A woman who plays video games for up to six hours a day - and earns nearly $4,000 some months by doing so - wants women to be taken more seriously in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry.
Former bingo caller Amy Bayliss, 22, has successfully transformed her passion for video games into a lucrative job, but her new found career has not been without its speed bumps.
Amy says she is forced to deal with sexually charged comments from male viewers of her gaming live streams, and now chooses to block men who have called her "beautiful" or a "slut" while she plays via the Twitch live streaming platform.
Speaking out the comments she receives in a recent interview with the Press Association, Amy said;
"People assume whenever women are on a camera online, they must be doing something sexual, but Twitch isn’t Tinder. We don’t go online to be harassed and even if there are women looking for sexual attention, it shouldn’t matter.
“A lot of male gamers complain that women are ‘stealing subscribers’ by showing cleavage while we game – but who cares? Women should be able to do what they want as long as they aren’t harming anyone.
“And there is nothing sexual about what I do. I sit in my T-shirt, play video games and have banter with whoever is watching me.
“Most of my viewers are men aged from 25 to 50 plus. They can comment on my live stream and interact with me. There shouldn’t be anything weird about it just because I’m a woman. Some have called me a slut, or constantly called me beautiful, but if that happens, I just block them.”
Amy started gaming via Twitch in 2017 under the name Bamyleaf, and describes discovering the platform thus;
“I first stumbled upon it because I was searching for poker videos online. Michael and I loved it, then I realised there was way more to Twitch than card games.
“I saw thousands of people streaming themselves playing video games and I was fascinated. As a lifelong video game fan, it was amazing to find this community.”
Making serious money from gaming has not been a walk in the park, though. Amy says she moved into cheap student accommodation with her boyfriend when she started to game full-time, but earned just £35 in her first month.
Now, though, being a full-time gamer is just a way of life;
“I wake up, have a cup of tea, then take my Rottweiler dog, Kevin, for a walk.
“After that, I have a shower and get myself ready for the day. I catch up on emails and messages from 10:30am to 11:30am, then by 12pm I’m live streaming right up until 6pm, when my boyfriend gets home.
“Then I make us both dinner while still watching Twitch in the kitchen. It feels normal to me, but I know it’s not an average day for most people.”
So how does Amy make money from her gaming exploits?
“Since I am not partnered with Twitch, I don’t receive ad revenue. But, as an affiliate, my subscribers have the option of pledging £5 a month to support me – which is split evenly between myself and Twitch.
“Other viewers of mine go above and beyond and donate to my Patreon -a membership platform that enables me to run a subscription content service (CHK). My largest donations have been up to £200.
“The money can be extremely varied – like with any self-employed job. The minimum I make every month is £800, and the max is between £2,500 and £3,000”.
Amy is keen to stress that female gamers are still facing a battle against sexism, telling the Press Association;
“I think it’s important for people to know this is a safe place and not a place for sexism.
“Anyone can game or stream. I’ve been pretty lucky considering I don’t get that much hate or sexism, but I know it can be a lot for worse of other women.”
It sounds like Amy's making a good living doing something she genuinely enjoys - something we all aspire to. More power to you, Amy!
