For those unfamiliar, Shirley Curry is a seasoned YouTuber best known for her wholesome Skyrim Let’s Plays. Her following is approaching half a million subscribers, and she has posted a massive grand total of 800 videos since starting her channel. Recently, she expressed sadness in the comments section of a YouTube video that speculated The Elder Scrolls VI wouldn’t release for six more years. She wrote, “Well, I guess that puts the nail in my coffin, literally!!! When Skyrim 6 comes out I’ll be 88!! So I probably won’t get to play it, so I’m going to quit dreaming for it!!!”. In response, conversations on Reddit led to a fan creating a petition on change.org to “Immortalize Shirley Curry as an NPC, unique weapon, or location in The Elder Scrolls VI.”
A twice-widowed mother of four with nine grandkids, many are drawn to Curry because she’s a relatable person and one who subverts the landscape of gaming YouTube. Curry sidesteps two stereotypes, as she is neither young nor male, and her fans find that refreshing. Her audience often remarks that they hope they’ll have that level of passion when they grow older. Personally, the first time I heard about Curry was a few years ago, when 60 Second Docs featured her as the Grandma Gamer, a title she owns proudly.
While Curry didn’t overtly state why being 88 would prevent her from playing the game, her “nail in [the] coffin, literally” line implies that she’s not sure if she’ll be alive when the game releases. Many of us are eager for the next game in our favorite franchise, but to have that timeline coincide with questioning our own mortality is something else entirely.
We know The Elder Scrolls VI is coming, but we have no idea when. Signs are pointing towards a next-gen release, but no one can be sure. (If they are, they’re certainly not telling.) If you want to see Shirley Curry immortalized in the next game, be sure to sign the Change.org petition here; it’s worth a shot, at least.
[Source: Change.org]
