The biggest streamers on Twitch are now millionaires and multi-millionaires. Nevertheless, they regularly receive donations from their viewers of 5 euros, 50 euros, or even 500 euros. What drives people to give their hard-earned money to streamers, who have much more than they do, is explained by Twitch streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys.
This is how Pokimane explains the donations: During a Twitch stream, Pokimane looked at some forum posts and came across the question: “Why do people donate to Twitch streamers at all?” The questioner explicitly did not mean small streamers who depend on the money, but rather large streamers who are supported by their own sponsors. Just like big streamers such as Pokimane.
Pokimane responded immediately:
“People don’t ask themselves: How much does this person need my money? People donate because they want the attention of someone. And the wealthier someone becomes, the more valuable it is to gain their attention.”
The streamer then adds that everyone knows: spending money isn’t always about logic; nobody spends their money rationally at all times, but pursues different purposes repeatedly.
This also explains why Twitch streamers, no matter how big they are, always read out the names of everyone who donates $5 to their stream. They know the game and how it is played.
What does Pokimane think about money? Although Pokimane is a successful businesswoman and manages her Twitch channel like a medium-sized company, she struggles with luxury, as we know. After all, Pokimane was just a student in chemical engineering a few years ago and had to stretch every penny.
In 2020, she explained how difficult it is for her to “pay crazy amounts.” She would never buy things for $100,000 or $50,000. Only her PC lies in the price range between $3,000 and $5,000. Even a trip to Japan that she once treated herself to was significantly below $5,000.
However, Pokimane weakens when it comes to designer handbags. It seems she struggles not to indulge in luxury. She once admitted that the most expensive thing she ever bought was a handbag:
“I don’t want to lie … once I looked at some handbags. And maybe I bought a handbag that was as expensive as my PC, but I never spent more than $10,000! It was never five figures!”
Some streamers invest in houses, others spend money like rappers
What do other streamers buy with their money? It is known that the shooter pro shroud once rented a private jet for $13,000 just to be home in time for a raid in WoW.
Some streamers also behave like rappers and buy outrageously expensive accessories:
- Tfue once spent $3,500 on a keyboard.
- Ludwig paid $43,000 to play with shroud for an hour.
- Twitch streamer Hasan Abi recently bought a house in LA – price: $2.7 million.
There are also streamers who, although they have earned a lot of money, have also developed a taste for gaming and invest their money in gambling or cryptocurrencies. This doesn’t always end well:
Twitch streamer loses $8 million, screams at viewers who warn him about gambling
