Fortnite-addicted grandma surprised by “toxicity” on Twitch

Cath Bowie, better known to the world and her Twitch followers as GrumpyGran1948, has said that she was surprised by the “toxicity” that she initially encountered on the platform.

Bowie hasn’t struggled to find popularity on Twitch, amassing almost 20,000 followers since she began streaming her Fortnite gameplay. She initially started on the platform after her grandson introduced her to the game and she quickly became “hooked,” before he then helped her to set everything up.

Unfortunately, in an interview with The Independent, Bowie also confirmed that she was met with toxic behavior from the outset. Happily, she has now assembled a team of moderators who protect her from anyone seeking to cause trouble in her chat.

Roddy Mackay/Ikea

She went on to describe how the community she has established draws in people from all walks of life.

“I’ve got folk that joined me that didn’t know each other and now they are playing together after I have finished my stream or before. They are fantastic, I just adore my community,” she said.

“The thing that I really like is, some folk have really very bad days in their life. Some folk are not very well, maybe have got some issues, and there is always somebody there to support them.”

Now, as a testament to her continuing success in the face of toxic behavior, Bowie has partnered with Ikea for its Brannboll Collection, a range of affordable gaming furniture.

In a final piece of advice to older gamers who are considering getting into streaming but may be put off by the potential reaction from Twitch viewers, Bowie had this to say, “Just go for it. Forget about your age. Just go for it and enjoy yourself. Look at the enjoyment I’ve had.”

With no plans to slow down any time soon, Bowie streams Fortnite every day over on her Twitch channel.