Summary
Highlights
The creator starts a difficult but important video, explaining that he won't be making a World Championships video this year and might stop attending in-person tournaments. He emphasizes that he's making these decisions not due to poor performance, but because attending tournaments has become increasingly challenging.
The creator gives examples of challenging fan interactions, including being groped at five out of seven tournaments and experiencing physical discomfort due to people touching him at an event when he had a neck injury, which led him to leave the tournament early. These examples illustrate both boundary violations and the difficulty of handling normal interactions at scale.
He explains that the stress of tournaments makes him feel anxious for about a week after each event. His previous strategies for finding privacy at events are now ineffective due to the growing size of tournaments. He clarifies that he is there to compete, not for fan interaction, and the current balance is off.
The creator will not be making a World's video this year because reliving negative experiences through the editing process is too difficult. He also announces a four-month break from in-person tournaments, which means he will likely not qualify for the World Championships. He states he might not attend Worlds even if he qualifies, to avoid another negative experience.
The creator describes increased 'parasocial behavior' online, including significant hate and vitriol after losing, as well as uncomfortable sexual messages from fans. He also feels frustrated that fans' focus on him in Twitch chats disrespects other competitors.
To protect his peace of mind, he will be stepping away from all social media platforms (except for YouTube posts managed by him or a manager) and reducing live streaming. While he acknowledges that his in-depth tournament videos are the main source of parasocial relationships, he doesn't want to stop making them yet due to their personal importance.
He assures regular viewers that most content won't change, as it's not centered on live events. He also mentions the possibility of shifting to online tournament videos or even sponsoring an online circuit. He finds comfort and understanding from his peers in the VGC community, which helps combat the dehumanizing feeling of being seen as a 'symbol' rather than a person. He remains motivated to find solutions because he still loves competing, and highlights a positive experience at a recent regional event where new solutions were tried.
The creator apologizes to fans he's had to turn down for pictures and autographs, explaining that he's trying to find new solutions, potentially through organized meet-and-greets at events. He emphasizes being only human and the difficulty of balancing fan interaction with competition. He expresses gratitude for his career and the community, urging fans to be 'normal' and acknowledging that even a small percentage of negative interactions from a large audience can be overwhelming.