Raffaele Bottone, better known as “Il Solito Mute”, is a content creator who has been able to transform his passion for gaming into an all-round career in the world of online entertainment. Starting from the Rainbow Six Siege community, Raffaele has broadened his horizons to touch on topics such as technology, cinema and nerd culture in general, also hosting a successful quiz show. At Lucca Comics & Games 2024, in the Tuscan city from 30 October to 3 November, Raffaele will host five days of events at the Euronics pavilion at Baluardo Santa Croce, the theater of events, guests and activities designed for gaming and entertainment enthusiasts. In this interview, he tells us about his journey and his reflections on the future of digital entertainment.
You started your online career with Rainbow Six Siege and the Rainbow6ItaCom community. How did you go from there to covering technology, cinema and hosting a quiz show?
I have always had a passion for technology, I think I sent the first email in elementary school. And it was precisely that that pushed me to “study” social networks. I wanted to understand its dynamics to share my interest in Rainbow Six Siege with other enthusiasts. From there I always tried to raise the bar and, after a long apprenticeship, thanks to the quiz show, I had the opportunity to explore the topics of nerd culture.
What are the challenges and opportunities you have encountered in managing an online presence on different platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram?
The main challenge was learning to manage different communication methods. Starting from YouTube (and being a talker) I have always had a predilection for long form content, which I was able to give full vent to on Twitch. The completely opposite trend of short forms forced me to reinvent my content, but at the same time it gave me the greatest opportunities in this sector, reaching the general public.
In your videos you often talk about artificial intelligence and new technologies. How do you think these will influence the future of online gaming and entertainment?
We are only at the beginning of the process of training artificial intelligence available to everyone and I am sure that in the future we will see it increasingly present in every sector. Already today they have become fundamental in the post-production work of content for the web and TV. I’m thinking of subtitles, near-perfect translations into other languages, and automatic generation of scenes and images. In the gaming field, AI has been present for a long time and is also forcefully entering the development process.
Has hosting a quiz show for Beyond PG Esports led you to new experiences and collaborations? What did you learn from this opportunity?
Beyond PG was my first experience outside of the Rainbow Six Siege ‘comfort zone’ and it proved to be instrumental in my growth. I took care of every aspect of the broadcast, from the guests to the graphics, up to the individual games. Relating with prominent personalities on the web, each with their own character and fanbase, has allowed me to establish new relationships and learn to manage unexpected events and different needs even live in front of a large audience.
