Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofstetter has made the decision to make her YouTube chat available exclusively to members following a heavy dose of negative comments. As a result, only paid subscribers will have the option of taking part in the chat, moving forward. Given some of the negativity that can be found on YouTube, it’s not all that surprising to see, but it’s certainly unfortunate that some users have ruined it for everyone else. The streamer also partly attributed her decision to YouTube’s lack of moderation tools. A clip from ClassiFired where the streamer explains her decision can be found at the top of this post.
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“Since the last stream, I decided that was the final straw. It’s not a member vs non-member thing, it’s just a respect thing, and [there are] zero moderation tools on YouTube. I am not going to have it out of member’s mode ever again,” said Valkyrae. “I might for like a special occasion or something, I don’t know. But for the most part that was the final straw. Chat has affected me way too much, and there’s just not enough utility to moderate a chat that is as active and fast as this one.”
Apparently, there were several negative comments in the chat regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and other things the streamer would prefer not to see anymore. Valkyrae said she wrestled with the decision for about a year, and it was a decision she didn’t want to make, but she’s “not going to feel guilty” for choosing to do so. The streamer can hardly be blamed for not wanting to deal with a barrage of negativity from strangers, and the move should help her to better rein things in.
Streaming can be very taxing, and a lot of streamers have opened up recently about the heavy toll it can take. Hopefully Valkyrae’s decision to make the chat members-only will help her better control the level of toxicity she sees on stream, and make it a more pleasurable experience for herself and for her viewers. Valkyrae has become one of the most prominent streamers in the world, appearing recently during a Tonight Show stream of Among Us alongside several other streamers and celebrities.
Are you disappointed that Valkyrae decided to make her chat members-only? Do you support her decision? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!
