The streamer Sebastian “Forsen” Fors is a veteran on Twitch and one of the major streamers there. But he maintains a different style. Now, the Swede explains why he is doing so well on Twitch while other big streamers like xQc or Dr Disrespect seem to suffer under the pressure: He simply doesn’t want to be successful.
This is the situation on Twitch: Many successful streamers on Twitch set goals and want to achieve something:
- Streamers like xQc and summit1g are live for more than 10 hours every day, streaming without breaks, wanting to stay relevant on the platform
- Streamers chase after “subscriptions.” They feel that if they are not live, they lose subscribers and, therefore, money. The stars want to maintain the success they currently have. Ninja once said, he was the “slave of the stream” and didn’t live at all
- The streamers survey the market, diving into new titles like Valorant or Fall Guys that are trending, as there is great growth potential here. Those who discover the new games first can excite new viewers and become the star – just like the Swede Anomaly in Valorant.
This constant pressure to perform causes some streamers to burn out or lose it sometimes. Currently, the most popular Twitch streamer xQc recently announced on Twitter how he really feels. The constant criticism weighs heavily on xQc; he feels treated unfairly.
The streaming veteran summit1g once announced that he might quit Twitch because he is fed up with the channel full of fans who do not want what he wants. Later, he backtracked: He is just emotional, and such outbursts live on the channel shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
One of the most innovative streamers in recent years is Guy Beahm, who has portrayed himself as an artistic figure. But Dr Disrespect is in crisis after his Twitch ban, as everything he worked hard for collapsed overnight. The otherwise poised streamer seemed quite frustrated by the past months.
If you don’t care about anything, you are free and have no boss
This is how Forsen deals with stress on Twitch: The Swede Forsen addresses exactly this phenomenon in a clip.
Someone asks him why he doesn’t try to “climb the streaming ladder”; why doesn’t he want to be the “best streamer.” Forsen replies:
“Because it doesn’t fulfill you. This type of job doesn’t satisfy you if you want to be successful in it. You’re better off doing what you feel like doing.
If you do what you want, no one is your boss. Your viewer count is not your boss, your sponsors are not, your damned viewers are not your boss – especially not them.
No one tells you what the hell you should do, that’s a blessing. Just look at the Twitter posts of big streamers with their anxiety disorders.”
Sebastian “Forsen” Fors
Glossy influencer posts vs. shabby Twitter messages
This is also how it looks in practice: Apparently, Forsen has found a way to handle the pressure on Twitch that others feel: He simply doesn’t care.
An example:
- Streamers like Ninja invest a lot of time into their “brand”, maintain their social media channels, comment on politics, make little videos and stage themselves and their private lives
- The Twitter channel of Forsen mostly contains links to his stream with one-word comments like “Live” or “Super-Live”. Additionally, he says briefly if he can’t stream or if he needs tips for buying a TV. The posts seem quickly thrown together, almost a bit shabby compared to the glossy posts of “influencers”
The contrast is also evident in the streams themselves: While some female streamers perfectly illuminate themselves and present themselves well, smile at the chat and look as if they just came from the hairdresser, you see Forsen from a low angle with a bushy beard, gaming away, grumbling and mumbling, as if no one is watching him.
Forsen doesn’t care what is currently trending or what his viewers want and expect from him. He pulls himself away and does his own thing.
However, Forsen’s channel grew at a time when Twitch was still small and cozy. For many streamers today, the path to the top of Twitch seems to work through relentless grinding.
And grinding is also important for Forsen. When he is not banned from Twitch, he streams like clockwork between 5 and 6 hours a day: Last week on Twitch, he had 40 hours and 7 working days.
Like every other successful streamer, Forsen is regularly and at fixed times on Twitch. Even if he has no boss other than himself.
We at MeinMMO often report on how dangerous and demanding the environment of Twitch is for streamers: There are no time limits; only the streamer decides when to take time off, a break, or even a vacation. This leads many streamers to ruthless neglect everything outside their Twitch careers.
The successful Twitch streamer DansGaming once summed it up:
Streamer says Twitch demands huge sacrifices from him: “Lost everything”
