The Path To Facebook Partner: The Dunkleman
Facebook Gaming has survived the streaming apocalypse that consumed Mixer in July 2020. Many streamers found homes on Facebook.
Then there is The Dunkleman who decided to make the jump from Twitch to Facebook Gaming. Ryan (last name withheld to protect his identity as well as the secret location from which he streams) dropped into streaming after college with all the advantages of having no kids or other attachments holding him back from doing absolutely anything.
He can usually be found hanging out inside a cold war era bunker playing Insurgency: Sandstorm, PUBG, Apex Legends, and sometimes Rainbow 6 Siege all with perfectly quaffed hair, a nice pair of Gunnar Optics, and entertaining the chat room with style and skill.
The size of the bunker is classified, but inside intelligence indicates it to be 20 square miles wide with maze-like hallways that only he really understands and can quickly travel at speeds normal human will never achieve. Because he’s The Dunkleman.
Who Is The Dunkleman?
Describing Dunk means writing words that I find hard because he’s the exact opposite of what one expects from a 24-year-old college grad. Dunk lives with a smile in his heart, or at least that’s what it feels like. He smiles with more than his face but also his eyes, voice, and mind.
He doesn’t force the over-hyped fanboy trope nor does he cling to the misunderstood angst-filled gamer mantra. Instead, Dunk does him. I realize that sounds cliche, but there are no hyperbolic words to describe him. The fact a man born well after the Cold War ended embraces that era, its music, and history speak volumes about how comfortable he is in his own skin.
The Dunkleman streams like we all wish we could. Engaging with chat, thankful for each and every lurk, and also not taking things personally. Facebook Gaming chat is less toxic than the average Reddit esports thread so streamers are always on guard for link posts and self-promotion. He sets his limits and holds them. His community backs him without being asked twice. Dunk greets all these obstacles with a smile even through the intermittent gamer rage and random teammate with a bad microphone.
The Bunker community is similar to others on Facebook Gaming. There are the inside jokes, the memes, and the expectation of high-level gameplay. Dunk hates playing poorly, and his crew busts on him until he pulls the clutch moves in PUBG with a long distance snipe or well-placed frag grenade.
His skill is undeniable. His focus flips on in a moment just like his quick wit. Dunk gets what streaming is really about. He embraces the entertainment as well as the suspension of disbelief required for a streamer to be successful. This was supremely evident when he decided to pick up Rainbow 6 Siege for the first time. His FPS skills translate quickly and his awareness of how and why he failed fuels his improvement for the next round.
Yes, there is rage. Just like any gamer, Dunk wants to win every single time. He also has the end goal in mind so as quickly as the rage boils it’s gone and replaced by the need to fix that freaking generator and chair dance to the most epic 80’s playlist ever. All for the entertainment of the crowd.
Then there is the crew he runs with when he’s being a little more serious.
General Kaos and Krunky combine with Dunk to create a formidable squad in and out of the game. The General brings insane energy levels and a great strategic gaming mind from the UK, and Krunky supplies blues guitar riffs along with the occasional team carry when Dunk is having an off day.
What’s In The Name?
It’s a common question from new viewers in his stream. The Dunkleman really has no immediate parallel to a current meme or event. So exactly how does one come the point of calling themselves a different name online?
Dunk grew up on games like all of us, and his gamertag reflected it. He picked a moniker that started as an inside joke and a veiled reference to specific body parts. Like all good nicknames, it became part of his being, and his friends started calling by it.
“When I started gaming at eight-years-old,” he said, “I thought it would be hilarious to make my name a cuss word. So I went with dunkumon because it loosely sounded like the Korean word for asshole.”
Of course. Because young boys laugh at the simplest and crudest jokes. Because we can. [snickers to self].
“When I went to college, I decided to change it to Dunkleman, and it stuck with my friends call me Dunk. I just carried it with me on Twitch and now to Facebook Gaming.”
Then There’s Beer
Fridays are a special stream time for the Bunker community. It’s a party stream with the usual accouterments. Dunk plays Marbles On Stream with the chat. He hosts private PUBG matches. The best part of the stream, however, is the beer tasting.
The beer tasting is held in the highest regard and conducted with the utmost integrity. Dunk does a full production as he introduces the brewery, the brand, the bottle, and talks a little about the history of the beer.
He then loads his rating form onto the screen making sure to explain to the cha each time that he never checks reviews before conducting his own. He doesn’t want to taint the process, and he actively discourages viewers from saying anything about the beverage before he reaches his own conclusion.
Then, like a fine sommelier, Dunk reviews the aroma, the look, the mouthfeel, and ultimately the taste of each beer. It’s as high class as Twitch can get for a short period of time before getting back to the dick jokes and lag rage.
Dunk’s ratings are typically close to the general public in number. He tends to like hoppy beer but turns down a good ale or dark lager. He saves all his ratings for some future day when he’s famous and can return to his roots when he rated beer and no one cared.
Alcohol on Facebook Gaming is NOT verboten. As long as the streamer makes it clear the broadcast is intended for mature audiences, doesn’t encourage abuse or breaking the law, and doesn’t consume shots in exchange for donations, it’s all good. Dunk’s presentation is the kind of adult activity that actually encourages mature spirit consumption.
The Bunker Community and Honored Guests
A streamer is nothing without an audience. Anyone can play video games in front of a camera. Holding the attention of today’s crowd is tough. Dunk recently passed 10,000 followers on Facebook Gaming and drives to grow more.
A few have been around since the start. Immawarlock plays the local den mother on stream. She keeps the boys in line with a properly placed headshot and a quick ban when necessary. She also handles a lot of the Discord admin for Dunk.
Warlock is the mother of two young men who are also gamers. This makes her more than qualified to play crowd control as she herds the cats in chat and gifts subs to the well-behaved masses. There’s Aidan. There are Romeo and Cosma. There are many residents of the Bunker.
There are few honored guests like General Kaos and Krunnky. General Kaos lives in the United Kingdom and can really only play with Dunk on Sundays. As Dunk has a full-time job as a marketing analyst, weekends with the General and Krunnky become a rare gem on Twitch full of energy, blues riffs, and Dunk clutching for the squad as they run over others playing PUBG.
I want to write a full feature on the General. He has energy and creativity like very few others. But that’s for another time.
Why Watch The Dunkleman?
Great question. Why watch Ninja? Why tune into DrLupo or Shroud? That’s not a question I can answer for you. I can say the combination of Dunk’s FPS skill, his sublime understanding of how to entertain, distract, and manage an audience, combined with his overall look is something that keeps me coming back.
The community is awesome. Chat is funny and easy to know. Dunk took time to chat with me along his path to 1,000 followers. I know it sounds cliche and weak to say that simple things like those capture my attention, but that’s what we all crave in the end. Isn’t it?
I am jealous of his hair. I can’t lie about that. I envy his FPS skill. I really wish I had stuck with Halo and CoD Zombies when they came out. I’m sure I could be at his level now if I had.
Toxic doesn’t exist here, and not because he necessarily roots it out. Instead, he understands how to distract a path of conversation before it gets out of control. He knows how to strategically distract the kids from making bad choices in a conversation like a good dad with Warlock laying down the law if needed.
I know I’ll keep making bad Canva quote graphics for him when I can’t donate or subscribe simply because he took the time to chat with me. He’s also been incredibly patient with me as I have taken my sweet time constructing this article.
Tune into his stream HERE as well as his Instagram, Twitter, and Discord for more about Dunk.
Bill Wagner is the Chief Relationship Officer for Esports Labs. You can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
