Its views number in the millions. Your subscribers too. Is he youtuber Ari Coronel Vera, 22, famous by name online RaptorGamer, one of the Ecuadorians with the largest number of followers: a year ago he received the plaque from YouTube for reaching 10 million, And it’s over 12.
His channel is full of colorful and highly commented videos of games of Fortnite and Minecraft; To better understand its status, call the video gamer kid or teen at home and ask for RaptorGamer.
Raptor is a character that Ari pushed professionally since 2018, but has been with him since before. “He is a superhero that I invented as a child, as a protection against a babysitter that I did not like very much.” Born in La Libertad, province of Santa Elena, he has lived in Andorra since February of this yearthe country where he found his peers, Los Compas, a community of gamers whose characters interact with yours in the videos, playing games and also making songs. “Here are my lifelong friends; since I was 11 years old we have been talking on the internet, I traveled with them to Japan and they told me: ‘Look, come live with us’”.
But video games are not his only hobby. “This comes from my dad, his fun was books. I always remember him with a book nearby, a new one every day. He told me a lot about them, and they had very good phrases, so from a very young age I have been following my father’s example, to the point where I told myself that one day I would like to write my own book.
Five Ecuadorian youtubers with more than 1 million fans
So, what is your main profile, youtuber, gamer or game developer? “I would say Ari’s, that he is nothing but a dreamer. I have always moved after fulfilling dreams. I always saw myself living in a small town from the medieval era, and here I am”, he laughs, “in Andorra, which seems to be in the Middle Ages, with bridges and houses that look like castles”.
He looks behind his desk, where the badge that YouTube gave him is and comments that a week ago he stopped to think that he is doing everything he wanted to do when he was little. “I owe it, in the first place to the followers, the people who have accompanied me throughout this journey; then to my friends, people who have given me good advice, and my family, my father and mother; and after that, I, who have not given up either, although people have told me it was impossible: ‘You, being youtuberif you don’t even have a PC?’”.
Among his millions of subscribers, Ari knows, there are many children. Last October some of them went to the presentation of his first book, The infiltrated felinemade in Spain. They were going for an autograph and a selfie, and that’s fine with him, because its content is youthful, positive, fun and fast-paced. “But don’t believe, there are grown people who come to take pictures and say: ‘I love your videos.'” It amazes him to be admired by people older than him.
Although he is far from his family, and misses it, he believes he is in the right place. “I’m still counting on them, they were very happy when I took out The infiltrated feline. My dad loved seeing his son’s book in bookstores in Ecuador.” (and in those of Spain and Andorra). He says that he knows what he’s there for. “I want to reach more. I am an ambitious person, not in a bad way, but I want to improve my content every day. I want to reach one of the world tops, and if possible, more”.
How many hours of work a day does that mean? “It’s 8 at night and I’m still on the computer, because I’m recording, making videos, preparing things. I wake up and the first thing I do is come to the PC; and sometimes I wake up making a video, ”she says matter-of-factly. “The youtubers they are there because they like it, when they see my videos and hear my laughter, it is 100% real, I am not acting, it is hilarious for me, and for that reason, it seems to me, people also like it”, says the young man, a fan of the video game saga call of duty and also reader. “Now I’m finishing Harry Potter. It didn’t interest me much at the time, but in October I bought the seven books and I’m already on the last book”.
“I’m going to write my book”: ‘The infiltrated feline’, the illustrated world of Raptor Gamer
In the videos, Ari happens to be Raptor, and in the book too; he recreates the universe of that character and the beginnings of him as a youtuber teenager with “barely” a million subscribers. “It’s a world full of magic, talking cats, giant robots, and a young man who had a normal life who takes an extraordinary leap.”
Editorial Planeta saw the potential of Los Compas and decided to release a collection with them. “Everyone checked out a book before me, Mikecrack, ElTrollino, Timba, Sparta, RiusPlay, InVictor, El Mayo…”. When it was his turn, Ari wanted to add his touch to the project. The publisher assured him that they would look for someone to write Raptor’s story and also the illustrator of the previous books. “Let me write the story, you correct it,” he replied. “And I am going to bring the cartoonist. I want the drawings in my style, and it’s going to be manga, because I like anime”. The illustrator is Rawder, a Mexican artist based in Ecuador who has previously collaborated with Raptor on their logo creation. “Everything has the same design line and I love that”.
Is there a moment when Los Compas go out of character? yes, on the podcast Minute with Raptor (on Spotify, Deezer, Apple), in which they use their real names, Ari, Miguel, Dante. We talked about the life of youtubers and we answer the questions left by the followers”.
Ari estimates that the internet stopped being a game for him around 2018, when he realized that YouTube was no longer a hobby, but his profession. “When I was able to afford a trip to Japan without the help of my parents, my first plane flight, I began to fulfill my dreams,” he recalls. “It seems to me that I am asleep, that at any moment they are going to wake me up to go to the military school.”
Instead, he wakes up to enter his different profiles on platforms and social networks. “I’m into all the worthwhile ones: TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube. I have my team (of e-sports), the largest in Ecuador (it’s called Skullcracker) and one of the most important in Latin America, and I have my design company apps video game”. And although he does not consider himself a writer, he has his book, which he loves. “Every time I see it in bookstores, I buy it,” he says, and it’s hard to tell if it’s Ari being funny or Raptor showing off. “I have like 10 at home.” (AND)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
