"I feel like I'm a zoo animal": Valkyrae reprimands highly demanding toxic viewers in chat, who leave her feeling 'frustrated'

Rachel "Valkyrae" Hofstetter recently lashed out at certain toxic elements in her chat, which, of late, have become increasingly demanding.

The 29-year old YouTuber and co-owner of 100 Thieves recently faced a dilemma on stream when she found herself having to choose between playing Minecraft with her Offline TV friends or attending a court case as her in-game character Ray, in GTA RP.

Valkyrae's decision was marred by the influence of a certain vocal minority, who began pressurizing her to attend the court case as they claimed that "Ray was waiting for her".

its so annoying when people are being mean in @Valkyrae's chat. it literally ruins the vibe for everyone

— Corpse husband’s wife (@FlatHeadSyndrom) June 2, 2021

This not only generated resentment in her towards the chat, but also left her feeling frustrated with regards to the negative impact of such comments upon her mood in general.

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Valkyrae claps back at toxic chat for ruining her mood

Often known to dabble in various games, a large part of Valkyrae's immense rise in popularity is credited to her multi-faceted approach towards streaming.

This is why things can get a bit taxing at times, especially when there are certain toxic elements that try to dictate terms in chat.

With regards to this, Valkyrae clarified her stance, as she addressed a certain section of her chat who were trying to pressurize her into streaming a particular game, which only ended up making her feel guilty:

"I'm not doing this for anyone. I'm doing this so that I don't feel guilty later for not doing it. Because I don't think I'll ever part of a court case again. Minecraft videos are a bigger priority than GTA but I do feel a little guilty missing out on this so I'm going to do it. I'm not doing this for chat, I am going to leave chat in only members mode because that was so annoying, it actually ruined my mood. "

"It's so ugly reading a comment that says 'Ray is waiting for you' It's so rude to have him wait for you when I know for a fact that he wasn't waiting for me. Other people read that comment and they spam the same thing because the see someone else saying it. "

Valkyrae also emphasized on the need to not pay excessive heed to one's chat, considering the adverse effects it can have on one's mindset:

"After today I am going to do my best to not be affected by chat . I hate when it ruins my mood . The comments don't cripple me but it changes my mood. And I don't want my chat room to have that kind of power . I want to have a happy, consistent good stream the whole time . I don't want to go from super happy and excited to super down and stressed out ."

Valkyrae summarized her thought process by likening her condition to that of a "zoo animal," whom certain toxic viewers love toying with:

"Sometimes I feel like I'm a zoo animal like those monkeys you throw food at , you tell it to do a trick and if it's not doing it, you hate it or whatever. The majority of chat is just chilling, having a good time . It's just the vocal minority but like the vocal minority consumes the chat and it's frustrating. "

Valkyrae's recent rant not only serves as a reminder of the increasing levels of toxicity that tend to plague the streaming community today, but also drives home a thought-provoking debate surrounding its adverse effect upon the mindset and general demeanor of online celebrities.