{"id":6569,"date":"2023-05-02T16:40:49","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T15:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.specialeffect.org.uk\/?p=6569"},"modified":"2023-05-02T16:42:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T15:42:14","slug":"meet-kolo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.specialeffect.org.uk\/news\/meet-kolo","title":{"rendered":"Meet HelloItsKolo, May\u2019s spotlighted streamer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Title<\/p>\n

We couldn\u2019t do what we do without the support of our incredible community of streamers, and as part of our Stream Team<\/a> Spotlighted Streamer interviews we recently talked to the gingery nonsense maker herself, HelloItsKolo!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hi Kolo! May 6th<\/sup>, 2023, is World Ankylosing Spondylitis day, so please, introduce yourself!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello, I’m Kolo Jones, and my online handle is HelloItsKolo! I primarily create content on Twitch, but you can also find me on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter doing all kinds of what we call “Gingery Nonsense”. I primarily play games, but I also spend a lot of time talking and hosting conversations about life, the universe and everything. On stream, we talk a lot about accessibility, disability and about life. We share little victories and talk about almost anything and everything.<\/p>\n

I have a form of Spondyloarthritis. I say it like that because I sit somewhere between Peripheral Spondyloarthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. My primary symptom is peripheral issues. Essentially, I deal with a lot of inflammation which affects my arms, hands, elbows. For example, gripping things is really tricky for me, squeezing a ketchup bottle, that kind of thing. I also have Ankylosing Spondylitis symptoms related to my lower back, primarily joint issues, and back spasms. So, I sort of sit between them, and the doctors can’t really decide what my diagnosis is!<\/p>\n

So, I play games partially with my feet, with thanks to SpecialEffect for helping me set that up!<\/p>\n

Thank you for sharing so much of your experiences, can you tell us how you got started in content creation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ve been a creator for nearly five years! I got started with streaming when I was playing an online competitive game and ended up in a team of people, and we just got on really well. We decided to play a few more matches together, one of the team was streaming and he (I wouldn’t usually recommend doing this!<\/em>) dropped his channel link into the in-game chat, and I was like, “Oh, it’s this Twitch thing.”<\/p>\n

I checked it out and a few months later, having really gotten into the swing of being part of a community and enjoying it, these new friends said to me, “Hey, Kolo, you should stream!” And I said, “Nah, I’ve got nothing to say really. I don’t know what I’d do.” Five years later, it’s been my job for nearly four and a half years, which is amazing to be able to say.<\/p>\n

Five years, that\u2019s incredible! Seeing as you\u2019ve streamed for so long, what\u2019s some of your favourite content to make online, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favourite content to make online is around conversation hosting. I love talking about life and making a welcoming and inclusive space. I love using my platform for activism, talking about disability, especially invisible disability, and talking about accessibility. Twitch being a platform where people usually come for the gameplay, they might not be exposed to discussions about accessibility, so using this platform to talk about accessibility, that’s really important to me.<\/p>\n

Mostly it’s quite a wholesome place that I run, where we accept each other for who we are and support each other in all sorts of things. It’s not just gaming. I really do feel blessed to be a part of this community.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

We\u2019d hazard a guess that some of your favourite games have good accessibility options! Can you tell us what they are and why they\u2019re important to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the game that’s got the biggest place in my heart is Frog Detective<\/a>. Frog Detective is a small cult-following game, (I think that’s probably the best way to describe it!<\/em>) about a frog\u2026 who is a detective.<\/p>\n

I fell in love with the game after my physical health had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to use traditional methods of controlling a game, and SpecialEffect helped me set up an accessible control scheme! Initially I was entirely using foot controls and games with simple control schemes and only a few buttons to press was an essential criteria. Frog Detective was the first game I was able to play the whole way through with just my feet, and the first time I fully realised “Oh, wow this is possible. I haven’t lost this, I haven’t lost my ability to play games, I’m still invited!”, so Frog Detective will always have a very special place in my heart.<\/p>\n

That was years ago, and to this day you’ll still hear me talking about Frog Detective. I’ve got a Frog Detective plushie in the background of my stream and I really just… love that game. It’s hilarious. It’s silly, it’s funny, it’s light-hearted, it’s a short game and simple to control.<\/p>\n

The other kind of games that I really like are open-world narratives, or games that make me cry. I really love a strong narrative. There’s something very compelling and cathartic about being able to fully experience a story.<\/p>\n

We played Frog Detective for Jingle Jam 2021, it was amazing! How did you first hear about SpecialEffect, and why have you supported us over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I heard about SpecialEffect from Frontier Developments, a games company in the UK that I worked with a lot. They ran a charity stream for SpecialEffect, and when I looked them up, I thought they were incredible. Then years later, I got in touch when I really needed some accessibility help to be able to access technology and gaming again and SpecialEffect completely changed my life.<\/p>\n

It was awful when I lost not only my ability to access my hobby, but also my job. I wasn’t sure what my life would look like or whether I would be able to do things independently. There’s a common misconception that streaming and gaming is just playing video games, but it’s not. It’s accessing this identity, this community, being a part of something bigger than yourself, and being able to independently (or as independently as possible) access the world, as there’s quite a lot of things that I just can’t access. That beautiful escape into the world of a game is something very special, and unparalleled, and SpecialEffect brought that back to me. I can never say thank you enough for that amazing gift.<\/p>\n

It was such a beautiful experience to work with SpecialEffect as I was just accepted. There weren’t any awkward questions, I was met with kindness and understanding and nothing but compassion and it was an incredible experience.<\/p>\n

So that’s why I fundraise for SpecialEffect. Because I understand from a first-hand perspective exactly what it is like to experience that life-changing access to technology and being able to help someone else access that community, identity and so many other things, that is a really special gift. I want to fundraise and help make this possible for so many more people.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s beautiful, we\u2019re so glad we could help you get back to the things you love! So, what are some of your top tips for running a charity stream?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My top tips for running a charity stream are:<\/p>\n