Video gaming is a huge world rich with content and many people of varying ages.
I personally enjoy playing the hits like NBA 2K17, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, and Tekken 7.
Gaming allows me an escape from my real life problems and enter into a fantasy adventure. Some gamers take their talents and record themselves playing popular or more low key titles on YouTube.
The YouTube Gaming community is vast and hosts many age groups from young kids watching Minecraft videos to competitive players showcasing their talents.
WWE has their own video game in the WWE 2K series, however, they have not stepped out into the gaming community beyond that.
With the help of one Xavier Woods (aka Austin Creed) steering the ship, “UpUpDownDown” has been one of the most entertaining things about WWE in the past year. His channel “UpUpDownDown,” reaches an untapped fanbase in the gaming community, something the WWE should be very happy about.
Here’s why “UpUpDownDown” is changing the face of the WWE.
It allows Xavier Woods to truly be himself
Woods wasn’t always the most social of kids growing up. He did have video games, which allowed him to become more social and make friends.
Woods said in an interview:
“I grew up in Inglewood, California for the first couple years of my life, and growing up in the ‘hood is difficult as a kid. We want to show kids there are people like you in the positions in life you want to be in. Showing kids they can do what they want to do and be great at it, that’s the stuff that means the most to me.”
Woods wants to show that being nerdy is absolutely okay. He’s very outspoken about his own nerdiness:
“I’m part of a group called the NPC Collective. It’s the Nerdy People of Color Collective. It’s me and a rapper by the name of Mega Ran, the only rapper licensed by Capcom, and a bunch of other people who do nerd rap. We rap about video games and electronics, and our goal is to show young black kids that it’s OK to be nerdy. “
Woods is set on changing the stigma around being a nerd and as a nerd myself, I’m completely behind him.
It shows the fans sides of superstars we never knew existed
Imagine this: You and a few friends are playing video games.
A lot of the time, it’s all jokes and friendly competition, but you all are bonding over a mutual love for the game.
Sometimes, you guys host a tourney or have a punishment game where the loser must do some crazy or humiliating challenge.
“UpUpDownDown” features some of the superstars of WWE like AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Kalisto, Neville, and many more just being themselves.
Out of character, many of these guys are relatable and make you laugh incredibly hard.
It gives guys who don’t get much TV time a chance to shine in their own ways
WWE has hours of programming to fill, yet some shows feel stale or get boring after a certain point.
Some characters don’t give us a reason to get invested in the product. WWE has the roster to make their shows entertaining but don’t use a lot of their guys.
“UpUpDownDown” gives some guys like Kalisto, Jack Gallagher, and Curtis Axel an outlet to show us the person behind the character.
They become more human as we see who they really are as people.
Many guys on the show feel like longtime friends and just ordinary dudes sitting down to enjoy video gaming.
It expands WWE’s reach beyond just the average wrestling fan
By now, any fan of WWE knows that Vince McMahon loves to make money. The ingenious idea to have a YouTube gaming channel could have flopped miserably if given to the wrong person.
Luckily, Vince chose Woods to steer “UpUpDownDown” to great success with the channel currently sitting at 1.1 million subscribers.
The channel appeals to wrestling fans who also are gamers, as well as gamers who may not even be wrestling fans.
The channel showcases many games like the most recent WWE 2K17, VR games, and friendly tournament competition between friends.
The channel encompasses more than one market, meaning that Vince has a foot in the YouTube Gaming Community and can profit off of it.
We get to experience Woods’ love for the Final Fantasy franchise
Woods is absolutely in love with the Final Fantasy franchise.
He’s especially fond of Final Fantasy XIV as shown by his ring gear from Wrestlemania 33 being based off the game.
Woods stated in an interview,
“I am obsessed with Final Fantasy XIV. Oh my God, I’m a level 47 Bard, I gotta get to 50 ASAP, get into this ceremony of eternal bonding with one of my friends, we’re going to get the matching Chocobos with the rings and stuff”
I barely understand half of what Woods mentions but you can tell his passion for gaming is what makes “UpUpDownDown” so great.