Drag Race Superstar Farrah Moan Opens Up About Mental Health, Gaming, and Her New Twitch Channel
- Date: September 24, 2024
- Topic: Made in Peerspace
- By: Peerspace
When it comes to blending entertainment, creativity, and personal growth, Farrah Moan has found her stride in a unique way. The RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar is bringing her unmistakable charm and a dash of gamer girl energy into a new role: Twitch streamer. In this interview with Peerspace, Farrah opens up about her mental health journey, the healing power of video games, and her latest creative endeavor.
Peerspace: Hello, Farrah! It’s so nice to have you for this interview. How have you been?
Farrah: Hi, Peerspace! I’m so excited to be speaking with you. I’ve been really good–I dedicated the last eight months to my mental health. It’s been a lot of work, but I’m in a really incredible place in my life now!
Peerspace: That’s so awesome, congratulations! What’s this we hear about you launching a Twitch channel?
Farrah: Thank you! YES, I am so, so excited for this next chapter in my life! I don’t think a lot of people know this, but I’m actually a sweaty gamer girl. Video games have really helped me a lot through the most difficult times in my life, and I really want to share that with my audience.
Peerspace: How interesting–we wouldn’t have guessed you are a gamer! What are some of your favorite video games?
Farrah: How much time do you have? Haha, I could go on and on, but some of my top favorites of all time are The Witcher 3 (Team Yennefer), Genshin Impact, Dead by Daylight, anything Final Fantasy, anything Sonic, anything Pokémon, and I’ve kinda been known to dabble in Old School RuneScape (don’t judge me!).
Peerspace: That’s quite the list! Which ones do you plan on playing on your Twitch channel?
Farrah: Right now, I am OBSESSED with Dead by Daylight! It’s a survival game where you and three other survivors have to escape a vicious killer played by some stranger somewhere in the world. I think I am going to start with that and branch out as I get my bearings on the site.
Peerspace: We look forward to seeing you run from a vicious killer! You mentioned video games helped you through difficult times. Would you like to share more about that?
Farrah: Ever since I was little, I have loved video games. I was bullied really badly growing up —I was the extremely feminine kid that a lot of kids didn’t want to be friends with. So, I would come home from school, play Pokémon or Zelda, and escape into a fantasy world where all my problems faded away. During the pandemic, I went through one of the darkest periods I’ve ever experienced—with all the gigs getting canceled, I was so isolated, alone, scared, and unsure of the future. All I had was my PlayStation and my Nintendo Switch to help me through it. In many ways, the video games I played during that time really saved my life. The world was so dark and scary, but when I logged into my games, I could escape into a beautiful fantasy world and help the characters with their problems and quests. In 2022, I made the decision to make some major changes in my life, including the decision to live a sober life, free from drugs and alcohol. Genshin Impact, Dead by Daylight, and even Old School RuneScape really helped keep my brain occupied during those rough early stages of my sobriety. I could write an entire thesis on how video games have helped me in my life! Haha.
Peerspace: That is so beautiful! We’re so glad you made it through those times. Let’s shift gears and talk about these photos—they are INCREDIBLE. What was the inspiration behind this shoot?
Farrah: Thank you so much! YES, I’d loooove to talk about these photos! The inspiration came around the end of 2022, when I made the decision to go for this Twitch stream goal. There’s a term in the gaming world called “sweaty gamer”; it’s used derogatively to describe someone who is sweaty and gross and sits at their computer all day playing games. Often, a sweaty gamer sits with a pile of empty soda cans and snacks, cigarette butts, etc. I was joking with my friend, “When I start streaming, I wanna be laying naked in a pile of soda cans, snacks, covered in oil,” and then I was like, “Wait, that’s actually everything.” So with the help of Peerspace and my incredible friend Vico Velez Photography, we made it come to life! Peerspace is an incredible app where you can find really amazing locations in your area that you can rent by the hour for all your creative projects. We found the COOLEST Peerspace called “Media Pollution” in Los Angeles. The space is unreal—it’s so cool. It was SO hard to narrow the photo selections down! It’s been so awesome to feel that creative drive come back, and I’m so thankful for Peerspace for helping this shoot come to life.
Peerspace: You definitely give new meaning to “sweaty gamer”! When can we expect to catch your first stream?
Farrah: Everyone can catch my first stream on October 5 at 5pm PST!
Peerspace: We can’t wait to see it! Thank you for sitting down with us today. Is there anything you’d like to let your fans know before we part?
Farrah: I look forward to seeing you all there! I’d love to let anyone reading this know that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, and you can make it through any hardships in this life—sometimes you just need a little video game.
Explore the incredible sci-fi cyber tech LA set where Farrah held her gamer girl photoshoot here.