Successful, large streamers on Twitch or YouTube are live multiple times a week for several hours. Many of them get so deep into the grind that only a ban gives them the much-needed vacation. For large streamers, however, this is not so wild, but even lucrative. Some suspect that they even intentionally induce their temporary bans.
Back then, many people started streaming because it was fun for them; the big money was not yet to be made. Nowadays, numerous streamers are self-employed and earn millions.
In some cases, streaming is even seen as a career path, and students aspire to become major influencers, top YouTubers, or streamers, without realizing what is actually behind it.
A daily online compulsion is imminent, countless hours and days that one must spend actively on the internet, social media, and Twitch or YouTube. Even then, it is difficult to stand out in the crowd and earn high amounts. Fortnite streamer Ninja even reported that he was the slave of his streams.
An important source of income on Twitch is Twitch Prime – learn all about it in our video:
Twitch Ban as a Lucrative Method and Paid Vacation
What benefits does a ban have? The Twitch streamer Amouranth has been banned several times and stated during one of these bans that she has more time for OnlyFans because of it. The ban does not bother her. She can produce more content for the platform and simultaneously gain significantly more subscribers.
Alinity was also accidentally banned for violating the guidelines regarding sexual content. She said: “It’s a nice vacation (…) and free advertising (…) (via Dexerto)”.
The YouTuber and streamer itmeJP also stated on Twitter that the bans even bring more success and represent an additional vacation for the content creators. He wrote:
It’s really strange to be a streamer with any amount of success and be temporarily banned. Usually, the ban is seen as a vacation and when the ban is lifted, they’re welcomed back with a huge first stream and a ton of subs/donations/whatever. Not sure how to solve it.
Is a ban therefore intentional? Some in the community suspect that some streamers intentionally induce their bans to benefit from them or take a break. A famous example of this is the bathroom incident of DrDisrespect. During a livestream from E3, the Doc went to the bathroom and took his viewers with him.
As a result, he was banned from Twitch, but received massive attention and his channel grew. Many believe he did it intentionally.
Between 2020 and 2022, the community often spoke of a “paid vacation” when streamers were banned. The Twitch streamer shroud also stated that the big names on the platform had nothing to fear and termed it a “best-case scenario” (via Dexerto).
It would be a forced vacation if it were not a permanent ban. After serving the sentence, one could return to work.
Viewers usually miss their favorite streamer and celebrate when he returns. Not infrequently, a large amount of donations and subscriptions are collected during this time.
Ban from Twitch as Necessary, Forced Vacation
A ban by Twitch is normally unwanted or surprising for most streamers. However, some reported afterwards or during that it felt like a vacation they desperately needed.
When sodapoppin was banned for 2 weeks, he said that while he could fight against it, he did not and saw it as a vacation.
The eternal cycle of sleeping, eating, and streaming could only be interrupted by a ban.
The Problems of the Grind to Success
Why can a vacation be necessary? Due to constant comparison, subscription and follower numbers create additional pressure for content creators. YouTube and Twitch constantly inform them how successful or poorly their last video or stream performed.
Many build up pressure this way, wondering why some things perform better than others, and usually look for the fault within themselves. Not a few drift into depression, burnout, or alcohol addiction.
The grind is risky, said one of Germany’s biggest streamers: MontanaBlack. He reported that he lost sight of important things like friends and family. He only saw streaming and had a kind of “tunnel vision”. He changed this and is currently only live “when he feels it”.
The successful Twitch streamer DansGaming also reports similar experiences and said that he cut off all social contacts for streaming.
Furthermore, the streamer sodapoppin went so far as to take an attention drug to keep himself fit and continue streaming. He even gave up food and a lot of sleep, as the medication suppressed appetite and fatigue.
Moreover, influencers automatically take on the role of a role model. Many minors are active on social media, and content creators are constantly demanded to behave accordingly. This bothers some of them because they just want to do what they enjoy and not raise other people’s children.
Kalle Koschinsky also reported that he was at his wit’s end due to the constant content production and needed a break. Learn all about it on MeinMMO:
Twitch is eating its children – A German streamer says “It’s breaking me”
