Sad to see Cretella roll out, and I just finally met that fella earlier this year, gonna have to hunt him down again next time I'm on the West Coast and have some words. That said, I do remember talking of how long and how much time hobbies take up, and how long DoW2 would hold attention, that sort of thing. It's just how it goes, life happens!
I'd also like to step in and briefly speak for Harle as well, I don't know why folks are so grumpy. He was one of the first guys to really get casting going for DoW2, and I know personally I would never have started casting if not for him. He was never rude to me and when I e-mailed him...i dunno, probably almost two years ago now, when elite was first gaining momentum he responded very politely and said only good things about the DoW2 community. It's completely silly to be upset that he doesn't communicate with the community now years later. This goes for all entertainers though, enjoy what they were able to offer, let them know you enjoyed it, and move on
As far as donations and that sort of thing, I really don't think that affects how much casters/streamers can put into their channels (at least, not for me personally). I know for myself casting has always been nothing more than a hobby, and I never intended for it to be otherwise, I usually tried to make sure most of when I'd earn on youtube went back into giveaways or silly side prizes for events. I do wish I could put more time into my channel (I have an entire folder of docs and ideas that were never implemented) but there are just too many other things I need to be doing with my time. Donations certainly incentivize, but really I think just making a point to comment, subscribe, and generally just let entertainers know you enjoy and appreciate their work is all you need to do. As it's been said, no one is expecting to make a career out of casting a game like DoW2 that has such a small community, but that means the community itself has to be what helps drive these sort of endeavors.
I'm also sorry I'm not often very communicative when my channel goes on hiatus, I help organize a few gaming communities, participate and produce two podcasts, and help run several multi-day gaming festivals throughout the year. Between all of that, trying to actually advance my career, and keep a social life .... when I fall out of casting I tend to just completely drop off, and then simply try to hop back in when I can. As a matter of fact, at the moment my streaming/casting rig is pretty much done for (though I can 'borrow' my work lappie for single day streams like MRTs still), so it'll probably be a bit longer until the channel is up and running again. Luckily the Emperor's light shines upon Indrid, with the channel that never sleeps.
LATER MAESTRO!
In summary - Keep supporting the community, love your casters, my channel aint ded, Cretella is my favorite casting bro (don't tell Codex).
