Skyrim Grandma says goodbye to “The Elder Scrolls” after 15 years on YouTube

Shirley Curry, the 89-year-old YouTuber affectionately known as “Skyrim Grandma,” officially retired from making Elder Scrolls content. In a video uploaded to her channel on Sept 29, Curry told fans that she was ready to stop recording Skyrim gameplay after nearly 15 years of adventures in Tamriel.

She explained that she simply wasn’t having fun anymore. “Good morning, grandkids. I don’t exactly know how to start this,” she said in the video. “First of all, I will say that I am no longer going to be uploading Skyrim.”

Although she still appreciated her longtime followers, she noted that most of her current viewers seemed to be younger kids. “All I get is, ‘Hi, grandma. I love you, grandma.’ That isn’t what I was spending my time on making and uploading videos for,” she said.

Curry reflects on her long journey and community

Throughout her announcement, Curry remained calm and thoughtful. She reflected on her early days on YouTube and the relationships she had built with her older viewers. “Those I will still appreciate hearing from,” she added, encouraging longtime fans to stay in touch through her vlogs or email.

She also reminded players that her legacy lives on inside Skyrim itself. “Some techie guys made me an actual person in the game that you can get as a follower,” she said. “If any of you older ones that I really want to talk to don’t have me or didn’t know I was in this game, there you are. You can go to Nexus and type in Shirley Curry and you will get a listing of all the different things.”

Even though she planned to stop uploading Skyrim content, Curry said she intends to keep her YouTube channel active. “Once in a while, I might give a Bible verse that either has me confused or that I think is really interesting,” she explained about her religious blog. She invited her “older ones”—teens and adults who regularly engaged with her content—to continue joining her there for conversations.

In the same video, Curry admitted that she had run out of inspiration for Skyrim stories. “Every time I come up with a new idea of how to play a story in Skyrim, I may make one or two or three with a new characte,r and then I’m just bored again,” she said. “I’m tired. I’m not having any fun with it anymore.”

Fans react and look to the future

Although Curry had “retired” once before, this time appears to be more final. Earlier this year, she briefly tried Oblivion Remastered but found it frustrating. And with Elder Scrolls VI still years away, Curry said she was ready to move on.

Fans filled the comments with appreciation. “The end of an era. Looking forward to your next upload,” wrote the official YouTube account. Another person said, “Saddest day for all of the Skyrim community.”

“The YouTube algorithm has failed me!  As a woman in my late 40s who recently discovered Skyrim over the last year, I would have loved to have found you sooner!  I guess that just means I can binge your VODs.  :)  Also, to see a community here of folks closer to my age is warming.  Hi to all the old fart gamers!  💟” wrote an older gamer.

Supporters also reminded her how much she mattered. “Nearly 370,000 people have downloaded the mod that adds you as a follower in Skyrim. That’s amazing,” one fan wrote. Another added, “You are loved and inspiring to lots of people that watch your content.”

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