An Inspired Chat with Luis Arroyo of Brooklyn

Luis Arroyo shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Luis , a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
After a long process of learning and depression shaped by many factors in my life, I learned how to live in the present. For years, I used to live inside my head, constantly planning for problems that hadn’t even arrived yet. I always had a plan B and C for everything, trying to control every possible outcome. But that mindset was quietly destroying my personal relationships, because there was always an expectation tied to what needed to happen for me to feel okay. My peace depended on the future, and that made me lose the ability to enjoy what was right in front of me.

It took therapy, books, traveling to more than ten countries across different continents, talking with people whose lives and beliefs were completely different from mine, and even living in another city to finally understand that the only thing we truly have is the present moment. It sounds cliché — something many people repeat — but living it is something else entirely. When you’re truly present, you don’t just enjoy what surrounds you or what you’re doing; you appreciate the people you share that moment with. You start to value every stage of your life instead of taking it for granted.

So when those inevitable cycles come — when someone leaves your life, or when a stage like a job or a chapter ends — you don’t suffer the change; you appreciate it. You can look back with affection instead of regret, because you said what you had to say, you did what you had to do, and everything happened when it had to. You enjoyed what was meant to be enjoyed, and you endured what had to be endured.

A lot of people recommend “living in the present” in a generation overloaded with noise and content. But I had to learn it the hard way, understand it deeply, and practice it consciously — long before I was ready. I learned it pretty young and I am proud of it. I am proud of that.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Luis Arroyo, though most people online know me as ElGamerWicho. I’m a Mexican content creator, storyteller, and the voice behind one of the most dedicated Gears of War communities in Latin America. Over the years, I’ve built something that goes beyond gaming — a space where nostalgia, storytelling, and purpose connect.

With time, I’ve worked with several major brands, but I also had the chance to direct audiovisual projects for communication companies — something meaningful in my path considering I studied cinematography, even though I was eventually expelled for pursuing my ideals at that time. Sometimes being an outstanding student means having a voice that people actually listen to, and choosing to silence it is like giving up the possibility of creating change that could help those around you as part of a community.

I’m deeply in love with cinema and music. I used to play the drums at a serious level when I was younger. Life later took me through many roads — today, I’ve become a bilingual speaker and conference host in both English and Spanish. I’ve stayed true to my online project built around the game I love the most. Along the way, I met the original creators of the franchise that gave me a name in this industry, collaborating with Epic Games and Microsoft.

At one point, I worked as Country Manager for an agency in Mexico and later as Operational Manager for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Thanks to the relationships I’ve built across the industry, I’ve been able to give opportunities to other talents in North America — connecting their ideas with brands and helping launch projects that were, at the very least, interesting.

I’ve traveled through the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, England, Germany, Armenia, Qatar, and many other places. Traveling has become one of my life goals — not just as a hobby, but as a way of expanding perspective. I lived for a while in New York City and co-founded a travel application powered by artificial intelligence.

Right now, I’m writing a book — I don’t know if I’ll ever publish it, but once it’s finished, I know I’ll share it with a small group of people who I’d like to have access to what truly happened with me during my youth.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The first time my heart truly broke, my world collapsed — and I fell into depression, even though, ironically, nothing was really “happening” from the outside. I had a relationship with a woman from the United States that lasted about four years, though the part that really mattered happened between 2021 and 2023. Sometimes I still wonder if that story was shaped by the pandemic, or if it would’ve unfolded the same way regardless.

What I learned from that chapter was that when you grow up too fast, when success comes early, you slowly lose your sense of wonder. Everything starts to feel predictable, almost numb — until someone walks into your life and suddenly gives meaning to everything you’ve lived. They become the engine that gives color to your existence. But when that connection ends, all the color fades at once, and you’re left standing in a kind of silence that feels endless.

That heartbreak forced me to evolve. It made me reevaluate my roots, my family, and the way I connected with others. It taught me that sometimes even family members who don’t add value to your life have to remain distant, and that’s okay. I learned how to build healthier friendships, to be more present in real life, to surround myself with people who help me grow.

I read countless books on philosophy and psychology, spent years in therapy, and had endless conversations trying to find answers — until I finally understood that life isn’t about finding answers. It’s about learning how to ask better questions. Sometimes, the act of forming the question itself is more transformative than reaching a conclusion.

In short, it’s the journey, not the destination, where life really happens.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Success is lonelier than suffering. When you’re going through hard times, there are more ways to connect with others — pain creates empathy, and people can relate to it. But when you’re doing well, when things finally start working out, very few people can truly empathize with that version of you. That’s why I’ve learned to stay discreet in moments of abundance — to protect them, and to share them only with those who actually walked beside me on the road that led there.

People often confuse success with money or material things, but to me, it’s about who you reach your goals with, not the goals themselves. Because at the end of the day, what really matters is not how high you climb, but who’s still standing next to you when you get there.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I think people have lost their sense of tact — we’ve underestimated the importance of having real, face-to-face conversations. Over time, I’ve tried to stay as close as possible to genuine human interaction. I still use texting, but mainly as a bridge to what really matters — meeting people in person, looking them in the eye, and sharing time that feels real.

We live in a hyper-connected generation that doesn’t realize the damage caused by losing human-to-human contact. Many people feel comfortable living through screens, locked inside routines that replace genuine connection with digital noise. The value of living emotions in real time, with another person right in front of you, has been slowly disappearing — and with it, part of what makes us human.

That’s why I protect the value of conversation more than almost anything. I protect the art of meeting new people through dialogue, the kind of talk where you’re fully present — not distracted, not performing, just there. To me, a real achievement is when a conversation becomes so deep and natural that neither of us checks the phone or the time; we just let it flow until it ends where it’s meant to. Those are the moments that leave a mark.

And I think this connects to something deeper: we’ve become a generation addicted to immediacy. Nobody wants to invest time in anything anymore, and that has taken away the flavor of things that need to be cultivated. We’re all overstimulated, all the time. People can’t focus, and I often catch myself at risk of falling into that same pattern — so I try to hold on to formats that demand time. Watching entire films, having long conversations, writing, reading. I try to make sure that fleeting consumption doesn’t take over my routine, at least not more than it has to.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I’m sure that every person who’s crossed paths with me has taken something from the experience — and I don’t mean that in a possessive way, but in a human one. The people I connect deeply with usually carry a part of me, and that’s something I truly value. I try to make that group — the people I go deep with — as large as possible.

There’s one word I hope people remember me by when I’m gone: lucid. I think I’ve developed a kind of awareness that, if I’m honest, I sometimes wish I didn’t have — but I know it’s necessary. People often tell me that our conversations give them perspective, and I’ve realized that, in a way, I’ve become a lens for how others see certain parts of life.

In the end, nothing we do really matters as much as we think it does. The only thing that gives our existence value is the mark we leave on others — the small, unrepeatable moments where something we said or did helped someone else see a little more clearly. That’s what I hope stays when I’m gone.

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Image Credits
Alejandro Frías
Eli Danger

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