and enthusiasm that Mel exudes that makes her so enjoyable to watch and support. Now-a-days, if you visit a stream of hers, English is her default. She almost exclusively streams in English, only throwing in some Dutch when her brain starts to fry. Why the change? Well, according to her… me. She’ll say it’s because more English speakers have been attending her streams, but she’ll also say it was because of people like “Kapo-daco.” I’ll give Mel this: she knows how to build an ego.
To prevent this from going full narcissism mode, things like this—the kindness that she’s shown me and other chat members—provide a glimpse into who she is as a person. Peeling back the absurdity of her mind, a gentle kindness awaits anyone who comes in. She’ll even gift her own viewers subs if she wants to; she’s the first person I’ve ever seen do that. Any regular visitor who shows their support, you can practically see the appreciation coming off her face.
Though her streaming activity can be sporadic, she’s among the more well-rounded streamers I’m currently following. Funny, sweet, and dedicated to providing a fun environment with every stream, it doesn’t even matter that she bullies people into playing multiplayer games with her. As long as her insatiable urge for Zelda adventures is quenched, she’s content and upbeat. After all, you wouldn’t want to see her when she’s lost her grip on reality.
Thanks to Mel, I have to remember to say “Good morning” instead of “Goedemorgen.” Oh, what fun her cult community can be!
If any of this has made you interested, I would highly encourage checking out namesmelanie on Twitch. You can also follow her on Tiktok or Instagram if you youngins are into stuff like that.
For all other Twitch streamer odes, check out the Twitch Streamer Highlight Reel.
Be sure to stop by on the 9th for the next edition of the month’s Twitch streamer shoutout post!
Thank you for your time. Have a great day.
The Visualist's Veranda 