Chat Didn't Die. It Grew Up and Got a Job.

Shroud said something a few weeks ago that a lot of streamers felt in their chest. In a video on his channel he said looking at chat and seeing nothing is "very depressing to be honest," and that it "just like chips at you," per Dexerto. He compared a 200 to 400 viewer channel now to one ten years ago, when chat never stopped moving. Now a lot more people just watch.

We talked about it at the top of an Inside The Screen stream and I think Twitter already figured out the real answer. Your chat didn't die. It grew up and got a job.

The year of 25

Let me tell you about the year of 25 as somebody who's been doing streaming and content. You turn 25 and the streams kind of dwindle down, but you're still doing it. My cohost Ray is 25 and he told me straight up he doesn't even like hitting go live anymore. He still loves content, he wants to post more on YouTube, but he's been working since 16 and he can finally tell himself he doesn't need eight hours of Valorant today.

That's your chat too. As the years go on your audience grows with you. They're not on the game, they're not on the PC, they're not on the phone. They're at work, they're graduating, they're raising their own families. A quiet chat at 2 PM on a Tuesday might just mean your people have a 9 to 5 now.

I'm living it

I'm not saying this from the outside. I was streaming every day, viewership was going good, chat was going good. Then I got a job, I got a girlfriend, I got two cats, and I took a week off for real business. Life happened. And I'm more excited about content right now than I've been in a long time. It just looks different.

So build for grown ups

If your audience grew up, build like it. Clip the stream so the people at work can catch it later. Put the long stuff on YouTube where they can watch on their lunch break. Do fewer streams that actually feel like events. And stop reading a slow chat like a report card. A lurker who's been watching you for five years is still a fan, they're just tired.

Streaming was never only about chat speed anyway. It's about the community you built, and if you're just starting to build one, start with the streamer essentials I'd actually buy.

Are you the one lurking now? Be honest. Tell me in the CXM Discord.