Written by: Yasmin Aboelsaud
March 4th, 2022
“It's really cool because they’re making history. Seeing women pros is a huge game-changer.”
From being a spectator and fan, to being one of the game-changers herself, Jayden Diaz began her path as a content creator at an early age.
When she was 16-years-old, she saw a lot of strong women streamers and looked up to them. For a young girl who began playing World of Warcraft at five-years-old, then League of Legends at 13, Jayden knew she had a love for gaming right away.
Jayden, now 23-years-old, said that while her main idol is her mother, her main inspiration to stream was Pokimane.
“Pokimane was my main inspiration because she showed how amazing it could be doing what you enjoy and having a positive community around you,” she said. “Seeing her shape lives at a young age (16-17) inspired me to wanna stream and hopefully do the same for others.”
She added that the women at Riot Games were also inspirational to her, such as Riot Swimbananas or Riot Moose. “They’re doing what they love and they’re very sweet people. I just think it’s really cool because they’re making history. Seeing women pros is a huge game changer because there are always people hating on them for being a girl.”
She was sure to point out that guys are also being put down online, but the communities have gotten better.
“The stereotypes and the shit talking are obviously there, but I feel like people have gotten better,” said Jayden, adding that she always wants to help others. “I want to stand up for girls, and be the voice for girls who are scared to talk.”
Having over 147,000 followers on Twitch, Jayden used to stream six days a week, but that has now changed to seven. And she’s working on making a difference for others each of those days, and beyond the gaming console.
With the support of Red Bull, Jayden created an event called Press Enter, which was supposed to take place in January but was moved to March 19, 2022. The event brings together women and content creators to speak on panels, and enjoy meet and greets.
Explaining the name of the event, Jayden said that “every single woman in content creation and esports industry had to press enter at some point to get to where they are.”
She said it’s important for “guys and girls and anybody” who wants to see women on stage to be able to, which is also why she chose to organize the event.
“This is a big thing for me,” she said, because it makes her happy.
When we spoke to Jayden, she was in the middle of moving, and hadn’t taken a day off streaming since January.
“If I go live, I know there are people there for me, and it makes me happy and excited. I just want to help people,” Jayden said, sharing that she was studying to be a nurse when she began gaming, but ended up dropping nursing for communications.
While she changed her focus, she said she still wants to go back to nursing, because she wants to help people, as she does in gaming.
Jayden has a big online community, which she says is safe and very diverse. She wants to continue growing it, and wants to get better at gaming.
“I started to get better at League of Legends,” she said smiling. “I am really proud of where I have gone. I have got to the highest ranking of the game I have ever gotten.”
“I want to keep getting better.”
She knows others, like her, may be compared to and put down. But she is encouraging anyone who wants to get into gaming to focus on themselves.”
“Focus on yourself, focus on the positivity, and go live, just do it. You can make a big difference doing what you want to do.”
When she was just getting started, Jayden asked one of her managers, “Do you think it would be different if I was a guy streamer? Do you think it would be easier? Harder?”
Her manager replied, “Everybody has different paths. In the gaming industry, not everybody has an easy way. But all you can do is try your best, be your best and focus on those who support you. And there will be a clear way for you.”
