I've, personally, been finding it hard to play TF2... but my usual playtime is 12:AM-2AM Central Standard, which has always been a bit lean.
If I were to come up with an explanation, it's this:
FINALS and STANDARDIZED TESTS and GRADUATION
March, April, May, this is the time of year when students start looking at their GPA and going... whew! Better pass these next two tests! They start planning for their finals, start focusing more on graduation, planning for prom, kissing professorial butts, etc, etc, etc. Check the recent poll about eGO Age Groups:
http://www.edgegamers.org/forums/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=551
60% of our gamers are in the "OMG SCHOOL" group. The 17-26 group, whom I ususally find during my past-midnight runs, are all busy with school. Younger groups have to go to bed by 10*, and the older groups have 9-5ers and can't wontonly stay up in a Mountain Dew powered rage**.
I've got my degree and my business which is open noon to seven, so I can afford to be up late.
Add me to steam friends... if I'm on and not busy, I'd be more than happy to join a server with you guys and goof off. ...if it's Warpath, you'll need to convince me a bit harder, but other than that I'm gold. And if you invite me to Turbine I'm there in a heartbeat
Just give it a few months. In a month or two, finals are done, gpa's have essentially been locked down, professoral butts have been kissed to the requisite amounts, and SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER, and soon nobody will ever be able to get a slot, and we'll have threads saying "I CANT NEVER GET INTO A SERVER ;.;".***
* Blatant stereotype
** Again!
*** This is what turned me into a late night gamer; I joined eGO during the crush months, and this was the only time I could find slots!