After a month-long break from streaming, Twitch star Imane “Pokimane” Anys (26) is back. But she doesn’t want to continue like this. In a YouTube video and subsequent stream on Twitch, Pokimane talks about her motivations and how to proceed now.
This is Pokimane
Pokimane is coming back to Twitch – but less frequently and more irregularly
This is how Pokimane reported back: On August 28th, over a month after announcing her hiatus, Pokimane announced via Twitter that she would resume streaming on September 1st. When the big day came, however, she first released a video on YouTube.
In the video, Pokimane explained why she took the break and what’s next for her. In the subsequent stream, she went back to the points raised before moving on to the normal gaming program.
This is how it should continue for Pokimane: The Twitch star specifically stated that she doesn’t want to stop streaming. But it should be significantly less and more irregular. Instead of the previous 6 days, Pokimane only wants to be on the air 2 to 3 times a week.
You can watch the full comeback stream on Pokimane’s Twitch channel.
This is what she wants to do instead: Fans don’t have to give up Pokimane entirely. The streamer runs several other social media accounts. She is having more fun with Instagram and TikTok in particular.
Here’s why Pokimane is drawn to other social media: The streamer says she loves the feeling of being able to spontaneously post an Instagram story or a short video on TikTok and then get on with her day.
She no longer wants to wake up, run to her PC and gamble for 8 hours at a time, says Pokimane. She also has a higher proportion of female followers on other platforms with whom she can talk about things other than just gaming.
With this move, Pokimane joins a growing line of content creators looking to step away from streaming giant Twitch and shift their focus to other platforms.
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Pokimane talks about the pressures streamers face
Here’s why she wants to stream less: Pokimane has been a streamer for almost a decade. While it used to be new and exciting, Twitch seems to be losing its appeal for the now 26-year-old.
On the one hand, this is due to the competitive nature of the industry. Pokimane says she doesn’t want to be under the pressure of having to follow every trend, of having to stream more and more than the competition.
I’ve played pretty much every big, trending game. […] Now when I see something on Twitch, I feel like I’ve already done it all.
Pokimane via YouTube
While there will always be games that can win her heart, Pokimane says she enjoys gaming outside of her streams more. So she can enjoy the games again like she did as a child.
There is more to the streamer profession than just gambling
Here’s what Pokimane says about full-time streaming: In her stream, Pokimane also addresses the “dream job streamer”. It’s not just playing video games all day and getting paid for it. When she’s not on the air, she still thinks about streaming all the time.
In addition, a lot more happens behind the scenes, such as meetings with cooperation partners. It’s all very stressful and she no longer has the feeling of being able to give everything in the stream. On YouTube, she described streaming as a “hamster wheel” that she no longer wanted to participate in.
This is behind it: Pokimane also addresses another downside of being in the public eye: you’re in a constant feedback loop from people sharing what they think of you. As a woman, she would get a lot of unsolicited opinions.
So Pokimane has the feeling that you only do what people want you to do. There would then be little room to develop as an individual and to find out what gives you pleasure.
However, withdrawing from streaming is anything but easy for Pokimane, she became visibly emotional, and a few tears shed. She is afraid of disappointing her fans with her decision.
That’s why Pokimane doesn’t want to stop streaming completely, she wants to keep this part of her identity. Gaming and streaming don’t have to be everything anymore. Instead, she wants the freedom to produce the content she likes.
Is it going to others too? Other Twitch streamers also talk about the working conditions of a full-time content creator. While the American jorbs could hardly cope with the success and got anxiety attacks, the case of the German streamer Kalle Koschinsky shows a structural problem.
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Twitch is increasingly being criticized for its seemingly arbitrary ban policy and the algorithm that invites self-exploitation. Do you think the streaming platform can continue like this, or does something fundamentally need to change? Please leave us a comment with your opinion.
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