Schedule of a Cozy Gamer

The snug of a blanket, warm fluffy socks, and a hot drink! Whilst settling down with an indie farming game. Pure coziness and entertainment rolled into one. Escaping into a digital world to chillax.

You can normally catch me on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday playing Garden Paws, Stardew Valley — which I keep referring to as Starview — must be the rip-off version! Potion Paws and occasionally Valheim. I play Valheim more like a farming game. I just turn on the cheat to make me invisible to the monsters that lurk!

What I once did alone I am now joined by others who pop into my Twitch stream to say ‘hi’ and hangout. I joined Twitch back in 2020 during the lockdown, but have only been streaming my cozy routine for a couple of months. I thought I was the only one, but there is a whole network of us ‘Cozy Streamers’ out there! I’d highly recommend checking out #CozyStreamers and #Cozy.

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What the heck is a cozy streamer?

This is the question I never heard you ask, but going to tell you anyway. It’s the players of slow-paced, comfortable games set in a warm and very real environment, but still supporting you into a journey of digital escapism.

Streamers may also adjust lightning and audio to create a soothing feel. There are some great-sounding streamers out there who send me to sleep with their calming voices. I know that isn’t their intention, but hey it has happened. Blankets, big snuggly hoodie sweaters, candles, and special appearances by pets (and pops) are all commonplace.

Ultimately the goal is to create a warm, welcoming safe space that is inclusive and open to all. A network of gamers standing up to the hateful, and often discriminate enviroments that had been forming a toxic mold on Twitch.

On another note gaming isn’t something you would always link professional people to. In the media, it’s often portrayed as lazy non-achievers, but the community consists of doctors, nurses, solicitors, teachers, bankers, managers, service personnel — the list goes on…

But just what does an average Sunday feel like for the cozy streaming gamer?

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Schedule of a Cozy Gamer

6 am

I roll out of bed, kiss my family — get told to f**k off as they are trying to sleep. Do some yoga or exercise bike, but my dog wants feeding and some attention. I then ask Google for the news about 20 times before it responds asking if I want to snooze, but no alarms are set! The news finally happens whilst I check on social media before needing coffee!

7 am

I order coffee online or go out to get some. I made my coffee once, but my husband was so shocked I had to do a risk assessment. I pace and watch out of the window for coffee. I think about coffee. I want to be one with the coffee. I get coffee. I drink coffee.

8 am

I’m still drinking my coffee mindfully as I like to savor it — it’s cold and tastes like sh*t now. I check out my social media gaming-related posts and start to self-reflect on why the f**k my gaming tag is Ickle Pixel Panda! Why? Why? WHY?

9 am

I jump into content creation and drink my coffee wondering why I ordered one that is the size of a bucket. I inform people that I am streaming, even though I know they don’t give a sh*t what the f**k I do. I feel the need to be this annoying anyway.

10 am

I drink the last of my coffee only to pee it all out and start to regret my actions. I then remind myself that people are only alive today as I drink coffee to keep me nice (and cozy).

11 am

I have a little tummy ache, so now thinking I should not drink coffee over 3 maybe 4 hours old! I grab what I call 11s (snack) and get ready to stream. I check my tech and reset the setting. I test the microphone, but suddenly all the words I know are ‘Hello’ and ‘Testing’. I tap the microphone then ponder why we always tap the microphone when testing.

12 pm

I start prepping to stream, then feel like I need another loo break — Da*n you coffee! I grab some lunch. Most women will now do their hair and makeup. I brush my hair, stick on some panda ears, reach for my snug hoodie, and keep things real. I want a relaxed feel.

1 pm

I am finally streaming! The dog starts to do weird things to my leg. I remind her she’s an old female dog, what is she doing? — I think she’s trying to help me go viral or something. She then jumps up and my chair spins round. I feel like giving up but I persevere.

2 pm

The fam is all awake and doing impressions in the background so I turn my camera off. The husband is pretending to be in a lift and my kid is doing loser signs. I’m also giving them a sign. I have 42 followers now just, just 8 more need for affiliate level!

3-5 pm

I have real people join the stream now. I ask everyone how they’re doing? How their weeks have been? And what games do they like? I also tell them not to mess with my bamboo. It’s likely they will never come back to one of my streams. I have 38 followers now - just 12 needed for affiliate level!

6 pm

I’m closing my stream down as I have dinner to cook, pets to feed, and housework to do. I thank all 3 of my viewers for watching, giving a speech like I've just won an oscar. I then post across social media to say thanks and share random screenshots of gameplay.

7 pm

I continue to post highlights — it doesn’t take long to do this! My kid calls me lame then disappears into a black hole. It only emerges for feeding and to insult. Then I check out some other awesome streamers. There are a lot of fellow writers who stream! Some even stream when they are writing. I tried this, but when I am in the flow, I’m IN THE FLOW!

8 pm

Netflix time and family time! Enough said.

You can catch me streaming on Twitch TV as Ickle Pixel Panda 🐼