One of the big questions at my school district is “What’s your why?” They asked me my “why” for becoming a teacher at my orientation when I started here years ago. The practice has stuck with me. So, as I took a step towards streaming on Twitch on a regular basis last fall, I asked myself “Why?” I ask myself the same question routinely to help me become a better streamer. My answers have changed a bit over the last 10 months, but the root of why I stream has stayed constant for the most part. 

I stream because I want to connect with others—to build friendships with people online. 

When I first became a Twitch Affiliate back in June 2019, I was streaming because I thought I’d make it big. I wanted to strive to be a Twitch Partner. I wanted to be the Ninja of the MMO scene on Twitch. I wanted to be able to quit my job and stream full-time. I wanted a lot of things, but I didn’t realize the amount of work that goes into doing what these big-time streamers do. I saw streaming as a quick way to make it rich, but it’s anything but that. Plus, it just didn’t happen. There are SO many channels on Twitch, each trying to promote the same types of content. My stream was/is mediocre. I met some folks and grew enough to become an Affiliate, but the fame I was searching for did not come. So, streaming went on the back burner, and I didn’t think much about it. 

Then, 2020 hit. I started the year with back surgery and had to miss my trip with Love Thy Nerd to PAX South. Then, we welcomed little AllenRose to our family. Then, the pandemic hit, and I spent months at home only really seeing my wife, my newborn daughter, and the occasional relative via Zoom. I started taking Zoloft midway through the year because my depression symptoms became overwhelming. I just could not cope with all that happened at the beginning of the year. It was just too much. 

So, when August rolled around and I began preparing for the 2020-2021 school year, I knew I needed to add something to my life to help me cope/destress/relax. Gaming came to mind, as I have been an avid gamer since kindergarten when I broke my arm and my dad got us a SNES. And I thought, if I was going to spend hours gaming, I might as well stream it. So, I spoke with WhiteRose, set a schedule, and went live again for the first time in months. I enjoyed it, but I felt like something was missing. 

It was my “why.”

So, I thought about it, and I found the answer: connection. With the world in a state of isolation, as we all stayed 6+ feet away from folks or hid our faces behind masks, I knew that connecting with people would make my streaming more impactful to me and to others. “It is not good for man to be alone,” after all. We were created for connection. And honestly, I have found my gaming habits to be the healthiest when I am gaming with other people. 

So, as I pondered writing my “why” down for my blog, I dug into my ministry training and decided to write a mission statement:

AllentionTV strives to connect online and to promote community with all who interact with created content on various platforms. 

What this means for you, my followers: 

  • I am committing to community with you. If you wanna hang out in my discord server, come on down. Let’s chat about whatever’s on your mind. DM me on socials. However, you want to communicate.
  • If you want to play a game with me or watch me play a game on stream, I’m down, assuming I own the game or can easily obtain it. (I’m not Ninja, y’all. I can’t just buy the latest hotness as much as I want to.)
  • I am going to spend time over the summer to increase my video presence on YouTube because I know there are folks who would rather watch my videos there or can’t catch my live stream and would rather watch a highlights video. 

As the one-year anniversary of my revived channel draws near, I hope to get to know you all better and continue creating content you enjoy. Thanks for reading.