The streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys (28) is one of the most popular women in gaming in the USA. On Twitch, she was long the biggest streamer. This brings some unpleasant experiences. Once she received a text message from a man and shortly after a furious call from a wife.
Who is Pokimane on Twitch? The 28-year-old Pokimane was originally a League of Legends streamer until she discovered the shooter Fortnite in 2017, which made her famous.
Pokimane was able to professionalize herself through the wave of Twitch Prime subscriptions that were circulating at that time and dropped out of her studies. In the years that followed, she showed her business sense and built a small company around her impeccable reputation and charisma.
At the same time, as the only woman in the top 10 on Twitch, she was constantly in the conversation: It was said in 2020 that she would “exploit lonely men”, who only watch her because they want to connect with her. In January 2024, after a cookie scandal, she had had enough of Twitch, but still streams there sporadically.
The Prime subscriptions were the reason why the careers of many streamers took off and they could professionalize in 2017:
Jealous wife confronts Pokimane about her secret number
This is what she says now: Pokimane shares in a podcast that she has a secret phone number that almost nobody knows. Everyone who can call her there is saved by name. But once she received a message from an unknown number that asked: “Hey, are you still awake?”
Pokimane ignored the message, but the Twitch streamer was surprised that someone unknown reached her in this way. That shouldn’t happen.
Two days later, she received a call from an angry woman: “Why are you texting my husband? Why did he write to you?” Before Pokimane could respond, the woman barked at her: “You don’t even know what a terrible person he is.”
Pokimane says the angry wife cursed at her over the phone and didn’t let her get a word in edgewise. Pokimane was so shocked that she couldn’t say anything and simply hung up.
The parasocial danger for female streamers on Twitch
This is how it ended: Pokimane says that after the call, the woman created a chat group with her and the husband and continued to berate her there. She sent a photo of her husband and said: “Look at his stupid face. Is this the guy you texted? Is this the guy you wanted to meet?”
Pokimane says that at first she was fascinated by the situation, but then it became too creepy for her and she blocked both of them.
This is what it’s about: What sounds like a light-hearted story is exactly the “parasocial behavior” that female streamers on Twitch need to be cautious of. Some of their fans think they are truly friends with a streamer and part of their lives.
In Pokimane’s case, she was drawn into a seemingly troubled marriage without participating in the discussion herself.
Streamers like Amouranth take advantage of this for their financial benefit. For other female streamers, playing this role in their fans’ lives is frightening. This can sometimes lead to unpleasant aspects on the internet or even to stalking: A German Twitch streamer discovers a very disgusting forum about herself: “You make me sick”
