Fox began their path on Twitch two years ago in an attempt to build a community of like-minded gaming enthusiasts. Fox built a 6,000-person audience with their clinical disposition and penchant for radical positivity and hopes to reach a few thousand more! “When I first started creating content… I never thought anything would come of it. I just wanted to share my approach to gaming, which had become so wrapped up in my personal work with mindfulness,” Fox said in a written interview with Lifewire.
An Aimless Joy
Fox was raised in a multi-generational home in New York, along with their mother, brother, and grandparents. This backdrop for their life informed who Fox would become as a person and creator. Quiet and quaint is how they described their childhood. Fox often found themselves lost in the fantastical worlds of fiction. Yet, under the surface, stirred discontent. “Many of my earliest memories are about the limitations of girlhood: I learned early and often that I was a girl, and that meant there were things I could do and things I couldn’t do. I was raised to be small and forgiving, more of a mirror than a person,” they said regarding childhood. “I know that my small self would be so proud of who I am now. I am a proudly queer and nonbinary creator on Twitch, and I have built a community that celebrates and inspires queerness, self-discovery, and expression.” J.R.R. Tolkien’s consummate works “The Hobbit” and “The Silmarillion” served as Fox’s virtual escape from the confines of girlhood and a sort of introduction to high fantasy. Eventually, Fox would discover video games and a whole new chapter of discovery. Video games became a kind of new, immersive silo to get lost in. As a genre initially seen as ‘just for boys,’ their interest in gaming was, in itself, a form of protest. The only game they had access to was the dollhouse-style simulation series The Sims. The ‘boy’ video games were reserved for their brother, who they’d watch play. Fox resolved to immerse themself through secondhand exposure until they could fund their own desires. That protester’s spirit would lead Fox through their adolescence and into higher education, where they studied intersectional queer theory and feminist theory before eventually setting their sights on education. Before going full-time as a content creator, they worked in education and activism but cited a lack of support for remote work as a reason for the change. “It is an intimidating leap, switching careers, but if I have learned anything from my experiences streaming, it is that I have so much more to offer than I ever allowed myself to believe,” Fox said.
Cozy and Queer
Fox took their experience in community building as an activist and educator and applied it to the digital space after helping their partner cultivate an online community. Content creation became a vessel by which Fox saw she could build a thriving community through the lens of mindfulness. Fox expected a tepid reaction to their first stream but was surprised when they averaged 75 concurrent viewers playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They were partnered on Twitch within three months, and the community they wanted to create was fully functional. The goals Fox set out to accomplish had been reached in record time, illustrating a deep desire for their unique content brand. “I felt like an imposter at the time… and I felt like I was making so many mistakes. Now, I see that was the point. I had created a space… that united gaming and living, where people could show up to learn and belong and find their way to celebrating small moments,” Fox said. They accomplished this through mindful gaming. Everything Fox does on stream has intentionality behind it. Nothing is done by accident, from the tiny details to the large decisions. Mindfulness started as a way to deal with their neurodivergence and history with anxiety and PTSD, but they quickly realized it also served an alternative purpose for the community at large. People forget to soak in the little moments, and they’re here to remind all of us that’s what life is all about. “It is an approach to gaming that bleeds into an approach to life: wandering aimlessly, mindfully and thoughtfully observing, romanticizing the little things, celebrating any small moment that brings joy,” Fox said. “My story as a creator has been one of change… and embracing that as not just something inevitable, but as one of [the] values for my space.”
