The Skyrim Grandma is retiring from gaming videos after nine years of YouTube

Videogames can be a toxic space. Opinions, spirited debates, and hate can make it hard to find joy in the medium we all love so much. There a pockets of delight to be found though, and for almost a decade the YouTuber ‘Skyrim Grandma’ has been fostering one. Known by Bethesda, fans, and the wider YouTube community as someone who just loves playing Skyrim for the thrill of the game, she affectionately calls her audience her “grandkids.” The Skyrim Grandma’s time with videogames has abruptly come to an end though, before Elder Scrolls 6, as she’s announced that she’s done with gaming videos.

With the Elder Scrolls 6 release date creeping ever closer, Shirley Curry, better known as the Skyrim Grandma on YouTube, is retiring from gaming videos. The 88-year-old has been playing the Bethesda RPG on YouTube since 2015, amassing millions of views. Curry is, without a doubt, a beloved figure in the game’s community with 1.29 million subscribers on YouTube. She’s not going anywhere, but a mix of boredom with Skyrim and upcoming eye surgery has helped her make the decision to stop.

“I’m not going to be recording gameplay anymore,” Curry explains. “It seems like I spend most of my time sitting in here at this computer. Lately, I walk in here and look at my computer and think ‘I’ve got to make a video today,’ and then I just shake my head at myself and say ‘I don’t want to.’

“I’m just doing it for fun and it isn’t fun anymore. I’m tired of it, [and] I’m bored to death with it. So I’m making the decision now, totally, finally, I’m not going to be making any more game videos and uploading them.”

Curry adds that she’ll still make vlogs, so if she receives a gift or “buys something I think is really cute,” so we’ll still hear from her. You can also expect updates on a quilt Curry will now start making, as she puts together all the squares bit by bit.

Curry’s announcement has already been met with an outpouring of love from both the YouTube and Skyrim communities. ‘theRadBrad,’ ‘Spiffing Brit,’ and ‘Joov’ all wished her well in the comments, alongside YouTube mainstay Tay Zonday.

Just like the rest of us, Curry has been excited about Elder Scrolls 6 for a while now, saying she’s “been waiting too long” for the sequel. She can’t wait to return to Tamriel, but it looks like she won’t be uploading videos of the game when it finally arrives.

If you’re looking for ways to reinvent Tamriel, all of the best Skyrim mods will easily do the trick. Otherwise, there are plenty of excellent games like Skyrim to keep you busy in the lead-up to Elder Scrolls 6.

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