Asmongold

Asmongold was born and raised in Austin, Texas, United States. He grew up with an interest in video games, particularly role-playing games (RPGs), and was introduced to World of Warcraft by a friend in 2006, at the age of 16.[15] He quickly became captivated by the game and started playing it extensively.[16] Asmongold later attended college but dropped out to focus on his streaming career.[17]

Asmongold began his online career in 2009 by creating YouTube videos about World of Warcraft, in which he shared his insights, strategies, and game knowledge. His YouTube channel experienced steady growth, and he eventually started live-streaming on Twitch in 2011, initially as a hobby, and he began his active streaming career on Twitch in 2014.[18] Asmongold's content mainly consists of gameplay, guides, discussions, and reviews related to World of Warcraft expansions and patches.[19] Ahead of the 2017 announcement of World of Warcraft Classic, he had long wished for and speculated about the game mode's development.[19] His main Twitch account Asmongold was briefly suspended in August 2017 for a comment he made about survivors displaced by Hurricane Katrina which he later addressed in a TwitLonger clarifying his point of view and reached an understanding with Twitch staff.[20][21][22]

His unique style, in-depth knowledge of the game, and entertaining commentary earned him a dedicated fanbase and his dedication to the game and candid personality resonated with viewers, leading to a significant increase in his Twitch following. By 2018, Asmongold had become one of the most popular World of Warcraft streamers on the platform.[23]

Upon the release of Classic in 2019, he surged in overall popularity.[24] He was also one of the platform's most popular World of Warcraft streamers during the 2020 release of Shadowlands.[25] On July 3, 2021, Asmongold started playing Final Fantasy XIV to hundreds of thousands of viewers.[26]

In 2022, Asmongold started to branch out into more variety of style streams. Asmongold has expressed his strong interest in continuing to branch out into creating all the different types of content he enjoys. Asmongold opposes pay-to-win mechanics in video games such as Diablo Immortal. In 2022, he reached out to Republican politician Ted Cruz on the possibility of outlawing loot boxes in video games, claiming that they are a loophole to child gambling laws. Cruz agreed with Asmongold's views and expressed interest in meeting him.[27]

In October 2020, Asmongold co-founded One True King, a streaming and content creation organization, with other notable streamers and content creators, including Mizkif, Esfand, and Tips Out. OTK focuses on creating a wide range of content, such as game streams, podcasts, and charity events. In August 2022, Asmongold announced OTK's new PC building company called Starforge Systems in collaboration with fellow content creator MoistCr1TiKaL.[28] The company was quickly met with backlash due to the allegedly high prices of their products, to which they responded by decreasing their prices by $100.[29]

Before beginning his streaming career Asmongold worked for the Internal Revenue Service for two tax seasons in 2012-2013.[30] Asmongold acquired a business degree and was preparing to transfer to a law school, but had to abandon that plan as he was taking care of his mother.[31][32]

In October 2021, his mother died after complications from advanced COPD, leading to his temporary hiatus from streaming.[33][34]