He rejects the label altogether.
Instead, opting for the term' influencer.'
It’s a title he thinks more appropriately suits his motivations.
Allan Alvarez.Allan Alvarez
Allan Alvarez
“I call myself an influencer because that’s what I like doing.
I don’t care too much about what kind of content I make.
I love influencing,” Alvarez said in a phone interview with Lifewire.
Allan Alvarez
Aside from being an inspiration for speedrunners in gaming, Alvarez wants to help educate the gaming world.
I had to learn tough love.
There was no safe space," he said.
It was so difficult."
But while his family fostered his personal side, his gaming ambitions remained untapped.
He recalled his parents seldom allowed him to play video games.
However, his natural talent was something that could not be denied.
He discovered Twitch in its infancy around 2013 and began his storied journey in speedrunning in May 2014.
The young Alvarez channeled his discontent into the thrill of competition.
The competition aspect had always been the most exciting feature of gaming for him growing up.
Hebroke his first world record in 2015.
Yet, his personal life was not as glamorous.
“I was depressed for years in Trinidad.
The stream was going great, but I didn’t want to be home anymore,” he said.
I remember crying because I was so happy.
I always tell people, my life started once I got to Spain."
The Brie-lliant World of Cheese
Cheese was on the rise.
Throughout his seven years on Twitch, Alvarez hasbrokenSuper Mario 64speedrunning world recordswhile maintaining a sizable audience.
A relaxed audience that Alvarez says avoids the more volatile meme culture of the speedrunning community.
I like to bring up topics that some streamers would call controversial.
Its more fun, honestly.
Its just fun to talk about interesting things.
Its really boring to me to stream and talk about a video game the whole time.
Im already playing the video game.
I dont want to talk about it as well, he said.
I call myself an influencer because that’s what I like doing.
I don’t care too much about what kind of content I make.
Alvarez is not afraid to offend people, but he does so with a sense of purpose.
Learning how to have difficult conversations with difficult people is what a life of constant change has taught him.
The most important lesson, he said, is education.
[That] is how you defeat bigotry.
Not just yelling at people.
In this instance, Cheese is more than just an appetizer.
