The beginnings of Underlevelled as a concept were born as far back as 2019 when Sean first started a group chat with a few prospective hobbyists for a local newspaper, and then slowly evolved into our own website, with our own rules and what you see before you today (thanks to the hard work of Kane, our webmaster). Our first article was published in May 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic where many of us were locked inside and struggling to find something to fill the time with, we were hard at work building up the site and publishing many of our most iconic articles.
A lot has changed since then, we now have an amazing Discord community, an active Twitch channel and continue to publish articles consistently on the site! While some staff members have come and gone, our core team now are more motivated and hard-working than ever to deliver high-quality content and keep pushing forward to bring meaningful and entertaining content to interact with.
Streaming
It’s been a blast streaming for Underlevelled. We started the channel back in 2021 with Kane and Melltith streaming 3 times a week, with a few experimental streams from other members sprinkled in. The world was locked down back then, so we had a lot of time to devote to it. We worked hard to maintain our presence on the channel until we got to affiliate status. That opened us up to using channel points and emotes, some of the most iconic aspects of the channel nowadays. Of course, now you can use them straight away, but that wasn’t quite the case back then.
Unfortunately, due to a PC power supply melting in August 2021, we had to take a hiatus, and members changing day jobs made that break even longer.
Finally, in January 2023, we returned with a new Co-host! Azza joined up and brought some much-needed energy back into the streams. We streamed steadily from there, once a week, streaming a constant variety of games, even celebrating Azza’s birthday live, all the way through to October 2024, where unfortunately we had to take another hiatus due to, you guess it, another melting PC! We don’t have the best luck with hardware. (editors note: no but we seem to be lucky in replacing it)
Thankfully, that didn’t last nearly as long as before, and we were back up and running in only a few weeks, where Kane did a few solo streams just to keep the channel active because we had some big plans for the new year.
Starting in 2025, we finally relaunched the Underlevelled Twitch channel in the form we always had intended for it; multiple co-hosts delivering different content throughout the week. Spreading the workload out to the rest of the team and finally showcasing their personalities somewhere besides just the site. This is the most motivated the team has ever been, and our streams are all the better for it. We even reached the sub-goal to wax Azza’s legs!
We’ve come a long way in the last 4 years, and we couldn’t be prouder of where we are now. Here’s to more fun streaming in the future!
To celebrate our 5th Anniversary, we’re planning a big meetup stream exclusively for the special occasion. On the 11th of May 2025, we’ll have a bunch of the team meet up to stream party games and hang out with chat. Don’t miss out!
Our Favourite Moments
We’ve done a lot in the last 5 years, from streaming, articles and videos to setting up a Discord community and waxing Azzas’s legs. Here’s a selection of our team’s favourite moments so far.
Kane: Most of my work here has been on stream, so I think all of my favourite moments will be from there. The Underlevelled Twitch channel has afforded me more ways to torture my brother than I ever thought possible, and for that, I’m truly grateful. From making him try disgusting foods to removing his hair (both the big wax and the time we shaved him), I’ve had an amazing time.
Also, I have to say that besides the streams, my real favourite part of this whole endeavour has been seeing the team working out how they fit together and really acting on it, especially in the last few months. We’ve become far more aware of our strengths and accepting of our failings since we started, and I think our content is all the better for it.
Sean: I’ve always considered myself to be something of an expert in the field of having good taste in nerdy things, so when I have the chance to share that with the world, it’s always a plus. I very much enjoy the moments where silly things happen on stream at my own expense.
Azza: The things I do for this group must make me look insane, and to be honest, I probably am. From my beard to my legs, we have literally pulled my hair out over the last couple of years to help bring content to you, the viewer. Me and Kane both have had great success with the streams and now with many other hosts joining the mix, the site and the channel are moving in a great direction. Some of the highlights for me include, but aren’t limited to, us playing Soulcalibur 2 live on stream and all of us playing some Minecraft. In what will hopefully become a more regular thing. We’ve got lots of content planned for this year to make Underlevelled’s biggest year yet, so stay tuned!
