For many veterans, gaming can be a place to reconnect with the camaraderie that defined their time in uniform. For ALG streamer Shazam, streaming has created that same sense of belonging while giving him a platform to build a welcoming community of gamers.
Shazam served eight years in the Michigan National Guard. He began his career as a 19 Delta Cavalry Scout before his unit transitioned to infantry, where he worked as a 240 gunner and ITAS. Although he never deployed overseas, his unit was preparing to go to Afghanistan when the COVID-19 pandemic changed their mission.
“I spent eight years with the Michigan National Guard originally as a 19 Delta Cav Scout, and then the state forced my unit into infantry,” Shazam said. “I was a 240 gunner for most of my career and an ITAS. I never deployed. We were supposed to go to Afghanistan right before COVID hit, and then the travel ban happened while we were in New Mexico. So I spent almost two years on the border assisting Border Patrol during COVID.”
It was during that time that Shazam first experimented with streaming. While stationed near Fort Bliss, service members from his unit were kept off base due to pandemic restrictions and housed in hotels. With time on his hands and a PlayStation set up in a hotel suite, he decided to start streaming.
“I actually streamed Call of Duty Warzone when it dropped for the first time in my hotel on my PlayStation,” he said.
What began as a simple setup with a PlayStation camera soon became more serious once he returned home and had access to better equipment. Today, first-person shooters such as Call of Duty remain the core of his content. He also streams sports titles like Madden, NBA 2K, and WWE 2K, along with story-driven games, including superhero titles such as the Batman Arkham trilogy.
Shazam joined American Legion Gaming after meeting a member of the team at DreamHack Atlanta. The encounter led him to discover the organization’s gaming initiative, which connects veterans and gamers through streaming and community events.
“I had been wanting to do something with my veteran background and gaming,” he said. “I like to push mental health awareness and just actually be around people that speak that special language.”
He officially joined ALG’s Alpha stream team shortly after the event and now streams for the organization every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Central.
From the start, the group felt familiar.
“Honestly, my first meeting, it was almost kind of like being back in my unit,” Shazam said. “The way everyone was making jokes, checking on each other, the way higher-ups spoke. It was a familiarity, just like, wow, this is the family that I had when I was in uniform.”
Shazam’s energetic personality is also where his streamer name originated. During a gaming session with friends, he repeatedly shouted “Shazam” after in-game encounters. The nickname stuck and soon became part of his brand.
Beyond gameplay, Shazam focuses on creating a welcoming environment where viewers can relax and be themselves.
“The gaming community, for me, is that I wanted to make everyone feel comfortable,” he said. “You can come in here, and you can tell me about your best day. You can tell me about your worst day.”
As the oldest of eight siblings, he naturally takes on a big brother role with viewers and fellow gamers.
“I want that to be for everyone,” he said. “Everyone can come in and just be yourself. So it’s a big family aspect for me.”
For veterans interested in starting their own streaming journey, Shazam shared simple advice.
“Network, network, meet people before you start,” he said. “The major three enemies of when you start streaming is burnout, not feeling accomplished, and then you start viewing others as competition. No one’s competition here.”
For Shazam, streaming has become a place where his passions, personality, and military background come together.
“My streaming makes me feel accomplished for the first time,” he said. “It kind of goes back to that, like this is where I fit in and this is where I belong.”
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