Ahh I miss Jordan. It's almost like he is still here with us. CS: "Uhhh, I am not retiring..." I can almost still hear him 😥

I do wonder if some big OG creators may, instead of retiring, go towards what I would call the "Etho" style, keeping content in it's simpler era, not adjusting to trends. Establised audiences mean this can work and be much more consistent

DUUUDE YES. There was nothing more hype than being able to customize our banners and add a link back when we first got partnered. You just unlocked a massive memory.

I'm surprised he didn't mention that most of these people started around the same time. CaptainSparklez 2010, MatPat 2011, DanTDM 2012. Pewdiepie's started earlier in 2006 but he also stepped back earlier. Moo is the odd one out starting a bit later in 2017. But, for the most part, KZfaq seems to have most of its "big" creators from before 2015. (Correction: Moo actually isn't an exception, Google was just dumb. Moo started in 2011 so is still apart of the big boom group) When you have a big group starting around the same time, you're also going to have that same group stepping back at around the same time. Constant changes to your job requirements are a catylst for early retirement. It's basically the equivalent of working an office job for 20-40 years. They've earned their pension.

I’ve just realized something: when you title your hardcore episode “The End”, this time it won’t be a meme.

Simply put, we all are getting older. It's normal for all folks our age to seek stability and change priorities in their lives. More and more channels will disappear. To be honest I similarly am more curious about the new generation that grew up watching youtube, twitch and others and see how new content will look like in their hands.

8:22 - It's a big difference in audiences, which is probably why the oldschool Minecrafters who adapted their content to match the changing meta have lost their core audiences. I hope Sparklez knows that his personality is the reason we've all been watching for 10+ years, and why we'll keep watching for many more.

Tom Scott's video was just the best video ever. Even if he wasnt "retiring" its still the best thing.

Hey Jordan this video and the trend of KZfaqrs retiring really reminds me of a thing my grandpa told me when he was retiring a few years back. He said “when you retire it’s not like you don’t work anymore. It’s more that you don’t have to be at work at 8am anymore” and it reminds me a lot about what you are saying. When you stop chasing the algorithm you stop showing up at 8am. You are still working. You still have your passion and your want to keep doing what you love, but it is less about the growth of the channel and more about just doing what got you into making KZfaq videos in the first place. The love of creation. I hope I am not the only one who can see and relate that. Anyway hope you all have a wonderful day.

Actually, this phenomena happens each time a new media where people can get rich and famous quick pops up. When radio became a thing, people started wanting to be a singer or a voice actor or an announcer. Motion pictures came about and all of a sudden everyone wants to be in the movies. TV's started popping up in everyone's houses, now all of a sudden everyone is going out for casting calls for shows or commercials. KZfaq is now the next big thing where everyone sees OG's making bank. They don't realize the grind and time it took to get to a 10mill sub channel. They think it is a get rich quick scheme. It isn't. So now KZfaq and Twitch and other media is now saturated by so many smaller channels vying for a piece of the pie.

As someone who finally got serious about my channel recently, I do feel that pressure of having to compete with so many others trying to claw their way into being relevant enough to make a career of it. I wish I had started ten years ago when I first started watching this channel, but at the same time I don't know if I had the personality back then to support a channel. You have to do things when it makes sense, but hopefully it's not too late and maybe people will finally realize this "shorts" thing is not giving them what they really want: a connection with the person they're watching. All we can do is watch and wait... and keep on trying. That said, thanks for being an inspiration to me and others...even if you are ten years younger than I am, lol!

id listen to jordan just ramble about things for hours

This is exactly what I was thinking when I saw videos popping up talking about why everyone is "quitting". This was after seeing both Sparklez's and MatPat's videos. They aren't quitting per se, they are just changing their content focus, or like Mat Pat, just handing the channel over to his employees.

I don't care for these shifts in KZfaq culture and very much prefer the "hobbyist" style of KZfaqrs. Sure, those times are over and probably never coming back but there are still people like this, both new and old, and I am very much here for them.

You better not

Jordan you’ve been in my subscription list for a long time now, and I have to say, you’ve always managed to be a buoy amidst a whole medley of chaos. You’re one of the extremely small number of channels (by my count only about 3) that I watch mostly for the personality rather than the content itself. Just wanted to let you know that no matter what content you choose to create, I’ll always support you.

Its has been wild but not unsurprising to be honest though the nostalgia is palpable. Everyone has their own lives they wish to lead whether it is children, seeking relationships or simply wanting a pause or change in whatever they have been doing. Continue to forge your own path Jordan!

I miss a lot of KZfaqrs who quit but I'm glad that they're living their life hopefully to the fullest.

