My Favourite Game - Steve Aoki

The electro-house producer on the appeal of esports, being a character in Dragon Ball, and betting big on Street Fighter bouts.

Steve Aoki is a musician, DJ, producer and the founder of Dim Mak Records. He also set up the Steve Aoki Foundation to support research into degenerative brain diseases, and regularly streams charity matches on Twitch. More recently, he bought esports organisation Rogue, and created a Dim Mak imprint called New Noise, which aims to provide royalty-free music to Twitch streamers.

Why did you buy an esports team?

I might not be great at gaming, but I’ve been a gamer since I was a little kid. I’m always looking at what inspires me, so it’s not just about music – it can be any sort of entertainment. With the rise of gaming turning into an actual sport, this was an exciting venture to get involved in. I was researching different teams, and Rogue are kind of like the underdogs who are taking down Overwatch. They’re local guys, too, from Las Vegas, which is really cool. And they have this edgy vibe and image, and I just thought, ‘This is totally up my alley.’

You’re also a fairly regular streamer – what is the appeal for you?