“FUTURE proof your career!” “Education that prepares you for IR 5.0!” etc, etc.
How often have Malaysians heard such promises from local institutions of higher learning offering academic programmes that will pave the way to a successful career?
However, it is doubtful that any would claim to offer courses that allow youngsters to earn up to RM4,000 per day!
With wages that match top CEOs in multi-national corporations (MNCs), some local content creators have been raking it in by playing non-playable characters (NPCs) online.
For those unclear of the concept, Wikipedia defines NPCs as “any character in a game that is not controlled by a player”. The term originated in traditional table-top role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the game master or referee rather than by another player.
In video games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer (instead of a player) that has a pre-determined set of behaviours that potentially will impact gameplay but will not necessarily be the product of true artificial intelligence.
Some local content creators have literally struck the jackpot – all without any formal training. No academic exams or pursuing of professional qualifications, these content creators are earning what many senior management types can only dream of.
Case in point is Chamiy Malik and Faamiy Malik, a pair of NPC twins known as Cha and Faa who revealed to Harian Metro that their daily earnings can reach up to RM4,000 daily with a high of 18,000 viewers tuning in at once to catch their “performances”.
The twins have over 200,000 followers and that number is not restricted to a domestic audience with followers from countries across the globe clicking their approvals.
Cha and Faa explained that income is generated via monetary gifts known as ‘coins’ that viewers can send to livestream creators on TikTok. They also earn extra money from their online business which they promote during livestreams.
The twins say they are indebted to their mother who mooted the idea of creating NPC content due to its popularity on TikTok.
While their performances may seem silly to some, they nonetheless spend hours preparing to ensure their content which is livestreamed twice a day meets the expectations of their online followers.
This success story may partly explain why more school leavers are eschewing higher education in favour of alternative career opportunities, not least those available on social media.
Older folk may frown and consider such an ‘occupation’ as unstable or unsustainable but truth of the matter is that the digital revolution is unfolding at a breakneck speed. Many tertiary education institutions are unable to keep up while those in the know are quick to capitalise on the opportunities.
Like it or not – the world is changing. And so are career pathways. – Nov 28, 2023
