The Dreams of a Streamer
After a year break from working on this series, it’s time to reintroduce myself, my stream/content creation, and goals.
Hello! I’m solitaryjes on Twitch, Bluesky, and YouTube, but you can call me Jesús! I’m a variety streamer that focuses on narrative games with the occasional dip into multiplayer games. I teach creative writing and theatre classes at a university, and I’m writing a fantasy novel.
Streaming has become a passion of mine, which I’ve embraced over the past few months. My move from Japan back to the United States led to a regular streaming schedule in 2024. Gone are the days where I would stream once or twice a week, then go months without. September to December were especially high in the streaming hours. With the increased amount of streaming time came an increase in viewers I recognized. However, growth has stalled and I’m not sure where to go from there.
I find myself at a crossroads without a signpost, and either path could lead anywhere or nowhere. Instead of taking one, I’ve been sitting still, trying in vain to make sense of a general direction. Content creation and streaming lives and breathes through hard work and a generous amount of luck. Both of which I lack—though I am improving on the former. The quality of my streams get better. I’m more confident than I was a year ago, and it’s easier to talk on stream. I see the personal growth, and I can taste the ‘meta’ growth. I just need to take a path.
My goal for 2025 is to see the meta growth form. I have no expectations of becoming the next xQc, Pokimane, or any successful streamers. Nor do I want to make a living off of streaming (kudos to all the folks that strive for that). I would like to continue to see my content creation develop, grow, and find an audience that enjoys playing games and hanging out.
Part of that growth means breaking out my shell and expanding my content to YouTube. This is an aspect I’ve struggled with, as I’m not too great at thumbnail creation, and finding time to edit streams to a more consumable product is hard. Incoming games like Avowed, South of Midnight, and a few other titles are games I’m eager to play on stream and share that experience beyond Twitch. And I will, starting with Avowed in February.
Beyond establishing a steady rhythm to expanding content to YouTube, I don’t have many more goals that than. Oh, I could chase after 300 followers or some number like that, but I don’t have control over whether someone follows. Yes, by creating engaging content people follow, but I’m at the mercy of whether someone finds the content good. Creating a numerical goal at the moment doesn’t seem sustainable (for my mental health at least) in the short term. Instead of a numerical goal, I will strive to create content that I enjoy creating. After all, you need to enjoy the process of creation if you ever hope to see growth.
Other minor goals I have involve raiding and supporting other small content creators, both on Twitch and YouTube. A big shortcoming I’ve had is raiding to other smaller content creators at the end of my stream. I do not follow a lot of streamers and creators. Most of the ones I do are on the large side (like Kinda Funny and Denims). As 2025 rolls on, I’m going to remember to raid and pop into streams for smaller content creators. Maybe I can help them reach their dreams of growth too!
Thank you for taking the time to read. I’m solitaryjes, you can find me over on Twitch and soon YouTube!
Jesús M. Rivera 