Growing up I didn't watch a lot of the youtubers that many people are missing now (gametheory, stampy) mostly because your videos were comforting for me so I stuck to them. Its hard to watch those people shift away so much, but I think what Jordan has done here is nice. It feels like we all are growing together and I am so happy that he is making content I can still enjoy at a higher maturity level then when i was a kid. I stopped watching many youtubers because I just couldn't enjoy the kid-oriented content anymore. It makes me happy that the minecraft videos i found comforting as a kid are still around in the form of the comforting little talks Jordan does here now. Its the same thing, just we are all older now : )

Everyone is worried about their childhood moving on. But if they thought about it, the KZfaqrs they grew up with have already changed. Over the years content has changed. Its natural.

CaptainSparklez 2 should be linked in the description and/or channel links so it's easier to find.

Good to see you Cap!

Ur absolutely correct on so many points Jordan, very wise video

Jordan, I’ve been a fan ever since I was a little boy in late middle school. I’m heading off to college now and I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me. The moments of joy, grief, excitement and many more will always live on in my heart and I will never forget those moments. I’ve grown up with you as one of my role models and I’m happy to tell you I’ve become a great man following your example. I know you’re not retiring but I still wanted to give you this message to let you know how much you mean to us, your fans. I look forward to watching more videos of yours and I want you to know that we, your fans, are here for you. We support you in everything you do because you were there for us countless times before. God bless you, Jordan!

I was just talking in offline twitch chat about you becoming the face of retirement without even retiring when you posted this, I'm psychic

I love hearing you talk about this. You dont see alot of creators talk about content creation and its affects on the sender or the receiver of said content.

A: good video B: I would hope KZfaq stops trying to push shorts, it can definitely have shorts, but pushing them feels extremely short term gains long term loss

I retired my channel a year ago with an official goodbye instead of fading away, like the KZfaqrs I looked up to as I grew up. Only you know when your end is, and it will be emotional regardless. But, you've changed so many people's lives for the better. You've earned your end, when you choose it exist. I doubt you remember me, but you linked one of my Minecraft cinematics in a shader video of yours a few years back. I got a kick out of that, and same with the shader devs, which was fun. Have a good one, Mr. Captainsparklez! Have been watching you off and on since I was a kid, and now I'm approaching my late 20s. Time sure does fly. Now, I'm spending it growing my own vegetables in my garden. Perhaps you'll follow suit some day!

a big conversation thats missed is that the algorithm is basically symbiotic to the audience, so if you can cleave out an audience for your content you are fine. The issue is people are wary of carving out a unique audience because they would much rather the security of something they KNOW will work. If you think back to when lets plays were the dominant force, that was because we as an audience loved watching them. Now that desire has mutated into livestreams and watching vods, or has been replaced with more elaborate edited gameplay videos. Most likely spurred on by people like pewdiepie's highlight videos? Anyway, i think having more edited vids is fine and having staff too, but you should definitely carve your own path as it's what makes the most sense in the majority of circumstances.

I feel like this retirement thing might be the natural way newer mainstream KZfaqrs come to be. The top dogs retire earlier than normal jobs which opens up spots for new creators. Retirement is a natural process and it just means you put in the time and effort to make content and that's beautiful and should be celebrated.

Thank you so much for this video! I feel you were able to sum up so many thoughts and a true look into the mind of these creators who have been around for years, in just a handful of minutes! I've seen so many videos of people commenting on these "retirements" that are happening, but this kind of felt like "okay, here's what's really going on".

The explanation you gave about your observations of the big scope of things was really well cooked. I believe we are going through a major shift in what the internet means to us as an interconnected society, and I really enjoyed seeing someone I look up to giving a similar, more nuanced perspective as to mine.

i used to watch you so much as a kid. favorite childhood youtuber. thank you for making it better. I used to remember waking up in 2016 and just binge watching all your vids.

it's been wild to see so many retirements happening. for a lot of these channels they are what i grew up with (although looking back, most of you people were barely more than teenagers yourselves at the time too XD). I've also been a content creator in one way or another for about 10 years now, and in the same year that I see so many people retire their content or their roles in the team they've been working with, I find myself in a time of growth as a creator, which makes things feel even more strange. The far off fantasy of "being a youtuber" i always dreamt about seems to be realistically possible now, and at the same time I see many people that have played a part in creating that dream for me now stepping back. For me personally that is a weird kind of poetic but i wont lie, also stresses me out a bit with the idea there may be a good reason for it that i'm not seeing and they're not retiring as much as jumping ship. I'm sure that's just my stressed panic response though! Btw, loving the fact that youre going all in on these commentary green screen vlogs! certainly content that strikes me just the right way!

