Two weeks ago, The Streamer Awards held its inaugural event, the first in what's expected to become an annual awards presentation. It was watched by hundreds of thousands of people and featured major Twitch and YouTube streamers and content creators from across the internet. However, Twitch streamer Shorud, The Streamer Awards' recipient for Gamer of the Year award, is left feeling as if the event may not have even happened.
"This is going to be a terrible question, okay?" is how Shroud framed the start of a conversation he had with his Twitch chat regarding The Streamer Awards. He'd then ask, "Was there an actual award?" To be clear, he genuinely didn't know whether The Streamer Awards had an actual award that it gave to winners or not. He wasn't sure what the event really was, whatsoever.
Shroud clarified that not only did he not attend The Streamer Awards, as those who watched already understand, but that he also didn't watch the event whatsoever, choosing instead to play more Lost Ark and other games. He'd later clarify that he was absolutely invited to The Streamer Awards and had planned to attend. However, leading up to the event he experienced "pain" while evaluating whether to go or not. He'd later agree that anxiety would be an appropriate way to describe what he was feeling.
As if to prove how unsettled Shroud was by the situation, he'd ask his Twitch chat that if there was an award, "Who claimed the award?" In fact, it was Shroud's partner Bnans who attended the event for him and accepted his award for Game of the Year. Shroud's anxiety apparently not only led him to not watch the event, but to disassociate from the situation so far as not realizing his partner was attending it for him instead. Being able to stay home and play games is likely exactly what Shroud needed given his anxiety over a big public appearance.
The good news is that Shroud did receive an award for his victory in the Gamer of the Year category. While he may not have attended, Bnans did and accepted his award for him. It isn't clear if award winners were able to take their awards home. Sometimes, award shows prefer to send them out in the mail afterward. It's also possible that Shroud's The Streamer Awards Peepo award is already somewhere in his own home.
Shroud's comments on The Streamer Awards are an interesting look into the person behind the computer, as well as the pressures that streamers face even when they're as incredibly successful as Shroud is. While he may be a bit aloof as well, Shroud also deals with social anxiety just like many others. He's just on display on Twitch full-time, too.