Level ^ your Life: From Diablo Duo to Viral YouTube Virtuoso (+lessons learned)

This is an "H is for Hobbies" Hop story! A social media tip and an entrepreneur tip are included in this bad boy! Let's get it!

Trying to explain how I met Jon is a story best told with a healthy dose of "meant to be" sprinkled with a dash of delightful awkwardness. It was a tale of random moments that led me straight to my favorite human (read that HOP story here).

But for now, let's fast-forward a bit and talk about the constant hum in the background of our relationship: the digital symphony of beeps, boops, and triumphant (or rage-quit-inducing) yells that emanate from the gaming world.

Jon? He’s been a gamer since the pixelated dawn of time. When we first met, he was practically the Obi-Wan Kenobi of cartridges, holding court as a manager at GameStop. For him, it wasn't just a job; it was a sacred calling.

Me? I enjoyed games in theory. A casual Mario Kart race here, a nostalgic trip down memory lane with some old-school platformer there. But I wasn't exactly raiding dungeons in my spare time. That all changed when Diablo III entered our lives. Suddenly, the repetitive clicking wasn't just mindless button-mashing; it was a shared adventure. Blasting hordes of demons into satisfying digital giblets alongside Jon became… dare I say… fun?

There was a strange kind of intimacy in facing down impossible odds together, our fingers smashing controller buttons with reckless abandon as Taking Back Sunday or Breaking Benjamin wailed in the background, a soundtrack perfectly suited for slaying virtual evil. It was our version of couples therapy, just with more loot drops.

This was about the same time our one and only Zenya was born. This baby slept through anything - and still does. From a Texas thunderstorm to yes, the raging chaos that were Diablo boss battles.

Sweet Babeh Zen… yep, there’s a controller too.

Now that you’ve seen an adorable baby, if you aren’t a subscriber, pay with your loyalty:

Then came the Wisconsin chapter of our lives, a time filled with cheese curds and the audacious idea that we should share our gaming prowess (or lack thereof, in my case) with the world. Jon, ever the enthusiastic visionary, suggested we stream our gaming sessions.

Usually, this involved us perched in front of the PC, controllers in hand, or me grabbing the trusty PS5 controller while Jon made sure “it all worked” on the TV. And sometimes, amidst the digital mayhem, a pile of real-world candy would accumulate nearby – a tempting target for my strategic (definitely not accidental) "borrowing." He, the seasoned pro, and me, the occasionally lucky but consistently sassy sidekick (and candy bandit). It was a recipe for either viral fame or utter obscurity. We leaned heavily into the latter.

We dove into all sorts of digital realms. One minute, we were flying through Mario's whimsical world; the next, we were screeching around racetracks. Our streams, while not exactly setting the internet on fire, were a blast. We had a small but dedicated audience who seemed to enjoy the dynamic of the gaming guru patiently guiding his hilariously inept partner through levels upon levels.

It only occurred to Jon much later - this year in fact! - that there was a reason for my constant failings as a gamer. Running into walls and whiffing platform jumps was not me having bad timing or no hand-eye coordination. Funny fact, I’ve failed every depth perception test at the eye doctor since I was about 8. So there we have it. I couldn’t judge distances because it was all the same to me. It didn’t matter, though. My jokes and Jon’s near-pro-level gameplay made up for it.

But as life often does, it threw us a curveball in the form of a yearning for a less… Janesville-y existence. Our streaming sessions became less frequent as we packed our bags and set our sights on the slightly less cheesy horizons of Illinois. Life got busy, and our virtual adventures took a backseat stream-wise. However, Jon made time to hone Zen’s gaming skills across a variety of classics and kid-friendly newer games. Her conquests include Dragon Quest (multiple ones!), various Sonic games, Mega Man, and beyond.

Notice, I didn’t call the classics “kid-friendly.” I’m sorry, but I can’t really excuse the “Puff Puffs” and whatnot.

Moving on, Jon, the ever-evolving creative maestro, wasn't done with the online world. He decided to resurrect his dormant YouTube channel, dust off our old stream recordings, and get them on the Tube. The initial uploads did… okay. A few views here and there, a polite comment or two. Nothing that screamed "viral sensation."

Then the magic happened. Jon started taking the funniest, most chaotic moments from his and our streams and transformed them into bite-sized YouTube Shorts. He added witty graphics, perfectly timed captions, and sound effects that amplified the humor tenfold. Suddenly, those old recordings were breathing new life, finding an audience that appreciated the condensed chaos. The views started climbing.

As the world changed, Jon became hyper-aware of a rather off-putting fact: logical thinking was becoming a lost art online. Thus, Jon ventured into creating original shorts that weren’t always game-related.

Image credit to Korlno on Wish Fandom

Fueled by passions both nerdy and noble (some folks had the audacity to think Magnifico from Wish was a good guy – a delusion Jon addressed: link to the YT Short), these new creations garnered thousands of views. Watching his old and new clips has been a delightful trip down memory lane, a constant reminder of the incredibly talented and kind soul I somehow managed to snag.

And just when I thought he couldn't possibly impress me more, he put his YouTube productions on pause to dive headfirst into the world of Flutter, a coding language he taught himself, all to help my pet AI app (launching later this year) team bring our vision to life. Yep. My man learns new skills like other people learn TikTok dances.

So, here's the confession: this isn't really a full-fledged "H for Hobby" post, is it? My apologies for the slight deception. It's yet another installment in my ongoing saga of: "Why My Husband Is Basically a Unicorn."

But hey, there's a silver lining! For those of you out there looking to make a splash on YouTube, take note: consistency and quality truly matter. Jon’s journey wasn't an overnight success. It was a gradual process of experimentation, learning what resonates with an audience, and consistently putting out engaging content.

And for anyone brave enough to tackle a crazy project like launching a new app? My biggest takeaway so far is that communication, meticulous planning, pure, raw willpower, and a team you can absolutely count on are the required ingredients for getting it done. Find your people, plan/re-plan, and don't be afraid to keep going.

Thanks for indulging in my husband-appreciation-post-disguised-as-a-hobby HOP Story. What can I say? The man's just that interesting. Now, if you'll excuse me, life is calling. And who knows? Maybe I’ll game with the hubs and our kiddo more consistently post-app launch. (Or we’ll do some other crazy thing, I’ll let you know!)

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