Thank you. There was so much good preach in this. I have never been a viewer, in fact weirdly I think I’ve only caught a few of your videos such as these about updates. I often wish I got into your channel when I started watching KZfaq as a kid, in my own earliest Minecraft era. The only reason I didn’t honestly bring my hyperfixation with mark and jack, pokèmon and smash bros. Nowadays I don’t watch you kinda of just because I’ve fallen out of Minecraft, but… hearing your input and what you have to say, it’s always so real and to the core with your audience. I think about the simpler times a lot, and the meta of KZfaq is just… so many more restrictions, so many frustrations with the algorithm. And being far more competitive now, it… feels like a lot of what went wrong with a lot of channels. I’m glad content creators are going through with half to full retirements, a lot of content on KZfaq in the modern era feels plastic and half the time it feels like it’s because creators are creating what they know will get views rather than something they actually like anymore… I may not have ever been a viewer, but I’ve known about you for over a decade. Half my life. You’re a KZfaq staple and icon and every rare while I do catch an update video from you, I’m always really happy to see you’re still going strong in life. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the community, both the Minecraft community and the KZfaq community

This is something that someone like myself, who personally has the ambition to be a creator and entertainer on this platform, finds intriguing. It is rough feeling the fear and anxiety of whether or not a video will succeed or whether or not someone starting out, say these days, will have a shot to make this into a career. I have seen many of my favorite veteran creators step back and either go towards the sidelines in their channel or focus on content that they truly want instead of what the algorithm wants, and it's something that I can't blame them for. Many people come onto this platform seeking to make the content they enjoy and not have to worry about the algorithm too much, so it's only natural that veteran creators who have had this success would pivot to this "content nirvana" of sorts. I always enjoy hearing the perspectives of older and more experienced creators. It's knowledge and wisdom many of us should learn from and wisdom that will help this space grow and the communities surrounding it become better overall because of it. Thank you, Jordan, for all the wisdom you've given and for all the good memories. Hope to see more of your new style of content!

Hey man i just wanted to say that you hold an incredibly special part in my childhood , i may not binge watch anymore, but i couldn’t be more happy to have helped you reach ur goals … it’s time for me to reach mine though

as much as I really don't like shorts, and has been watching KZfaqrs like you since 2013 I think there will be a time where shortform content experience a fatigue phase, and really idek if anyone's in the same boat but I've found myself looking for long and longform content as opposed to the brain rotting shorts because in all honesty there is more meaningful content in longform as opposed to brushing through shortform content some of which is useless, boring, (don't get me wrong there are the exceptions but) yeah that's pretty much how it feels atm thanks for listening to my TED talk.

I love the humanity that these old channels have

6:59 I just went and rewatched his "1000 degree knife vs arm" video and dang, that was SEVEN years ago? I feel old.

I always love hearing your piece on topics like this, great video!

Yeah, like of the three main people that are talked about in the "KZfaqrs are Retiring" trend, The Captain, Tom Scott, and MatPat, MatPat was the only one who did anything CLOSE to retiring. Jordan is just not putting Minecraft videos on the main channel anymore (unless it gets big again like in 2020), Tom only said he is big enough to finally take a month or two off from weekly videos after doing them for 10 years straight, and MatPat is stepping into the background of the brand he built so that he can raise his family.

One of your best videos to date. Love hearing the introspectiveness from one of my role models as a child

Well put Jordan. I’d love a dedicated discussion video with your full thoughts on short vs long form video content, like you touched on here!

Best take about this subject out there! Well said, Cap!

i understand that some peoples entire life is centered around their youtube persona and for people who aren't as popular as they were years ago i respect people desires to do more with their life then sit at a computor and play minecraft for the foreseable future when other things in life are more memorable and exciting

man, I've missed Jardon so much since he retired, it's almost as if I can still hear him talking. Seriously though, I remember watching you when you first started youtubing, minecraft series, then hungry game minecraft, I even played on one of your servers back in the day it was great times. but as they say, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it (Ferris Bueller)"

