Others accuse Keemstar of behaving like a “40-year-old schoolyard bully.”
On the other hand, large content creators are completely ignoring this conflict. They congratulate Pokimane on her decision to take a break. This is essential and important.
This is what major streamers say about League of Legends, the esports team G2 Esports, or Jack “Courage” Dunlop.
In a recent YouTube interview, Pokimane explained how business works on Twitch. She dispelled the prejudices that a female streamer lives solely on donations and subscriptions and that they only play a little and then have free time again:
The biggest streamer in the world explains how Twitch really works
The biggest streamer on Twitch is Imane “Pokimane” Anys. She has now announced that she will take a longer break from Twitch to avoid burnout. This comes just a few days after she was heavily criticized by a YouTuber. The mood against Pokimane is turning toxic.
This is the situation:
- The 24-year-old streamer Pokimane is the only woman at the top of Twitch. With 5.35 million followers, she has built a huge channel. She has about 3 times more followers than the next largest streamer on Twitch, Loserfruit.
- In recent months, Pokimane has increasingly become the target of attacks accusing her of being watched only for her looks and of having an army of men around her who want to please her, so-called “simps.”
- Now she announces a longer break to avoid burnout.
Pokimane takes a month off from Twitch and the internet
This is how long the break will last: Pokimane says she will take about a month off. She states that during this time she wants to take a break from her career and from what is expected of her online (via twitter).
The 24-year-old justifies the break by saying that she feels burnt out. The Corona quarantine is taking its toll on her. She can no longer perceive highlights in her life:
- cannot attend conventions
- cannot visit family
- cannot meet fans
The popular streamer explains that this break has long been overdue, as she hasn’t taken a vacation in 6 years.
Pokimane does not comment at all on the attacks against her, which have been increasing lately. When she did once, the backlash only grew stronger. Pokimane then deleted the tweets with which she had previously justified herself.
A wave of attacks against Pokimane has been rolling in for weeks
What happened before? Pokimane is the only woman at the top of Twitch and thus in an exposed position. The mood against Pokimane has been escalating since mid-May 2020. A YouTuber, who calls himself a comedian, harshly attacked her and her fans in a video. He claimed she exploited lonely men, but later said it was just meant to be funny.
Pokimane visibly reacted to this video and attacked the sponsor behind it – actually a taboo. For by doing so, she endangers the livelihood of someone else.
Since then, she has faced even more criticism than before and has apparently become a target of hatred for some.
The latest wave of attacks began on July 27. The event organizer and ongoing source of drama, Keemstar, tweeted: “Pokimane 2/10”: He rated Pokimane like a product, but very poorly.
About a week ago, a YouTube video about Pokimane titled “Content Nuke – Pokimane” by the YouTuber “LeafyIsHere” was released. It has now received 1.88 million views (via youtube).
The video is a harsh attack on Pokimane. This video does not claim to be funny. It is, in a way, “The destruction of Pokimane:”
- Her content consists of watching other people’s videos and contributing nothing
- at the same time, Pokimane behaves like an internet censor and has issued copyright strikes against YouTubers who reused her videos, accusing them of exactly what she is now doing
- the people who followed her and donated money were stupid, they were infatuated with her – while Pokimane has a boyfriend
- in addition, Pokimane is repeatedly reduced to her appearance and that she is “not hot”
This is the impact: The video prompted an online discussion in the days that followed about who Pokimane’s mysterious boyfriend might be. This became a kind of running gag. But that was still the least harmful aspect of the situation.
The hostility against Pokimane reached unprecedented levels. Tweets and memes against Pokimane and her community are widely circulating online. They are hurtful and polemical.
Under the announcement of her break, one can see the waves that the video against her has caused. Many critics post ironically as “Tier 3 Subs” who are desperate for Pokimane’s attention (via twitter). “Tier 3” subscriptions (25€ subscribers) now seem to have become a new insult, much like the earlier term “White Knight.”
Moreover, images of Pokimane that aim to portray her as unattractive are frequently shared.
This is how the break is now viewed: Keemstar seems to feel like the winner of the debate now. He says he triggered this and ensured that everyone knows how “uncool it is to support Pokimane.” Therefore, no one is defending her anymore.
He hears “from the internet now.”
Others accuse Keemstar of behaving like a “40-year-old schoolyard bully.”
On the other hand, large content creators are completely ignoring this conflict. They congratulate Pokimane on her decision to take a break. This is essential and important.
This is what major streamers say about League of Legends, the esports team G2 Esports, or Jack “Courage” Dunlop.
In a recent YouTube interview, Pokimane explained how business works on Twitch. She dispelled the prejudices that a female streamer lives solely on donations and subscriptions and that they only play a little and then have free time again:
The biggest streamer in the world explains how Twitch really works
