Hello and thank your interest in me and what I have to say.

 

 

You may know me as AquaKlef, I create content about tech, specifically surrounding gaming.

 

My actual name is Stephane, not to be confused with “Stephanie”. In French, the “e” at the end is silent. Think Stefan for reference.

 

Born in Montreal, Quebec during the 80s, gaming first started with an NES. Then came a Coleco Vision that my older brother borrowed from a friend. But I think what shaped me into the love I have for hardware nowadays was a used Commodore 128 that my Mom had found second-hand and bought for my older sibling and I.

I was the child that would open up the VHS to understand how it ticked and see if it could be repaired. I also was the kid stuffing dust in his Nintendo cartridges to mess up the sprites and see if it’d make the game more challenging.

And there is much more that could be said but ultimately, I would spend my time making guides for games I played, would open devices, repairing some, breaking some, but always learning.

"My teenage life was called MUD (the ancestor to MMORPGs). I spent years playing text-based games as it was pretty much all that my computer could handle at the time."

As a young adult, by some random luck, I landed a corporate job in a company for whom I worked 15 years. It shaped me into what I consider to be a very important work ethic. However, somewhere in the middle of those 15 years, I dabbled in YouTube and Twitch and quickly amassed moderate success. I had fun and it was a great creative outlet. Needless to say, it left a lasting impression, one I couldn’t shake off for 7 years.

Fast forward to 2022 marks the loss of my last living parent, my Mother in March. It gave me a great deal of pain but also an urgent desire to live life in a way that I had not lived before. Three months later, those 15 loyal years came to a halt so I could focus on my dreams, for my kids, my wife, myself, and her legacy.

As of November 2022, I decided to dedicate all of my time to creating content through sharing my passion. 

Why Have An Interest In What I Do?

 

The only thing stronger than my love for my family, and my favorite subjects (gaming and tech), is my burning desire for authenticity, honesty, and understanding. Maybe due to racism experienced during the course of my life? Or just how I’m built? I don’t like conflict, hate, or judgment toward living things. I’m Pisces, apparently, that makes me a lover and a dreamer, and yeah, I wish we could all be friends, that’s my truth. I couldn’t tell you why but my favorite class is Paladin and I am a “Lawful Good” kind of guy. Don’t believe me? Ask my wife, she’s a police detective.

 

What I’m saying is, I want to serve through the power of good intentions, through an honest desire to not waste your time, and to hopefully entertain you and tell you about the things you may be interested in as well.

My "Integrity Policy

 

I have no desire of being paid to lie. Therefore, I have no intention of accepting sponsorships or products only to be fed lies to spew in return. I am not any amount, nor any device shy of jeopardizing what I stand for and what I hope to instill in the world.

What Is An Affiliate Link?

 

Some of the links I post, be it through YouTube, this website, or else, may include a referral token. The token is associated with me and lets companies know that the information and/or work I’ve provided was meaningful for someone to make a purchase based on my input. This decision is entirely yours to make as you will NEVER see me ask for your affiliate contribution.

 

However, it is still important that you are aware that these links may provide a commission as a result of a purchase. It is of no extra cost, and/or impact to your policies, or warranties that remain with the seller, or manufacturer. Affiliate links are addressed either at the source or include a link to this policy. Being an affiliate is of no consequence to the products I choose to review, the review themselves, or the companies I may collaborate with.

How About The Devices Provided For Review?

 

I am not comfortable making any type of profit with supplied hardware. I am still debating how I could organize this many devices when this venture requires me to have the space to store them.

 

At this point in time, I’d like to find a system to understand how I can repurpose the hardware, be it through giveaways to the community or donations to people who may not have the means to have such devices. In all honesty, it is a little too early to know exactly what the solution will be but this is something I hope to be prepared for ahead of time, to not amass more devices than my space can allow.

What Else Can You Tell Me?

 

To which I’d reply, what would you like to know? I invite you to use the suggestion tab to ask questions you may have. If we’d share an office space, I’d have a “Door Always Opened” policy, I’m that kind of guy. A bit naive at times, but ultimately I lead from a place of care, with my heart on my sleeve.