Meet lydlbutton (she/her).

What is your dream in gaming, esports, and/or content creation?

My dream is to create a world where people who are new to gaming feel welcome. I had little to no access to video games growing up, so I know how intimidating it can be to begin a gaming journey — especially as a woman. So many games expect a certain level of pre-existing knowledge, and some groups of people really want to tear new players down. I go to extra lengths to make the games I play on my stream are accessible to new, first-time players and nostalgic players alike.

I have hosted several silly tournaments to onboard new players into more traditionally competitive games, and I take every chance I get to showcase that it’s OKAY to be bad! You can have fun and be entertaining while not being an expert. The vast majority of my content is first playthroughs, where I insist that folks let me struggle how they struggled during their first playthrough. I write up summaries and descriptions of what we’ve done so people unfamiliar can follow along.

Games and storytelling are my passion, and once I became more vocal about being a woman, the struggles I face, and how tough it can be as a new gamer, I’ve been able to curate a small space that feels safe. Next step is to spread it!

Please share how winning support from 1,000 Dreams Fund is important to your dream and what impact it will have on your career?

It allows me to attend TwitchCon at a crossroads of my career. As a chronically ill individual, due to medical costs I’ve had to pass on some previous TwitchCons. While I’ve made the best of my time at home, I’ve definitely felt like I’ve missed out on important connections — like meeting streamers in my stream teams and the Women’s Guild in person shortly after I joined.

I am very close to hitting my metric goals, and I think connecting with other creators, finding inspiration at a creative con, and meeting people in the industry will help me take my final steps!

What advice do you have for women & femmes who want to work in gaming, esports, and/or content creation?

• Curate your space! Talk about what you believe in and it will be so much easier to feel safe in your community.
• Don’t be afraid to be awful! So many folks in competitive gaming have tens of years of a head start. Everyone starts somewhere; you’re doing great!
• If you can’t find what you want, make it! If you want something (a newbie-friendly tournament, for example) chances are someone else does too!