Allow Yourself To Vtube And See What Happens

When I first started vtubing, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was never active on Twitter. I never even put my voice out there on the Internet or even streamed on Twitch/Youtube. But, vtubing became the most liberating experience for me & my mental health during COVID-19.

So for context, I’m a recent graduate — Class of 2020. I currently have a part-time job and live with my parents.

It’s not the exact scenario I want to be in.

I expected to have a full-time job by the time I graduate and probably move out by now. Sadly, as we all know, COVID-19 came into our lives.

I slowly isolated myself from others and stuck to my family’s side. I was afraid of getting sick, especially when I have nurses in my family — I didn’t want to endanger them by going outside. I was honestly paranoid to the point where I just only stared at a screen.

My own college graduation was televised.

I really felt hopeless and alone despite being with my family. The only time I would speak up was during my classes and when ordering food delivery. I hated every minute of it. Felt sick of it. It really didn’t help that I was being rejected in my online job search.

Nonetheless, in my search, I came across vtubing…

It was a new form of content creation where people use virtual avatars to represent themselves online.

I loved the idea as I really don’t like showing my face — I actually get gender dysphoria seeing my own face in the mirror.

Through vtubing, I could actually represent myself the way I want to as an LGBTQ+ individual.

My first introduction to vtubing was when Hololive introduced Hololive’s English Branch for the first time in Fall 2020.

It immediately caught my eye as an avid anime fan.

What the hell is this?

Upon seeing the intricate designs, I dived into the rabbit hole.

It was as if theatre, gaming, and technology were combined; vtubers played specific characters from games or even their own world in either 2D or 3D! Then the day came when the Hololive girls debuted.

I first watched Mori Calliope:

I found myself glued to the screen and wished that I can do this too.

It gave me some hope when everything else in life felt like it was out of control. It showed me the beauty of content creation: you get to control what you make and give to the world in your own time.

Now, I’ve been vtubing for more than a year and a half on Twitch.

This experience made me realize that putting your voice out there in any medium will greatly help your mental health. It’s a wonderful avenue for self-expression, and you can easily start with a picture and microphone — you can even put your content on Tiktok, Twitch, Youtube, or here on Medium!

So, if you’re interested in vtubing — feel free to ask me how to get started!

Edited by Creation Web Novel Studio