At almost 90 years old, legendary YouTuber Shirley Curry, better known as “Skyrim Grandma,” is ending her career and saying goodbye to her millions of fans in an emotional video.
One of the most famous and beloved personalities in the gaming community is bidding farewell to the big stage: Shirley Curry, affectionately known as “Skyrim Grandma” by millions of fans, has announced in a new video that she will be ending her career as a YouTuber focused on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Shortly before her 90th birthday, she explains why she will no longer continue her adventures in Skyrim.
Lack of feedback and a changing community
The main reason for her decision is that she is simply tired and no longer enjoys creating content:
All of this has developed because I’m turning 90 soon. Every time I have a new idea for a story in Skyrim, I might make one, two, or three videos with a new character, and then I get bored again.
Another key factor in her decision to step back is the change in her interaction with her audience: Curry misses the deeper exchanges she used to have with her fans:
I don’t get real feedback from them on the videos anymore. All I get is ‘Hi Grandma, I love you, Grandma.’ That’s not why I spent my time making and uploading videos.”
She feels that her community now consists mainly of very young children and that the conversations with older viewers that were important to her are no longer happening.
This isn’t the first time Shirley Curry has considered taking a break or retiring. About a year ago, she announced that she would no longer be producing gaming videos, but then made a surprise return for the remaster of Oblivion. However, her current announcement seems more final. “I’m tired, I’m not enjoying it anymore,” she summarizes her feelings.
Shirley Curry began her YouTube career in 2015 and quickly became a phenomenon: her calm, warm manner as she explored the world of Skyrim and experienced her own stories within it attracted a huge audience.
Her importance to the community has also been recognized officially: Following a fan petition, Bethesda promised to immortalize Shirley Curry as an NPC in the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6. In this way, her legacy will become an integral part of the universe she loved so much. For those who don’t want to wait that long, there has been a mod for Skyrim for quite some time that brings her into the game as a companion.
Fortunately, the Skyrim grandma won’t disappear completely. She plans to publish occasional vlogs to stay in touch with her long-time, older viewers.
