Devon Bumpkin

Devon Bumpkin Devon Bumpkin

Devon Bumpkin is quickly becoming a household name in the Sims community. A full-time content creator, and a fantastic builder, Devon Bumpkin (or Aden as he is known to friends) played a significant role in the creation of EA’s newest expansion pack, Cottage Living!

We sat down with Devon to talk about what life was like growing up in a small British town, discussed the pull of the big city. Lights, and got some inside info on the EA build restrictions that this small town Bumpkin boy had to work with.

You are a full-time content creator. What did you do before you decided to take this leap?

It still feels so weird knowing I am a full-time content creator! But yes, I am! I was a hair stylist for 20 years before I decided to take the leap.

What inspired you to make content creation your full-time job?

It’s something that has always been a dream to me, but something I didn’t feel I’d ever be able to achieve realistically. But then 2020 happened, I couldn’t work, so I poured all of my free time into my YouTube channel and things really took off from there!

What were the most significant obstacles involved in this choice?

For me, it was the fact I had to leave a job of 20 years that I was financially comfortable in. YouTube was the big unknown in this regard. It wasn’t an easy decision, but the COVID situation weirdly helped me take the final leap into full time content creation.

You create some amazing content, both on YouTube and on Twitch. Recently, you were called upon to build in the newest expansion pack, “Cottage Living,” can you tell us about that experience? (What did you create, were you nervous, what was it like, etc.)

Thank you! It was a dream to build something for a Sims expansion pack and it finally came true! I built The Watson family farm which is the 64x64 lot and also The Gnome’s Arms pub in the village area. I was totally nervous about creating these, especially the 64x64 lot, without MoveObjects and with EA limitations to building, but I had so much fun with the process and learning about how the devs work on packs.

You have a fantastic community that supports and adores you. How do you maintain such an accepting community?

My community is amazing and I thank the Universe for them every day. I don’t really have an answer on how to maintain an accepting community. My community is full of people from all walks of life, we don’t stand for any kind of bigotry as a whole as It’s a huge LGBTQIA+ safe space and for anyone that feels a little “different” from the masses out there.

What advice would you give other creators that want their community to be as accepting as yours?

people will find your content and follow suit. Also, be yourself. No airs and graces, just unfiltered you. There is something liberating about not having to be a persona or rely on fancy editing skills to make content enjoyable. I never wanted that for my channel, I just wanted my videos to feel like you are sat with a friend, playing a computer game.

Okay let’s get to the stuff that everyone wants to know. What was it like to work with EA on the new pack, Cottage Living?

It was amazing. The dev team are some of the loveliest people you could meet. They trusted your vision and gave you completely free reign to create whatever you wanted!

What were your thoughts when you first got the call to help?

I had no idea what it was about until we were in the Zoom call going over everything. I had my suspicions when I knew the rest of the creators asked were British though. I thought, this has to be something British themed and I was right ha-ha

What did you build for the pack and what was your inspiration?

I built The Watson Family Farm and The Gnome’s Arms pub. I got my inspiration from everything around me as I live near the countryside in Devon. Plus, I mainly build British looking builds in The Sims, so it wasn’t too hard to get the inspiration for these particular ones.

Can you share a bit about the types of restrictions that you were given?

Ah yes, the dreaded restrictions. Firstly, no MoveObjects to be used, no ALT placement, no Debug, no live edit objects… It was daunting to say the least, as I am so used to using these for building.

What was the most challenging part of building with EA’s restrictions?

I like to heavily detail my builds. But there are many restrictions on the amount of objects you can use. So this was the most challenging part, but also the fact we weren’t allowed to use MoveObjects, which is an integral part of my building technique. I hate that it’s looked upon as a “cheat” when in all fairness, it makes the outcome of your builds 100 times better in my opinion.

What part of this new pack do you find most exciting (besides your beautiful builds, of course)?

For me, it’s the world. It’s so nice to see a British looking world in the game. Some people may argue we had this with Windenburg or Britechester. But to me Windenburg had a more Germanic influence. Britchester did feel in some ways British, but I think there was a Dutch influence there with the architecture etc. So seeing Henford-on-Bagley resemble the places I know in everyday life was amazing. I’ve only ever lived in cities. But being from Plymouth in Devon, you have the countryside and seaside on your doorstep. You can drive a mile out of the city in either direction and be met with the most beautiful countryside or a quick walk and be met with the seaside . Devon has some of the most beautiful countryside and seaside areas you will ever see and I visit them often!

How long have you lived in Devon? and What do you do for fun?

I’ve lived in Devon most of my life, I did live in Brighton and London for a few years, but I needed to get back to a quieter way of life. For fun, I love hiking and camping and try to get outside as much as possible, no matter the weather. Devon and Cornwall are very outdoorsy places to live, so it’s perfect.

Do you enjoy country living or do you ever crave city life?

I get the best of both worlds. Living in Plymouth, it never really feels like you are living in a city, even though it is. I am desperate to move to Cornwall though, that place has always had my heart and it’s only become stronger as I’ve gotten older. I plan to move there within the next decade, but at the moment I know Devon is the place I need to be for now.

What was life like for you growing up?

I had an amazing childhood. I was the youngest of 3 by quite a few years (I was a surprise for my parents ha-ha) We lived near the countryside and woodlands, so I was always out doing something. Also, my grandparents lived in a cliff top chalet in Cornwall where I spent a lot of my time too. This is where my love of Cornwall comes from, that place has complete magic to it.

Imagine that the Sims servers have experienced a fatal crash and you are forced to choose only one of each type of pack, what does your gameplay look like?

To be honest. I’m not that much of a gameplayer myself in the Live Mode aspect. I am a builder through and through, so it would be any of the packs that have my favourite build mode items in them and I love too many packs to name them for different reasons and styles of building.

Which packs could you not live without, and which are you fine letting go of?

I could not live without Get Together, Get To Work, Eco Lifestyle, Snowy Escape, Seasons etc! All the packs have objects in them that allow me to build in differing styles, so I could practically name all of them for different reasons. But these are my main choices when building. I could for sure live without My First Pet Stuff and Nifty Knitting though, I really do not like the aesthetics of either of them ha-ha

You have created some stunning pieces in the Sims, where do you find the inspiration for your builds?

Thank you! I tend to get inspiration from the world around me in Devon and places I have visited in other parts of the UK. But if I needed a source, Pinterest is my go to, or YouTube!

What is next for you? What should our readers watch for?

I have a new series in the pipeline where I’m filming places around me in Devon and Cornwall and then I’ll be recreating them in The Sims 4. I have my camera and my vdrone, so hopefully I can get some great shots of my local area to do this. I’ve always had an interest in film and cinematography, so hopefully this will allow me to learn my own way of doing it by taking my community along for the ride! It’s still in very early stages, but hopefully within the next couple months you’ll see the outcome!

Follow Devon Bumpkin:

YouTube :

www.youtube.com/c/DevonBumpkin/

Twitch :

www.twitch.tv/devonbumpkin

Twitter :

twitter.com/DevonBumpkin

Instagram :

www.instagram.com/devonbumpkin/