The Zkill Guide video series by Rhiload has gained huge popularity since the series began 6 weeks ago with its witty and relevant commentary. Packed full of satire, memes, and narrated via a text to speech program – this series is not only entertaining, but also very informative for any “cheeky scrublords” presently subscribed to Eve or not.
I took some time to sit down and talk to Rhiload and ask him about his project, his history in Eve online, and aspirations he has for the future.
What go you interested in Eve in the first place, and how long have you been playing?
Rhiload: I have been playing since 2012. What got me interested in the first place may surprise you, it was alliance tournament ten. During the alliance tournament there was an offer on three months for the price of one. I thought Eve looked cool so i gave it a shot.
The AT really got me into the game, and the competitive pvp side of things really excited me. I also saw the game on Twitch.tv after browsing a few videos like Jonny Pew and Zaqq as well. They also influenced me.
I had wanted to play the game for while. At the time i was ehm… quite young (16), so I thought I would get swamped like crazy. To help with that I researched the game first, found myself a good corp, and I basically stuck around. 🙂
What got you into making videos showing off those mad video skills you got?
Rhiload: The biggest reason was there was no satirical Eve videos that were active. There are a few, but most channels where inactive.
How long had you been thinking of making something before you finally went ahead and made the first video?
Rhiload: I started streaming before I made videos, so doing content creation stuff was okay for me. I would say I dabbled for about a week or two on the thought as I have never touched sony vegas, or my text to speech program, or anything.
I kinda said fuck it when I was browsing YouTube and came across a similar style of video series but with a different game and style, and bam three days later The Zkill Guide to the Incursus was born.
How do you decide what ship you are going to make a video about after you’ve completed one? What system do you have? How does it work?
Rhiload: Honestly its completely random, but its usually me going into EFT and going through all the ships in Eve seeing if I can create something fun. My second video was a jump from the Incursus to a Barghest, lol.
Right now I have a current list of ships to be done. I just surpassed 3k subs/300k views, so a special vid is coming soon.
Congratulations! What can people expect?
Rhiload: I cant spoil sorry. 😉
The brilliant thing about the guides is that it can be expanded to other avenues, and not just ships. Commentators, the AT, hell even news websites. 😉
It is a good platform you seem to have started and I enjoy it. Its pretty damn amusing.
Rhiload: That’s the good thing about it, the platform is pretty solid. As long as I’m funny anyway. :p
Speaking of subs and views, how has the response been from others with the views? What were you expecting, if anything at all? Any haters?
Rhiload: I could honestly spew a page of writing on that subject, but I’ll keep it short.
Basically I was expect about 3-4k views with gradual progression, but my page exploded quickly and my first video hit 10k views in no time. Since Eve in itself has a small player base (compared to LoL/Overbloop etc) about 20k views seems to be the water base amount for Eve videos to climax.
As far as haters? I would say there are a few, but definitely a lot less than I expected, especially for an Eve video series.
Then it goes without saying you were surprised?
Rhiload: Yes, definitely. Most of my videos seem to be around 15k now and they will stabilise there as Eve has quite a tight knit community. Word gets round quickly.
Which three videos are your favourite so far of the series, and can you tell me why?
Rhiload: The Barghest because that ship in itself is a fun one, and it was also fun to fly while getting footage.
What kind of computer setup do you have at home? What are the specs, and what programs do you use to make everything happen?
Rhiload: I think its better if I just… show you. I play on the floor, and the computer setup is a pretty standard thing. Quad core 3.5 gHz i5, 16 gigs of RAM, and a GTX 660 video card.
The programs I use are Sony Vegas, a combination of Fraps and Shadowplay, and Balabolka which is my text to speech program.
I know I asked you what videos you enjoyed making the most, but what ships did you really hate flying?
Rhiload: Bellicose. What a fucking awful ship. Never again.
Rhiload: Ultimately accomplish? Hopefully do every ship in Eve even though that’s far away from now, but I believe. There are over 120+ ships in Eve so you gotta start somewhere.
What would you say to anyone else out there who is interested in possibly starting to play Eve for the first time, or someone who wants to get into creating Eve video content such as yourself?
Rhiload: Disregard any hate towards the game and try it yourself. Join a newbie corp ASAP and they will hand hold you the way through the rocky process that is the Eve learning mountain.
As far as Eve video content goes, if you want to get big on YouTube by doing Eve content, you’ve come to the wrong place, BUT Eve’s community is the best (and the worst in some cases) that any game wishes they could have.
If you want to start making content for eve, reach out to the community, they wont bite your hand. The community will give you feedback and all that jazz, and will support you regardless of your content.
Anything else you would like to say?
Rhiload: Leo, Parker, Suitonia, Gorski, Nick, and the rest of the gang, your all shitlords.
Oh, and I will be running for CSM next time around, and expect a guide in 9 months. It will be a “learning” experience. I think I will call it The Zkill guide to CSM.
Special thanks to Rhiload for his time and quick response for an interview while I was stuck in traffic on my way home messaging him on Reddit. Don’t forget to subscribe to his YouTube page, and look for more upcoming future videos!
