The German Twitch streamer AlphaKevin has received a ban on Twitch and is cleverly taking advantage of it. The plan of a female streamer to punish him for a video completely backfires.
What was the cause of the dispute? The opinion blogger AlphaKevin uploaded the video “Gronkh is MISOGYNISTIC according to Shurjoka” to his YouTube channel on September 5, 2024. This is a so-called “ragebait” video:
- Because Gronkh is a streamer in Germany with an unblemished reputation
- Shurjoka, on the other hand, is a controversial figure
The video will most likely lead to people entering the video with clenched fists and expressing their displeasure towards Shurjoka in the comments.
The video refers to a conflict between Shurjoka and Gronkh from February 2023 regarding Hogwarts Legacy. At that time, Gronkh was criticized for his statements about Hogwarts Legacy, but received 37,000 € from his fans in support of his position.
The streamer Shurjoka then remarked that she would also like to have such shitstorms. Gronkh later made negative comments about Shurjoka.
In a new stream, Shurjoka now accuses misogyny: Without delving further into the previous conflict between her and the streamer Scurrows, he believes “the man” and distrusts the woman, meaning her.
Shurjoka is upset about “dudes making money on her back”
This was the consequence of the video:
As another streamer noted, AlphaKevin has clearly positioned himself with this video in the ongoing battle between Shurjoka and the so-called “boys club”, a group of streamers (via X).
A seemingly direct reaction to this video, Shurjoka filed a DMCA strike against AlphaKevin’s Twitch stream the following day through a moderator, resulting in his Twitch channel being suspended for 2 days. In that stream, AlphaKevin again dealt with the topic “Shurjoka”.
Shurjoka apparently wanted, as she indicates on X, to make a statement that she does not tolerate “making money on her back” and accused AlphaKevin of not providing correct sources.
However, the real reason AlphaKevin came under fire was apparently his video regarding the conflict between Shurjoka and Gronkh.
A DMCA strike like that is clearly against the unwritten rules governing how streamers interact with each other. Because it jeopardizes the ability to earn money. This strike is considered unsportsmanlike because it silences one party, at least for a certain time.
AlphaKevin emphasizes his own neutrality – Omits Gronkh video
How did AlphaKevin utilize this for himself? In his explanation of why he received the strike, AlphaKevin ignored the last video concerning Shurjoka that was released just before the strike. He merely referred to the fact that he has always treated Shurjoka fairly compared to other YouTubers and also “given her points” when she deserved them.
AlphaKevin shows which videos he has produced concerning Shurjoka but omits the crucial video:
He also emphasized how much the strike affected him, significantly restricting his earning opportunities. He says there was an attempt to cause him maximum financial damage.
AlphaKevin repeatedly stressed how unfair he finds the strike and that it is intended to “destroy his channel” and “inflict maximum harm on him.” He believed he had always been fair towards her.
He believes Shurjoka is targeting him because she thinks he will not defend himself.
AlphaKevin enjoys massive support
How has he benefited from the ban? Ultimately, the ban on Twitch lasted 2 days.
Since AlphaKevin usually streams about 12 hours a week on Twitch, one can assume a “loss” of about 2–4 hours of Twitch time. A stream averages 707 viewers for him.
His “comeback stream” on September 8 on Twitch had an average of 1,676 viewers. In hindsight, he expressed gratitude for the many donations he received. He also gained 1,250 followers in the last 7 days, an increase of 511% compared to the previous week (via SullyGnome).
Moreover, he was able to create two YouTube videos solely from the ban on his main channel that have over 150,000 views. The video about the misogynistic Gronkh has achieved 207,000 views.
The actual source of income for reaction streamers like AlphaKevin is not on Twitch, but in the secondary use of Twitch streams on YouTube.
Using a blunt instrument will achieve nothing on Twitch.
This example shows: One sees from the example that attempts to “silence” a content creator with such means do not work, but have the opposite effect.
Public opinion tends to favor the one who received the strike. The one who issues it appears to be a bully, reacting disproportionately and abusing his power and the system.
Other streamers who strive for a neutral view, like Tanzverbot, express their incomprehension over the entire action (via YouTube).
And ultimately, such a suspension is without serious consequences.
It is unlikely that Shurjoka achieved her goal of at least preventing AlphaKevin from creating any more videos “on her back” in the future. Because ultimately, he seems to have found enjoyment in the topic now and announces that he will “exploit it to his maximum advantage,” as that is exactly what the opposing side does not want: Shurjoka gets a streamer banned on Twitch, is compared to Hitler
