Tara Babcock -

"Listen, guys," she told the camera, dropping the cheerful persona for something more raw. "I had a, let's say, 'difficult' day. It's tough being a girl who loves a lot of different, intense things. Sometimes you just feel like you're fighting on all sides."

She moved from modeling into gaming, becoming known for playing StarCraft and her blunt, honest commentary on her YouTube channel. tara babcock

She paused the game for a moment and took a sip of energy drink. "Listen, guys," she told the camera, dropping the

The chat erupted. Instead of the usual, "What setting are you using?" it was, "We get it," and "Keep going." Sometimes you just feel like you're fighting on all sides

But that night, she felt a familiar pressure. A moderator was fighting with a troll in the chat, a long-distance relationship saga was dominating her personal life, and her inbox was flooded with brands wanting her to push products. She felt that classic "model mind, gamer soul" tension.

Born in Seattle in 1989, she was an only child who was heavily spoiled with video games by her parents, leading to her "tomboy" nerd roots.