From Meter Reader to Gaming Icon: The Unconventional Rise of New Zealand's Top Streamer
When most people think of gaming streamers from New Zealand, **Quin69** immediately comes to mind. Quintin Crawford, the man behind the username, has carved out quite a niche for himself in the competitive world of Twitch streaming. At 35, he's managed to build an impressive following of nearly 940,000 subscribers, making him something of a local legend in his hometown of Wanganui.
**Gaming has been part of Quin's DNA since childhood.** His father worked as a computer technician and got young Quintin hooked on classics like Age of Empires II and RuneScape. Those early gaming sessions with friends laid the foundation for what would eventually become a full-time career. He didn't dive straight into streaming though - like many content creators, his path was anything but linear. Before becoming Wanganui's self-proclaimed "#1 gamer," Quin worked as a meter reader, a job he describes as genuinely challenging. Between dodging aggressive dogs and totaling a company car, it wasn't exactly his calling.
**The transition to streaming happened somewhat by necessity in 2014.** After losing his meter-reading job, Quin faced a choice: collect unemployment benefits or try making it as a content creator. He chose the latter, initially supplementing his income by teaching skydiving part-time. It's this kind of unconventional background that makes his streams feel authentic rather than manufactured. When he started uploading World of Warcraft content to YouTube and later moved to Twitch in 2015, viewers connected with his genuine personality and skilled gameplay.
**These days, Quin's content has evolved beyond his original World of Warcraft and Diablo 3 streams.** Path of Exile has become a major focus, though he regularly switches between games like Lost Ark, Terraria, and Subnautica. His streaming schedule is fairly consistent - typically starting around 3 PM local time and running anywhere from six to eight hours, sometimes pushing into marathon 18-hour sessions. What sets him apart isn't just his gaming skill but his commentary style and willingness to engage with his community, even when things get heated.
**Quin's journey hasn't been without controversy.** In January 2022, he faced a 14-day Twitch ban for comments that sparked significant backlash from the community. His response was characteristically blunt, calling himself a "cooked clown who can't always articulate himself very well." It's this self-aware, unfiltered approach that both attracts and occasionally alienates viewers. Behind the streaming persona, he's a family man with a fiancé, two daughters, and the obligatory cat. His success has allowed him to build a professional setup complete with high-end equipment, but at heart, he remains the same guy who just wanted to make gaming work as a career when traditional employment didn't pan out.