There is a new world record holder on Twitch for the most stream hours in a month – and he is from Germany. We had Seanstream answer some questions for us.
The Twitch streamer Bljerim “Seansstream” Bajramovik (short: Ben) recently broke the record for the most stream hours per month with 595 hours in November.
Previously, he secured the record for the longest continuous stream – with 173 hours. We spoke to him.
Going to the limit for the record
MeinMMO: Your attempt is really dangerous. How important is medical supervision during such a record?
Seansstream: I visit a friend who is a doctor about every three days – unless he requires me to come more often. This is extremely important to me because it gives me peace of mind. Firstly, I don’t want any permanent damage. Secondly, I want to send the message: People, if you want to attempt a record, do it. But do it in a way that doesn’t endanger yourself. It’s important to recognize symptoms and know what they mean.
If you see that your urine is too dark, you know: Oh, I’m not drinking enough. It calms me to know things are going alright and nothing can happen.
My doctor also has a directive from me. If he says: That’s too dangerous, stop, then I stop. Then I even have to stop.
MeinMMO: How close to the limit are you? Will you break your record again or not?
Seansstream: I got sick once during the record. I was hit because my immune system couldn’t cope with the virus. If I take that away, there’s still room for improvement. In my eyes, the limit – over 30 days – is 640 to 650 hours.
That’s the absolute maximum. Anything beyond that is… critical. I believe that for times of 20 hours a day, something like this shouldn’t be allowed without medical supervision.
Important preparation: Out with the pizza, in with the salad!
MeinMMO: How about your nutrition? Does it work with the typical “gamer food” pizza and energy drinks?
Seansstream: The last time it was extremely timed when I stayed awake for seven days straight. No animal products, no milk and eggs or anything like that. And also not too much. You probably know it, if you eat too much, you get tired. And you don’t want that.
For this record, it’s a bit looser because you give your body more downtime. That’s enough to balance some things out. I do eat meat sometimes, but not too fatty – as healthy as possible. Only coffee, tea, and some energy drinks are added.
However, my caffeine intake is incredibly low. You can always check with a chat command what I’ve consumed.
MeinMMO: You also did a drug test – why? Has anyone ever cheated?
Seansstream: Back then, I had to do that because it was supposed to be an official record. Today I do it and people see it – hundreds! I can handle it if they say: What an idiot, what a nutcase.
But I wouldn’t be able to handle it if someone copies me and something happens to them. I don’t want that. That’s why it was clear from the start: Risk is my business, but instigating others is a whole different story. So it was clear to me that I wanted to do a drug test.
I want to clearly prove that I have not taken any illegal substances. And it should be very clear how much caffeine or whatever I have consumed. That’s why I also avoid poppy seed rolls. That could skew the results.
MeinMMO: So a kind of role model function? How about people who want to copy you?
Seansstream: If someone comes now wanting to copy me, I say: Then do it with a drug screening. You can make everything safe or dangerous: mountain climbing, cycling… And if someone wants to copy this record, I say: Do it safely and not dangerously. And lab tests are not that expensive.
How does a Twitch marathon actually work?
MeinMMO: The American streamer GiantWaffle started the same record attempt – at the same time. Are you coincidentally working with him on the attempt or are you competing against each other?
Seansstream: No. I would never have started in the same month. Had I known that beforehand, I wouldn’t have done it at all. We both only found out about halfway through. If it becomes a competition, it gets dangerous because you always try to be better and eventually overdo it. That’s idiotic, to do that – for both sides.
Now, after the record, I’m incredibly impressed by him. He knew beforehand that he wouldn’t be able to catch up with me. Still, he kept going – for his community. Because it was meant to be a streaming event for his people. The record didn’t even matter to him anymore. I really respect that.
GiantWaffle himself says that only the viewers benefit from this – for the streamers, it is a burden.
MeinMMO: How do you keep your viewers entertained? What do you offer besides streaming a lot?
Seansstream: During the record, I actually don’t offer that much content. I focus more on myself. I realize that I can’t manage to chat and play at the same time anymore. So I break it down. There are chat times and game times. I think I’ve done more “Just Chatting” times now than in the entire previous year. However, the streaming entertainment is reduced during the gaming phases. There I focus on getting through it.
Records can also be dangerous
MeinMMO: In similar actions there have already been fatalities among Twitch streamers. How do you see that? Does it make you think?
Seansstream: I consulted the doctor only because I was concerned about this – even the first time I stayed awake for 173 hours straight. But he was able to reassure me quite a bit. If you have yourself checked out beforehand and are in perfect health – really completely healthy – the probability of staying awake killing you is very low.
Unless you overdo it, like with caffeine or sugar. But if you avoid that, you don’t cross the limits, your body just puts you to sleep. You can fight it as much as you want, it will lay you down.
The attempt now, over the course of a month, is significantly more dangerous, due to the rest periods that I have.
Twitch streamer: I can now imagine what it’s like to be demented
MeinMMO: So this record is a much greater burden?
Seansstream: From my experience and without medical expertise, yes. This is definitely more exhausting. This is comparable to a marathon. The other was a short-distance sprint. Now I really have to manage my energy. I had to really pay attention to how I sleep and for how long and prepare for that.
For the first time, I can imagine how it is to be demented. You notice how accessing your memories or abilities becomes difficult or impossible. You know you know something or can do something but can’t retrieve the knowledge or articulate it. That is really not nice.
MeinMMO: Some critics claim: “Anyone can stream.” Could “anyone” also break this record?
Seansstream: I think definitely not everyone could do it, but very many could. If you just look at the gastronomy or the standby service like the fire brigade and the federal armed forces – they might be even better physically suited to it. They know this stress from their jobs and can handle it much better than I can. So there are definitely people who can break this record.
Warning: Not recommended for imitation
That’s why you should be careful: Ben sees the possibility that other people might surpass him or copy him. However, safety is extremely important to him.
During his attempt, he was under constant medical supervision, and his doctor was allowed to end the attempt at any time. According to his statement, Ben is a perfectly healthy and vital person with a fit body.
We strongly advise against starting such a record attempt yourself, especially if you are not 100% sure you can make it. Always seek medical advice and, when in doubt, don’t do it.
More about Seansstream on Twitch
Who is Seansstream anyway? Bljerim “Seansstream” Bajramovik is a small streamer from the German capital Berlin. He has been streaming on Twitch since 2016 and entertains an average of 200-300 viewers for some time.
Ben originally comes from the gastronomy sector. He completed an apprenticeship in system catering in the Münsterland and even earned his business economist qualification there. However, since he couldn’t imagine doing that in the long run, he pursued a degree in business informatics.
He came to streaming through a series of coincidences. While he was ill and lying in his apartment in his new hometown Berlin, his sister visited him, who at that time was streaming on Twitch.
Ben looked at the whole thing from a technical perspective. Back then, the provider hardly offered any useful tools for streamers. It was actually Ben’s idea: a tool for everything streamers need. Similar to what Streamlabs does today. However, during the research, he then got caught up in streaming himself.
You can learn how to become a streamer in our Twitch guide with professionals.
We have also spoken with other people from Germany who have made a name for themselves in the gaming sector:
