April Ambassador of the Month – Onyxishere!

Another season in the books and now we’re opening a new chapter with Season 22 and a new Ambassador of the Month and Community Champion, Onyxishere! He’s one of our XA play hosts, an Xbox MVP, and tenured ambassador who has been with the program for years. If you don’t know him, here’s your chance! Read on to find out more on the man behind the gamertag.

How did gaming become one of your passions?

One of my favourite pastimes when I was a teenager was to go to the local arcade and lose myself in the games of the time.  In a big city we had lots of choices of games to play.  Since then I’ve seen a lot of changes in the gaming industry.  It’s amazing to see how far we’ve all come over the years.

When the original Xbox console came out in 2001 I got one for Christmas.  It was amazing, I loved the console and the games that came with it.  I’ve stuck with Xbox since the beginning and Xbox will be my gaming platform of choice till I’m old and grey.

What brought you to the Xbox Ambassadors program?

I started with the Experts program working on the forums answering questions and helping out.  Then it was merged into the Ambassadors.  I’ve always enjoyed helping people with tech support and have done customer service for most of my life so it just comes natural.

How do you stay involved in the program and the community?

I am involved with the community as an Xbox Ambassador Streamer on Saturday mornings.  If you need a hand with a game or you’re having trouble with your console hit me up online or via Twitter and I’ll see what I can do to help you out.

I try to stay up on information about upcoming games and tech so I’m able to help as best I can.  I also am on Discord quite a bit.  If you tag me odds are I’ll see it at some point during the day.

What does a healthy community look like to you and what do you do to contribute to that vision?

For me, a healthy community is one that is able to play with or against one another just for the sheer fun of it.  Whether the game is competitive or not shouldn’t matter.  We all like to have fun.

How do you think online communities positively impact the lives of gamers?

Online communities, clans or just plain friends help impact the lives of all gamers.  Especially over the last year.  Everyone has been caught up in what’s been going on.  It causes stress, bad feelings, etc.  Having the online communities offers people a chance to blow off some steam and pent up energy in a non harmful way.  To all the great communities out there, including the ones that have helped me make it through.  A HUGE thank you to you.

Why did you want to become an XA play host and what’s your favorite part about it?

When the Host program had its first incarnation I was among the small group of people chosen to be a play host.  At the time I had no equipment for streaming.  Just the Xbox One and Mixer.  So I was able to stream and have another host me for the time.  I learned so much since then and have expanded my set up.  Now I’m more comfortable in front of the camera and find that I’ve started talking to myself even when I’m not streaming lol.

I think my favourite part of streaming for the Ambassador channel, now and through Mixer when it was active, is meeting new people from the community.  Every time I play a game that gets audience activity I end up always meeting new people to play with regularly.

What do you do as an Xbox MVP?

I make myself available online and have had many people send me messages on Xbox Live asking about issues with their games, etc.  I always do my best to help them get it fixed.  I have also helped with Xbox Support via Twitter when the program was active.  I still help out on Twitter when I see someone with an issue and head to the forums to see what’s happening there.  I use the knowledge I gain doing this to further assist in the community.

Unfortunately I’m not able to make it to all events so do most of my work online.

What do you like to doing outside of gaming?

I suffer from chronic pain and migraines so my interests are fairly limited.  I have enjoyed a long career in martial arts earning ranks in Goju, Kobudo, Seikido as well as some work with Tai Chi and Hung Gar Kung Fu.  I miss going to the clubs and tournaments but still manage to continue practicing when I’m able to.

Now, I spend my time surfing the net, helping out with support for Xbox issues and watching movies.  I’m currently working my way through The Snyder Cut and am loving it.

I’ve always loved costuming and have been to cons as a Klingon, etc.  Now I spend my time trying to find ways to bring them into my streams.

Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?

I’ll post a few facts about me that not a lot of people know.  Maybe that can be a challenge for future selections.  Kind of like an IMDB bio:

• I’ve been an extra in several movies and TV Shows including Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Street Legal and Fly Away Home. I’ve also had a part in a low budget movie called Wicked World.  See if you can find out which one is me lol.
• I’ve had many jobs from running rickshaw to setting up and running a call center.
• My dream has always been to be a police officer and graduated top student in Ontario. Unfortunately health issues curtailed that career.
• Throughout my martial arts career I’ve had several bones broken including ribs, wrists and my nose several times over.
• My hero is my father. In my opinion he was the last of the old time carpenters.  He worked on one of the bases and made a plaque for the queen (and received a letter from her thanking him) and is the only person I know who, as a civilian was given a military parade when he retired.

What message do you have for the XA community?

Keep up the great work.  We should all be proud of what we’ve accomplished in these few short years that the program has been active.  I have seen the Amby program grow from a small group of people to thousands strong.  This is the power of friendship and camaraderie.   No matter where we go from here, always remember that we, together, have built a powerful engine for good online.