The attention that comes with being one of the biggest streamers onYouTubecan be a lot to bear, and top streamer Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofstetter is feeling that pressure. Her fellow 100 Thieves co-ownerJack “CouRage” Dunlop has talked about how difficult being a streamercan be when keeping up interaction with chat, playing games well, and dealing with trolls. Valkyrae, after receiving a barrage of social media hate, is considering leaving that all behind.
Valkyrae’s rise through the streaming ranks has been quick, as she found success withAmong Usstreams and branched out to work with a number of other big-name streamers. Until recently, Valkyrae had been sharing a house with fellow streamer Pokimane, butValkyrae mentioned that she would be moving out of the house, as the girls are ready for a change and there were concerns their address had leaked.
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Leaks such as these and other social media vitriol are some of the reasons why Valkyrae said she is considering quitting YouTube and social media for good. Given she recentlyjoined esports group 100 Thieves as a co-owner, business ventures might lure her away from the spotlight. On a recent stream Valkyrae explained her thinking, saying she “actually really, really, hates social media… All the trolls, and hate, and creepiness.” This desire to step away comes in the wake of a dust up with fans of TommyInnit and Addison Rae over aMinecraftserver incident.
After TommyInnit was removed from the popular DreamSMPMinecraftserver, Addison Rae followers leapt on Valkyrae, blaming her for the removal. The barrage of online abuse was an ugly reminder of how celebrity fanbases can quickly turn toxic, sniping at others for perceived slights. This case is particularly egregious given it seems Valkyrae had no involvement, but asValkyrae is the world’s top female streamer, some people come out for blood.
Streaming is still an industry in its infancy on the grand scheme of things. The biggest names in the business often suffer from burnout when always having to be “on,” a different requirement for this new kind of celebrity. For instance, Pewdiepie has said repeatedly that he is going to quitYouTube, retire, or scale back his output. An actor can take a break from making films, but a streamer has to keep churning content. While she hasn’t said when she might give it all up, Valkyrae has seemingly had enough ofYouTube.
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