Fifteen Viewers: A Day's Dilemma
Live streaming channels have become dull. Websites that once allowed room owners to earn profits are now little more than playgrounds for passion without financial gain.
These days, wasting passion on things that don't put bread on the table seems meaningless—it will lose value and popularity over time. It's unfair in many ways, but this is reality. In the end, you get swept away by life's obligations and the instinct to reproduce.
You're forced to work jobs unrelated to your original passion.
Of course, many people don't care about money and continue streaming anyway. But those people rarely get serious as time goes on—and in the end, when their passion fades, they don't last long either.
And this isn't even the biggest dilemma when you look at the bigger picture. Creating quality live-streaming content—and entertainment in general—requires endless hours of draining your mental energy throughout the day.
Then there's spending money on the equipment you need, plus countless other things that ultimately lead to the same fate as everyone else: losing the passion for what you do…
Moreover, as mentioned before, live streaming no longer brings in profits like it used to. The entertainment industry has evolved alongside technology, and live streaming of next-generation virtual reality games—set in alternate realities—has practically taken over the market.
Games like "My Life with You" and names like "Black Florian" offer immersive experiences, far removed from games that require traditional, direct live streaming.
VR gaming companies now control the platforms where their titles can be streamed—only on their own exclusive sites.
This has led to countless copyright lawsuits, declining ad revenue, and reduced support for older mainstream streaming platforms after the rise of exclusive game streaming portals. Many of the well-known sites shut down, or banned streaming certain titles—and unsurprisingly, they also suffered from low viewership and streamers losing their passion.
So yes… now everyone understands why there's been such a dramatic decline. Where once a streaming room had hundreds of thousands of viewers, now the maximum is fifteen per day. So, after a lot of thinking, I decided to delete my account on the platform today.
My cousin found me a full-time job as a computer technician at a factory.
A good salary, decent insurance… and other bonuses and incentives.
So let's start my final stream…
I looked at the camera mounted above my computer, steady and silent. I typed the stream title into the broadcast box… even though I knew no one really cared. Maybe five or six people would join—probably by accident.
Announcing retirement from streaming has become a daily event, often getting more views than most regular streams. But… not for me. I felt a bitter taste in my mouth just thinking about it.
After fifteen years of sitting here, streaming at least three hours a day just for a chance to be seen…
Now, with VR game streaming services locked behind exclusive sites, and the cost of VR headsets so high, not to mention fierce competition from famous streamers who own almost the entire audience, the chance for someone like me to break through is almost zero.
"Oh… here we go…"
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a tissue, turned on the air conditioner, rolled up my sleeves completely, and put on my headset and glasses.
"Still… no one yet… ahh… damn it."
I leaned back in my chair, eyes fixed on the viewer count on my second, smaller monitor.
/@ Roses on the Stars / — Another retirement stream… sounds thrilling…
"Looks fun to you, huh… well, at least someone's having fun."
I glanced at the comment that popped up on the screen, along with the sudden appearance of the number '1' on the viewer counter.
/@RosesOnTheStars/: Yo man, you look awful… are you planning to kill yourself… lol
"Yeah, the perfect suicide plan… you're invited to the party, lol."
My eyes were half-closed from the boredom of waiting…
I opened one of the dating games on my desktop. I'd planned to stream it some other time, but whatever… let's enjoy the last bit of time I have with this viewer until the end of this stream.
/@RosesOnTheStars/: bro, how haven't you lost your balls yet… do you usually play these kinds of games… God be with you…
"Are you offering yours then?"
/@RosesOnTheStars/: Sadly… I still need them for… certain things…
I went quiet for a moment, focusing on the dialogues and clicking through the choices for the heroine. But boredom crept in, so I closed the game, put on some soft music, ordered food from a delivery app, and cracked open a cold drink, sipping it slowly.
The viewer count went from one… to seven.
When I saw the notification of a new subscriber pop up on my screen, I smiled.
° 'Lord of Potato Boats' has subscribed to your channel °
I chatted a bit with the viewers. No one really asked why I was retiring, or said 'keep going, we support you,' because… well, the situation was hopeless.
No viewers, no content creators… nothing. The same fate for all of us.
VR game streaming sites rake in millions every day, while we scrape up the crumbs of leftover passion. More than fifteen years, since I was eighteen.