Nice to know you are not retiring🙏

"Nothing last forever" this quote hits real hard right now

Something additional I've noticed is a lot of channels, at least of the ones that I watch, are also taking breaks in the last month. Some of those are just posting less frequently, but some are just completely gone for now (Aliensrock is the one I think of first at the moment). I completely understand why a break is a good thing, it's just an interesting observation to me. On the topic of what kinds of videos I would watch (although those probably aren't very likely to extend to the general audience), I would be way more likely to watch a lets play in your old style than the livestreams or shorts. Shorts just feel too compressed and a bit artificial usually, and I don't have enough time to keep up with a full series of livestreams in addition to anything else. One of my most consistently watched channels is Direwolf20, which is entirely just daily, medium length, lightly edited, episodic series. I would like to be able to watch more of your livestreams if I had the time, but I just don't, which has caused me to watch less content from you overall, which is a bit sad because you're still one of my favorite channels. Anyway, that's my pattern. Hopefully it's either interesting or useful :) Also, this is not a very useful or important note, but I've noticed the feeling that I have to post something more often with myself, even though I only post very low effort, infrequent, and fairly low quality videos, entirely because I just felt like having them. It's impressive how little of that pattern actually has to exist to start feeling that, and it's way easier to feel that than I was expecting.

Tom Scott’s video was beyond stunning, perfect way to end his consistency for a youtuber like him

The commentary on shorts is spot on. I used shorts to grow my channel more quickly than long form, but now I am struggling to get watch hours on my long form content. It's too bad watch time from shorts doesn't count towards monetization. Even if those hours counted at a 10:1 ratio I'd be stoked.

Ain’t nobody higher profile than you Cap. I’ve been following since fallen kingdom and hexxit…Keep kicking ass in whatever you choose to do next!!

Honestly if you did decide to retire I would 100% respect it you’ve done quite a lot for internet culture “creep aw man” will go down in Internet history

Thanks for a great take on this situation

For as long as i can remember people would just push through things and make videos they didnt want to do because they thought they had to. This led alot of them to need to take time off due to getting ill in some way. At least now people like you can say "I dont want to do this anymore I need something to change" and actually be able to do that. I hope more people realise its ok to look after yourself, and if that means stepping down thats great.

I complete agree with what Jordan is saying. I watch Jordan's videos because I like him and that's what I grew up watching for almost 11 years. Habit is very powerful thing, I am really used to watching his videos and watching others doesn't feel as fun as watching his video. So he's right in not hiring others to keep up with the time because I wouldn't watch videos produced by others.

I m so happy you spoke about noo snuckel. So far every retirement video i saw no one mentioned his name.

In a way…this is the second time Captain Sparklez has "retired"…the last one was PDTS. Where he stopped posting vidoes on that channel to focus on his second channel.

Very well said. I think part of the reason this is challenging to navigate is because internet relationships are weird. Creators and viewers often have a sense of community, and while 999 people may be understanding, it is human nature to remember that 1 comment who says something that bothers you. In most jobs, you don't have millions of people judging your work, and the internet tends to be younger people also. Short answer, you have to do what is healthy and sustainable for you and for your family, and I am glad for those who are taking that step when they feel like they need to!

Excellent disertation! Your experience in this rodeo shines.

Im going to be honest. This is the conrent I really enjoy from ol Jardon. This kind of analysis on the YT and Media space. Still part of yer crew Captain!

10:19 Man, I miss channel banners. I became partnered during the transition period of them removing them so I never got to use one. They, alongside the channel backgrounds and styles were what made browsing new people's channels so fun

The reason everybody is quitting is because KZfaq stopped recommending your videos, even to subscribers in hopes that you’ll pay for platform space with their new promotion feature. And like you said in the video, they are competing so hard with TikTok, that they are favoring short form vertical content in favor of longform content sadly…

You better not be retiring for good, your videos are amazing

it's been really weird to see the shift from youtube pushing "watch time" to their short videos now. some of my favorite channels got big by doing longer videos, let's plays are the prefect example, but now that sort of content is on twitch and youtube is in this weird limbo between what it used to be and the push for shorts.

Great insight, great articulation

I think at the end of it all, like the end of the big few KZfaqrs finally switching their channels off to new people is really insane to think of but we'll always have their videos to remember them by.

I highly agree with what you’re saying, my man. Keep doing your thing 😁

I freaking loved this video

Hey Cap! Just wanted to say thank you for all the great memories. I remember you being one of the first KZfaqrs I watched growing up back in Middle School. Now I’m 3 years into my career! Crazy how the time flies :)

I really hope the fallen kingdom story gets finished. You have no idea how many childhoods that story has carried

I like the PewDiePie approach of just make something whenever you feel like it, truly becomes something you're passionate about and not forced into a schedule

The next decade will be hell for those of us who will need a platform to connect with audiences. (aka writers, creators and such) Since i personally am aiming to be a writer, i already dread having to go on the content creation grind so i could have enough of a platform so that a publisher would decide to pick me. Can imagine many folks feel the same...

probably the only other time a career went from nothing to the top of kids' lists very quickly: the moon landing + becoming an astronaut

Haven't made it big yet, but I have already felt so much burnout when making stuff and it has given me nothing but more respect for people like yourself that are able to make content so consistently. I will say if I ever make it big I'm 100% hiring an editor to make my stuff, the editing process is very tedious.

