Hearing his guilt trip rant just solidified how lazy and dumb Phil is when it comes to life and running a business. Blaming his audience for low contributions is sad and completely void of self awareness. Also blaming the game is a poor excuse when there are streamers and other content creators who play boring ass games or games that are old who do amazingly well with contributions. That should tell Phil that a game doesn't make the stream but it's what the content creator does to make the stream entertaining.
My favorite part is when he said that his audience asks for a game but they don't contribute in the stream so it's their fault. No Dave it's your fault for not making the stream fun, you just sit there grunting, snorting, and bitching about bills and detractors. You have said it yourself no one wants to come to a stream to hear life problems but to escape from the real world responsibilities and have fun. But you constantly contradict yourself when you nonstop rant about trolls (Yes that means we live in your head rent free) and bringing up your personal financial issues and try to attach them to your viewers problems. All you are doing is just creating a stressful environment that brings down the mood, especially when you blame your audience for the sub goal not being obtained. All this does is piss people off and be less likely to give you money and potentially leave your community.
There are a couple of reasons why your fans like watching you play Street Fighter or Call of Duty games, they love seeing your pain and, ironically, you talk a lot more in those streams. But games where you barely show emotion of any kind or streams where you barely talk is what your audience doesn't like. People want you to play the games they ask because they want to share an experience with you, but if you play the game while barely talking then it causes your fans to be uninterested and donate less. If you play a game that your audience asks for but get no money, then that is on you. Your audience wanted the game so that should make them happier but you doing nothing or complaining about the game just ruins the stream.
I have watched streamers play old Pokemon games and chess but yet get tons of contributions. This is because the streamer engages with their audience, they don't complain about bills/trolls, they don't beg for money, and they make sure to be entertaining. And being entertaining can vary from modifying the game rules like Nuzlockes in Pokemon, making bets with chat where they will be rewarded, creating conversational topics with your audience, getting a better streaming setup (get a better camera you fuck stain) or doing Fan Appreciation streams where you play some games with your fans. But of course you will make a thousands excuses because apparently you are the only one who has trolls trying to ruin their streams. Guess what you are not the only one but you are the only one I can think of that quits before even trying to find workarounds from troll antics.
This is your lively hood so start acting like it is and don't be lazy. And definitely don't think your fans need to give you money for just playing a game with some snorts and ackack noises in the background. If your fans aren't giving you money it means you are doing something wrong. Like they say "If one person hates you then that person is the issue. But if a group of people hate you then you are the issue". To put it where you can understand "If one person doesn't tip you then they are the issue. If a group of people don't want to give you money then you are the issue."