Hello, I am the person behind Azza’s recently silky smooth legs. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the highlight of UnderLevelled for me, but many good things have emerged from our little team’s endeavours. Thanks to the UnderLevelled staff’s determination to start this venture, I have met some of the best people in my life; I can always count on the guys to help me understand things I’m unsure of or to help get me through a lack of motivation.
Dave: Interacting with people in the game and music industry, seeing staff get better at writing under my watchful eye and firm hand, watching the light fade from Azza’s eyes as wax strips are peeled from his pathetic human flesh, etc.
Riley: The flood of articles and inspiration at the start of this endeavour was the light in a very dark time of my life, without I’d probably still be in a dark place as the support and conversations with the Underlevelled staff kept me sane during the pandemic and for that alone this has been enriching for me. However, at the start of the year I wanted to push hard to reboot the website, and pleaded to the staff to try and essentially reset and get our motivation back and this has been an outstanding success with this looking to be our best year to date, and I honestly could not be happier with the direction of Underlevelled right now.
James: Finding like-minded people who enjoy similar things to me; being blindsided by checking the group chat after being absent for a while, and finding that the entire crew has fallen victim to Pokémon gatcha.
Mos: For me, although I haven’t done it much other than pop up in group chats and stream chats, I have loved having the chance to scratch a creative itch I get from time to time, where I just want to make something cool about the topics I am super passionate about. It’s been difficult to balance work/life/hobby, but the times I have spent looking into topics and writing about them have been great fun. And talking about those topics with friends has added to that enjoyment. The streams have been super fun, and it’s been great hopping into Steam chat occasionally to natter.
Your Top Articles
We’ve published nearly 200 articles in the last 5 years, but some of them were beloved by our readers more than others, here’s a selection of a few of these that were particularly well received from different authors.
Sean:
I think it’s honestly wild that our most viewed article is something that I thought of on a whim. Who is clicking this? Who wants to see the stylish Vergil fanart? Questions we may never have the answers to. Does it give me a completely unearned sense of smug superiority? The answer is yes.
Riley:
While I usually strive for more articulate and opinion driven articles in recent times, I am susceptible to a few listicles to fill the gaps between longer writing sessions to get something fun, informative and requires research to centralise. Combining this within my love for amiibo was a no brainer and this article and my “most useful amiibo” articles were born from researching niche and fun uses for the figures.
Whilst I’d rather have something with more artistic integrity here, the fact that this article consistently gets read and obviously helps people learn about them means a lot to me and I’m glad our mutual interest of amiibo brings us together!
Kane:
I’ve always been quite interested in the concept of emulation. When I was younger, I was on the wrong side of it. I was primarily interested in the idea of being able to play games for consoles I couldn’t get a hold of (I was a minor before lawyers start getting excited), but nowadays my interest is far more practical and law-abiding. Knowing it has far-reaching uses, I wanted to explore the real practical reasons you might use emulation outside of the piracy that it’s so often associated with.
I’m glad it seems to have gotten some interest because I think it’s important not to paint technology with the same brush as its most negative users. There are certainly people who misuse it (I wrote a whole article exploring that too), but there are equally as many legitimate users who use emulation for the preservation of the art form.
James:
This article was written in response to the microtonal album L.W. and took so long to write that their poppy LP Butterfly 3000 was released days before publication. A lot of work and repeated listens went into this cobbled-together stream of opinion. I’m proud of what was written and am glad that it may have helped prospective Gizzheads choose their next album.
The response to the article, even if it did lead to it being one of our top-ranking pieces, was not a positive one. After posting on Reddit, a slew of metalheads descended on us like a seagull on a freshly dropped sausage roll. Instant dismissal of the rankings because the heavy albums were right at the bottom. A few saner heads prevailed, though. Turns out if you reply to angry dismissive comments with “Thanks for reading!” they feel bad.