Don’t you dare go, Jardon😭I WILL CRY (Joking of course, if you need to step away I will still support you… In tears)

Yeah the grind is real. Wish shorts watch time would count towards monetization. I'm climbing up but watching my long form watch time slowly go down.

And thus the captain has spoken, but honestly its truly been a long and fun adventure watching captain. O7

Gotta love the serious vids. ❤

Falling asleep to a vault hunter stream and waking up to a vault hunters stream will forever and always be my favorite way to sleep

Hi jordan, I know you probably won't see this, but you've been a staple in my youth growing up. I feel like I've grown up with you, watching you grow and change over the years. No matter what future endeavors you may find yourself in we'll always be here to support you!

The last few weeks on tiktok that say oh this KZfaqr is retiring, you did come up a bit and i would coment saying your still doing videos just not as much minecraft and your playing games that you enjoy which really should be the main thing for KZfaq in general, i still watch dan, i grew up watching him and his friends every now and then I'll binge watch videos. I grew up watching you and others that were mostly minecraft it was a starting point for me watching KZfaq and i still will continue to watch and if any or all do step back I'll watch all old videos

There is all this new stuff in this generation of content but the ones who remember the golden years of KZfaq where our good captain here along with other creators were at there prime, we should consider ourselves lucky we got to be apart of it

thank you for the memories

It just makes sense. A lot of this generation of KZfaqrs started in their late teens, early 20s. They're now moving into their mid thirties, where a lot of people want to take a step back and focus on their families. Even without being a top tier youtuber, there's still enough money to be made to survive off of, so you're still able to live comfortably, and put more time towards the other things in life.

Ive been watching your videos since i was a little girl. Although i would be sad if you did one day stop posting videos, i dont think ill ever run out of your content to watch. And ive watched some series multiple times. I appreciate your time and dedication.

I love the Jordan Talks 😊

What an og vid. Thanks for making so many people smile and think for sutch a long time. ^^ Stay awesome

Part of me believes that content, whether its long-form or short-form, will eventually come full circle. In whatever way, shape, or form it will be by then, who knows.

Damn first Matpat, nick eh 15, Tom Scott, and now u one of you guys been my childhood and u still are thank u for making my life completed 😢😢

I'm so glad Jardon came out of retirement to make this video about content creators retiring

I know this will never be read but,, Jordan you've been and always will be an inspiration. As the clock moves forward and after a few years of not looking at content coming back and hearing you and your voice changing just shows how life moves. I wish you the best.

I'm glad you aren't going fully away

Jordan. One of my first youtubers. You will be missed.

We are gonna miss u man!!! Enjoy retirement 😭

6:30 I get what you mean. I like writing, but I don't want to feel obligated to write so I'm being very careful with how I approach writing as a job. A couple years back I basically refused to accept any money because I didn't want to turn a hobby into a job and feel the need to keep doing it, but I think now I'm pacing myself and just doing it when and how I want. If I earn money from it then that's cool, but I'm not going to force myself to keep writing just to earn money. I will share my content only when I'm happy with it.

dont leave cap you'r like our last hope

I definitely wanted (and still do) to do KZfaq. It'd be cool to be self sustained, but I always envied just... doing things with friends, having wacky adventures, and sharing it with the world. But as the years went on, I was less and less interested. Watching how much you all struggle with the constant changes and especially now with the fallout of the adpocalypse and the looming shortsmageddon, it looks less fun and more... annoying. Stressful. Dread-inducing. I'm happy for everyone who could see this themselves and decide they didn't want to suffer it any longer. Or just that they'd had their run and want to do something else. Or, in your case, that you want to truly branch out of your pigeonhole and do things more creatively fulfilling. And I'm equally happy for those who are still willing to give it their all, and wish them the best- though I don't envy them anymore.

Its really interesting to observe my relationship with the captains content. When I first started watching his content in elementary school I was all about his gaming video, and over the years thats changed. Nowadays, some ten whatever years later, I still watch plenty of gaming content but I dont really like Jordan's style of gaming content anymore and I cant really give a reason as to why. However, i do really enjoy his more serious sitting down and talking videos, and I am constantly surprised at how intelligent and insightful his thoughts are. It feels a bit like im listening to an older brother about his takes in areas i myself am less involved in. Thanks for all these years of awesome content.