After struggling to find a career path that felt right and grappling with mental health issues, a gamer turned his dream job into his reality.

Wilf Ratcliff, 21, didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, he definitely tried. He put in shifts at Waitrose, managed an O2 store in Kensington and gave e-commerce a try too. Nothing felt right.

Wilf opened up about the difficulty of balancing mental health struggles and finding a purpose as a young person trying to build a life. When he was working in e-commerce, changes to trading meant that the job was no longer viable and he had to find something else. He interviewed with a software company and was far into the process with them, before he realised that his job would entail holding workshops and pitching sales to hundreds of people. With a chronic fear of public speaking, he didn’t feel like he could go ahead with the interview. It was another blow for the creator’s job hunt.

“I had a little breakdown on what should have been the morning of the interview; cried for so long on the phone that my arm seized up.” Wilf says.

“I was eating Doritos for a few months, completely aimless, and then just honestly locked in on making TikTok’s. I was making them breakfast, lunch and dinner, absolutely knocking them out.”

In July 2024, everything changed for Wilf when he hit 10,000 followers on TikTok, meaning he could join the TikTok Creator programme

“Coming up on a year since then, I now have 377,000 followers.”

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@wilfratgaming Permafrost! #gamingontiktok #survivalgames #gamestoplay #horrorgames #gamingontiktok❤ #coopgames ♬ original sound – wilfratgaming

Wilf, known across social media as Wilfrat Gaming, makes videos on lesser known games, specifically multiplayer games that people can play with friends. He believes its important to game with friends, and encourages his followers to try and build friendships in what can sometimes be an isolating space.

“To be honest with you, the only friends I really had through COVID were my online friends, and I think it would feel quite rewarding if I could help someone else find an online friend group.” Wilf says.

“Some of the most fun that you can have is on a s****y five pound game on Steam that you play with your friends for two hours. Those games can be some of the most fun that you have, in comparison to these 60 pound new games that everyone has already heard about.”

“I think it is basically enabling people to spend quality time with their friends when they’re far away, which they can’t normally do. I’ve got friends from all over the world that I play games with, and I think if I could be responsible for starting an online friend group, that would kind of be the dream.”

Young men and boys make up the majority of Wilf’s audience, and gaming content creators are the most followed type of influencer amongst that demographic. Wilf knows how hard it can be as a young person to choose what you want to do with your life and wants to cultivate a space online that champions the importance of maintaining friendships, encourages passion and inspires people to choose a path that they want.

“My advice to anyone who’s in the same position I was in would be to find out what you’re interested in – however random and niche it is -and then find a way to make that your job.”

After everything he’s been through – a battle with depression and anxiety, and having the job rug pulled from under him – Wilf can finally say that he’s working on something rewarding. He was recently invited to Poland for a gaming company’s launch event, and has developed partnerships and collaborations with brands and fellow creators that he grew up watching and admiring. Most importantly, Wilf has grown a loyal audience that he loves creating for.

“Responses like ‘Oh, this guy’s made me buy so many games’ and ‘me and my friends played this game you recommended’ are the most rewarding comments that I get.

“If I look back on where I actually came from, there were obviously a lot of hurdles I’ve overcome, and I’m really proud that I did that.”