The Future
Kane: I would love to see us able to grow our audience and find the skills to do so, either through personal improvement or growing the team. My main aim for the next little while will be to get our video content workflow sorted so we can finally deliver the same quality content to our video platforms as we do to the site.
Sean: I would like to continue to play good videogames, but occasionally bad ones if they’re funny or endearing enough.
Azza: I would like to create more videos; frankly, I think we all would. I personally prefer it as it allows you, the viewer, to be more engaged with us. I’d like to get us to a point where we knock out at least one video a week. So here’s hoping that is achievable. Onwards and upwards!
I WILL find a 15cm cake tin for cheap! I’m declaring it here and now. It won’t make sense to you right now, but just wait…
I’m planning on writing articles more often and possibly some instructions on various geeky crafts. e_e
Dave: I daren’t share my plans for the future. While I am the King of Charisma and the Sultan of Swag,
Riley: I would love to push into short-form video content and make some fun skits and informative bits to help prospective gamers or have fun fact sections. I’d also like to push into writing about TV shows/movies but it’s always been something I’ve struggled with. I am also looking into setting up a podcast, but more will come on that later in the year!
James
Mos: I would love to go deeper into all forms of content creation and possibly have a slot on the streaming schedule for me to stream games I like, improve my confidence and writing skills to make short-form and long-form videos and articles. Streaming feels like the main focus for now, as I had a brief stint on it on my own, which I enjoyed tremendously, so the idea of streaming with friends and potentially making new friends, all while engaging in the industries I love, fills me with joy and hope. I may even get through a whole Subnautica playthrough – who knows ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Thank you to everyone who has ever taken the time to visit the site, interacted with us on social media or watched us on Twitch, your support means the world to us. We’re hoping to have more special events in the future and have lots of fun and interesting content in the pipeline, so we all hope to see you in the future too! If you could spare a moment, could you please leave a comment with your favourite Underlevelled moment? Whether that be a stream, an article or anything you’ve seen from us we’d really appreciate it! Thank you and see you on the 11th for our 5th Anniversary Special Stream!
Just a dude that plays games. Ill write stuff on here once in a blue moon
He/Him
A flamboyant ultra nerd, Dave participates in the Underlevelled Tournament both for the thrill of the fight, and to avenge the orphans lost in the climax of the previous tournament.
Born: London
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Nen Type: Manipulator
Classes: Editor, Dancer,
Hobbies: street dance, collecting manga volumes, reading, editing
Likes: short-to-medium walks on the beach, pointing out how things can and will be misconstrued as racism, fighting games, RPGs, anime, Hades, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, Mara Wilson, overly long bios, ice-cream
Dislikes: insincere media, his own uncanny resemblance to Richard Ayoade, mayonnaise
Sean Hollyman is an avid fan of action figures, videogames and sometimes other things too. When he's not labourously trying to earn platinum trophies for games that he otherwise probably wouldn't care about, Sean can often be found taking photos of his Transformers in embarrassing situations.
Favorite Food: Roast Dinner
Least Favorite Food: ANYTHING with mayonnaise in it
Melltith, or Melly, enjoys cosier or slower paced games and likes to take her time with things.
She's a very crafty person who will throw her all into a multitude of new projects and skills.
Mos likes to embrace and explore all aspects of Nerdy Pop culture life. Whether it's trying (his very best) to splat his enemies in turf wars, escaping 9ft Vampire ladies or chilling out with friends watching the latest superhero movies. He is very interested in Streaming on Twitch and often finds himself lost down a rabbit hole of lore about various franchises and universes i.e. Kingdom Heart, Star Wars or Splatoon.
Video game completionist and 3D platformer connoisseur, Riley is a fan of the whimsical frenzy of bright and colourful characters that blessed us in the late 90's. Their favourite game's are Spyro, Persona 5 and Super Mario Sunshine.