I quit school, never went to university—couldn't afford it. I took my parents' life insurance payout and inheritance when they died young, and spent it all on streaming equipment, building this life step by step while facing constant criticism and being abandoned by my family.
So many people hated me for 'wasting' my inheritance on games. The endless guilt, anger, confusion, loneliness… more loneliness.
Days without food, endless hours working, a fake smile that never broke, regular back treatments…
Sometimes I'd wake up to biting cold, my cracked lips, my face more lined, my body already falling apart with time.
Now… I just need a job… so I can at least get married, have kids… and try not to die a virgin.
A tear slipped from my eye as I prepared to say goodbye to the few viewers, smiling and waving at the camera while my mouse hovered over the red 'End Stream' button…
But before I could click, a comment caught my eye.
/@TheAmazingYoungMister/: Bro… why all the drama? Why not just pirate 'Golden Age' and start streaming again?
Golden Age… also known as Age of Kings. A global phenomenon, a kingdom-building game set in the endless world of 'Shila.' You start in a random place, gather resources, forge alliances, marry, raise a family, even enjoy virtual harems.
It was truly stunning… after the rapid rise of augmented and virtual reality tech, a game like this became unrivaled in popularity, pushing the boundaries of immersive experiences. It won Game of the Year eight years in a row…
The platform hosting its exclusive streams became the most visited site worldwide in its second and third years. The stock prices of VR companies skyrocketed along with the game industry itself. The developers earned unimaginable fortunes.
Of course, pirating such a game wasn't impossible… but cracked copies wouldn't get updates, and couldn't be played online—a death sentence for a game built entirely on cooperation and massive shared worlds.
And there were plenty of other reasons too. Even if you somehow played a pirated copy, you'd have to connect through the game's exclusive publishing site—one that had eyes on nearly every streaming platform. They'd have no trouble spotting someone like me, a guy with three million subs on an old popular site.
Thinking about it, I smirked bitterly before pressing the 'End Stream' button…
I actually let out a genuine laugh for a second.
"bro, looks like you want me thrown in jail… over a game…"
/@TheOldOverlord/: Are you kidding, dude? That's a pretty harsh joke. The guy's retiring. That's not funny.
/@ImAnAnt/: Looks like this guy doesn't really get it, lol.
I sighed as I glanced at the comments agreeing with me. I'd paused ending the stream over something this silly.
/@TheAmazingYoungMister/: Wait, guys, hold up—I just found a link yesterday that lets you download the game exactly like you bought it… here, check it if you don't believe me. | 🔗|
/@JustDoIt/: Don't trust him, folks… looks shady. Pretty sure my tablet will get a virus in the ass if I open that.
No one really believed it in the chat. Still, out of curiosity, I ran the link through a virus scanner… it flagged as dangerous but didn't give any concrete proof of malware.
It was an unknown link. I didn't dare click it. The chat kept buzzing with debate…
/@TheAmazingYoungMister/: Damn all of you… is it so wrong I'm trying to help…? Curse you all.
/@ImAnAnt/: He actually believes himself… lol.
/@TheOldOverlord/: You're just plain rude, man… I'd bet my boss's soul you're lying.
/@JustDoIt/: I'd sooner believe tarot cards and poop horoscopes than believe you.
/@RosesOnTheStars/: Go kill yourself, dude… lol
"Calm down, guys. Doesn't matter anyway… I'm retiring… you know, you should really focus… on things other than this…"
I sighed and continued.
"It's been fifteen years here… ahh… trying… and trying again… I gained a lot, lost a lot, learned… yes, I learned."
"That you shouldn't try to fight fate. Now I'm just some thirty-three-year-old has-been… alone… no family, no friends, no girlfriend… just me and… this screen. You know what? Screw you all. Goodbye."
I shut down my computer and the stream, then looked over at the now-cold pizza. I tossed it into the microwave, and after ten seconds it was soft again.
I couldn't really taste the pizza… it felt like chewing nothing.
I tried to calm myself, watching some comedy shows… but I didn't laugh. I felt like I was forcing myself into something I didn't want. I turned off the show and glanced at my phone screen, replying to every email in my inbox.
Then something caught my eye… the link that viewer had sent earlier was still there. I hesitated a little, sighed, and opened it.
You know… no harm in just checking. Maybe just a little curiosity… maybe a shred of hope.
But I didn't know then… that just clicking that link would turn my life upside down in a single night.