Fallout 76 (PC)
Buy GameFallout Community Spotlight: Mawtater
Fallout 76 (PC)
Buy GameWelcome to another Fallout Community Spotlight! Today we’re chatting with Mawtater, a Fallout 76 streamer who brings endless joy and positivity to her community through her content. Mawtater has built a space where Fallout fans can connect, share their adventures and support each other – both in-game and on stream.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you first got into streaming?
My name is MawTater, a name given to me by my son when he was a little guy. In addition to streaming, I am a proud mom of two kids at university, a wife of 25 years and a USAF Veteran. I consider myself an optimist and enjoy sharing my cheerful outlook with the community. I hope that I can bring a little sunshine into someone’s day.
I got into streaming to help a loved one that was going through a hard transition in life. My sister and her son enjoyed discovering the world of Fallout 4 together. He would play on the living room TV and she would enjoy it all from the spectator’s seat. Many evenings were spent bonding over gathering supplies, building settlements up and battling Deathclaws and Super Mutants.
Soon, my nephew was spreading his wings and getting ready to move into his own place, and my sister was feeling lonely in her empty nest. My nephew suggested that I livestream my gameplay on Twitch, so his mom could watch the excitement of the upcoming addition of NPCs to Fallout 76. My nephew, my teen son and I figured out how to do it all. We hooked up an old camcorder, built a PC from watching YouTube videos and figured out the broadcasting programs. With my sis over the speaker on my cell phone, I hit that go-live button on Twitch for the first time! I wandered the Wasteland of West Virginia and my sister’s loneliness waned.
After a couple streams, people just started showing up in chat. I didn’t have alerts or overlays, so my sister proclaimed from the speaker phone that “people are watching, someone is typing!” That makes me crack up now. Soon after that, I got a couple big Twitch raids and before long I had a growing channel. I looked forward to chatting with my new online friends and ‘stream day’ became a big part of my life. I’ve made Partner on Twitch since and am truly fortunate to get to do what I do.
What could someone tuning into your stream for the first time expect?
My stream is a kind place, where all are greeted with a big smile. I want viewers to feel like they are getting a warm hug from a dear friend or family.
Someone tuning in the first time should expect warm greetings, chatting, laughing and gaming fun. Chatting with the community is a priority for me during my streams. Time is precious and the fact that someone would spend it with me is a privilege. We will end up laughing at how distracted I get, between talking to chat and trying to keep up with the game. There is often playful teasing, community jokes and me breaking into random songs that I don’t actually know the words to. The stream can get rather silly, but I hope it’s a nice, welcoming place for everyone.
What is your favorite part about streaming?
My favorite part of streaming is spending time with some amazing people. I enjoy sharing parts of my life and look forward to hearing the updates and events of the community members. I’m naturally a chatterbox, so streaming is truly up my alley. Hitting that “go live” button and getting to chat with the viewers is such a delight. I look forward to the opportunity of meeting new people, who have found my stream and maybe I’ve made them feel comfortable enough to say, “Hey Maw”. Hanging back and listening to the shenanigans is always welcome, too!
You’re part of the Twitch Women’s Guild – could you share a little about what that is and your involvement?
Twitch Women’s Guild is such an invaluable resource for its members. The Women’s Guild provides a safe space for women to build community and share knowledge. The Guild shares collaboration opportunities, celebrates big wins, welcomes questions and is a superb place to meet creators.
The Guild’s role is to amplify women’s voices and opportunities. I was honored to be named one of the 2024 Legendary Women in Twitch’s Together for Legendary Women campaign. Meeting many of these magnificent women at TwitchCon was wonderful.
When did you first start playing Fallout 76? What do you love most about it?
I first started playing Fallout 76 during the Beta, exploring this new Fallout world with my son and family. We were thrilled to get to play Fallout together!
What I love about Fallout 76 is the fact that players can enjoy it together. I’m delighted to see so many recognizable names at the events. Exploring their C.A.M.P.s and seeing how they’ve expressed themselves - the unique and fun ways people dress and have designed their characters – is such a joy. Some choose to roleplay, and others are more carefree. There are so many gifted and generous gamers, who have found their way to Fallout 76. Such an epic community we have, and I get to be part of it all.
What is your go-to play style? Are you more of a C.A.M.P. builder or are you too busy exploring the wasteland?
There are so many things to keep yourself busy in the Wasteland - not interested in the current event? I can hop from Atlantic City to The Pitt to a Daily Op or help a Caravan out. About the time we get used to current events, a new update happens and we have more to choose from.
Do you have a favorite NPC, creature, in-game event, or quest in Fallout 76?
Now that’s a hard one, because there are many great choices. My favorite NPCs are Grahm and Chally. Grahm says the funniest things and gives us “little humans” Meat Week! People on stream will gleefully announce when they’ve run into the dynamic duo, so we can all explore Grahm’s wares and say hello to Chally.
As for a favorite creature, after all this time I still think it’s neat to run into the Flatwoods Monster while adventuring. Very neat to watch how he hovers around and controls nearby creatures with that purple glow. The way the developers added several of the West Virginia Cryptids into the game is terrific and makes Fallout 76 even more immersive.
Walking in the Fasnacht parade and seeing my friends in their festive masks is such fun. It’s all more enjoyable as a group, whether we are battling the aliens or hunting those mole miner treasure hunters down. These events can bring an entire server into the same space, and I think that’s just the best.
Can you share a memorable moment or achievement from your time streaming Fallout 76?
I’d say that my biggest achievement in Fallout 76 was learning how to launch a nuke. This one took a village of very patient members of the community. It started as a group event, where several experienced silo runners let me tag along. Then they had me do the mechanics while they defended me from the attacking robots. After many attempts, with lots of respawning and sneaking, I did my first nuke all by myself!
The stream helped me all the way through and were so hyped for me! I’m still not the fastest silo runner, but I can do it because the community helped me learn. They still teach me things and keep my updated on all things Fallout 76.
One wonderful addition to my streaming is that I’ve started traveling within the streaming and Fallout world. I’ve enjoyed attending TwitchCon and several local meet ups. The St. Jude Play Live Creator Summit was a touching and fun event that I was honored to be invited to attend. I had a blast at the Fallout Fan Celebration in Goodsprings, Nevada.
I’ve been fortunate to also visit several of the IRL sites from Fallout 76. The developers did such a phenomenal job converting the real sites into our beautiful Fallout 76. I’ve met many fellow Fallout lovers through these adventures. Recently, I went to my third Fasnacht in Helvetia, West Virginia! I’ve been to the Mothman Museum, Landview Lighthouse, Beckley Mine, The Greenbrier Resort/Whitespring, Charleston, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum/Fort Defiance and the New River Gorge Bridge.
Fallout 76 has brought so much more than just the game into my life; it opened a whole world of adventures to me and I’m genuinely grateful.
Thank you so much to Mawtater for taking the time to chat with us! It has been an absolute delight. If you would like to stop by Mawtater’s stream and say hello, or follow her on social media, check out the links below!
