About Gem
My name is Gem. I’ve been a gamer since before I can remember.
I grew up in Yorkshire in the 80s with four siblings and one TV. We had to take turns to play — one hour each, strictly timed — and it still caused arguments. I vividly remember playing Lemmings while my sisters watched every move I made. Back seat gamers before the term even existed. Honestly, it’s probably why streaming felt so natural to me when I started on Mixer years later — I’d been performing for an audience my whole life.
As we got older, my oldest sister and I got smarter about it. We’d say “we’ll swap when the character dies,” knowing full well we were better players and would get longer turns. I’m not proud of it. But I am proud of where gaming has taken me.
The long way round
I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. Creativity has always been at the centre of what I do — but life has a way of pulling you in other directions.
I worked in an art store. Went to university and studied fine art. That was my first real shot at living the dream, and it didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. I ended up in the corporate world, found my way to a behavioural specialist, studied NLP, and became a qualified hypnotherapist.
If you’ve spotted a pattern, you’re right — I have a history of chasing things and then quietly stepping back from them.
What burnout actually taught me
Right now, I work nights as a manager for an insurance company. It’s taken its toll. I’m in my 40s and life still doesn’t feel like I’m living my dreams. I feel burnt out — not just tired, but the kind of exhaustion where your nervous system forgets what rest actually feels like.
But burnout has taught me something I couldn’t learn any other way: I don’t go after my dreams because deep down, I didn’t believe I deserved them.
That stops now.
Why novachasing exists
I made a life-changing move — left Yorkshire and relocated to a coastal village in Scotland with my partner Mark and our two Jack Russells, Lottie and Pippa. That move was the first honest thing I’d done for myself in years.
novachasing is the second.
This site is my public declaration: I want to encourage women to slow down. Your worth is not based on your output. You are allowed to play games unapologetically. You are allowed to rest without earning it first.
I’m a cosy gaming girl who works nights and can’t switch off. I make game recommendations and talk about all things nervous system — specifically for people who are burnt out, overstimulated, or just tired of being tired.
If that’s you, you’re in the right place.