Influencer Spotlight: Ansgar Blauth (NPLAY)

The Farming Simulator community is passionate, creative, and all-around engaged. Content creators share their love for the game with the community, contributing to the universe with their own ways of entertainment. One of them is German content creator and streamer Ansgar with his channel NPLAY. Let's check him out!

Give us a quick introduction to yourself.

My name is Ansgar, I am 25 years old and I have been uploading videos of simulations, especially Farming Simulator, on my YouTube channel NPLAY for many years.

Wherever Ansgar appears, agricultural machinery is usually not far away. Chances are, he arrived on it.

Can we start by asking why you decided to work with Farming Simulator?

Like probably almost every child, I used to be fascinated by large, complex machines like tractors and harvesters. The fascination died down somewhat over time, but it never completely disappeared from my mind.

As a teenager, I discovered the first simulator, a truck simulator, then quickly got into Farming Simulator 2013 and have been playing every part of the series ever since. It gave me great pleasure then, as it does now, to share my fun with the game and the machines with the viewers of my gameplay videos.

What does Farming Simulator mean to you?

Farming Simulator gives me the opportunity to run my virtual farm the way I want to. I can play with economic restrictions, but I don't have to. I can decide for myself what I grow, when, where and how, and - this is the most important aspect for me - I can decide for myself which machines I use to do the work.

If I have the desire to play as realistically as possible, I download a few mods and set up the steering wheel and joystick. But it's just as possible to play in a relaxed way without much equipment or just to have fun in challenges. I really appreciate the enormous playful freedom to do virtual agricultural work and to take the spectators along with me.

In addition, I have learnt a lot about agriculture through Farming Simulator in the past years. Unlike some players, I did not grow up on a farm and therefore had little connection to agriculture. In recent years, I have learned a lot about cultivation techniques, implements, intercropping and animal husbandry through the game, so that I started to become more and more interested in real farming.

While I used to play the game mainly to relax after school, it is now also a kind of motivation for me to get involved with real agriculture.

How much does the community influence what you create? 

The community always comes first in my videos - after all, what's the point of the best video if the content misses the community's wishes? I'm frankly a bit proud that despite the size of the channel, I still have a pretty close bond with the community.

I often ask viewers directly for their opinion and then incorporate the community's wishes into the next videos or projects. Of course, not every feedback can be implemented because the wishes sometimes diverge widely, but the most requested wishes and ideas almost always find their way into the videos.

Ansgars tractor tour through Germany concluded with his arrival at the GIANTS Software office in Erlangen - where many fans were already eagerly waiting for him.

What's your favorite moment from Farming Simulator 22?

The best moment with Farming Simulator 22 - as with every part of the series - was the first week after release: installing the game, discovering the game worlds, features and machines and finding your way around, taking the first steps in the game - the mixture of curiosity, excitement and expectations creates a very special feeling from release to release.

Do you have a favorite piece of equipment?

Through the Tractor Tour 2022 [watch the series on his channel], I naturally have a special connection to the CLAAS XERION, but I can also get excited about the Fendt 1050. I like everything that is big and powerful in Farming Simulator.

Whenever he meets his fans, he better got some time for a selfie and a pen in his pocket.

What tip would you give a new player?

My most important tip for new players is: Take your time and get involved with Farming Simulator. The game has become more and more complex in recent years. While this pleases all fans of the series, it can overwhelm some new players.

It takes time to discover all the features, mods and possibilities of the game and to find the right one for your own playing style. YouTube tutorials and help texts of the game can support new players in understanding the features and finding the right mods.

What changes would you like to see in future updates of the game?

In addition to the classics, such as dynamic soil, operable switches in the cockpit of the machines and graphical improvements, I would like to see more randomness and unpredictability in the game.

So far, the agricultural work in Farming Simulator is completely plannable from sowing to harvesting. If you don't forget to drill, fertilize and spray in time, a rich harvest is guaranteed. This certainly has its advantages, but in reality there are many surprises in farming: Droughts and rainy weeks lead to crop failures, game damage causes crop losses, storms sometimes lead to lodged grain, animals get sick, tyres, belts and bearings break on tractors and harvesters.

The unpredictability would regularly confront you with new challenges - that's what I've been missing in Farming Simulator so far.

This interview was first published in the official Farming Simulator Magazine.