Popular Twitch streamer, Pokimane, has recently taken a break from streaming. The break began when the streamer took to Twitter in July, announcing that she was taking a breather. She tweeted, “Taking time off” with a screenshot from her notes which reads “I’ve been feeling in need of a mental reset & some time to focus on myself… Looking forward to coming back refreshed and ready to make more content.”
However, it has been almost two months since she shared the update, and as promised there has been a hole in her streaming schedule. So let’s unpack her break from the streaming platform, why she took the break, and what she will be up to when she comes back.
Why did Pokimane take a break from streaming on Twitch?
As is evident from her Twitter post, Pokimane was feeling the way many streamers can feel, she was burnt out. She goes into more detail about the burnout she was experiencing in the YouTube video posted on her channel, which was released on Sept. 1, 2022, and which you can see above. In addition to the burnout, she also felt that she needed a break from the constant feedback loop, citing that she has been streaming for roughly nine years, and takes a break every two years or so to touch base with herself.
She mentions that she moved recently and took the time to acclimate herself to her new home and neighborhood, decorating her streaming room and getting back into routines like going to the gym. Being as she puts it, “chronically online”, disrupted her ability to do those things, at least comfortably, so she used her time off to do all of that. During her break, she also posted on her Instagram stories and made some TikTok content. Pokimane went on to talk about how she plans to evolve her content, still streaming on Twitch a few times a week, but branching out to other social media platforms, and trying to do more IRL (in real life) streams and generally make content that she enjoys making rather than placating to what her audience on Twitch wants to see.
She also mentions that she can upload content on TikTok or Instagram and not pay attention to the comments, which would be better for her mental health. It helps that her demographics on those platforms are made up of a higher percentage of females, which she says helps her bond with other women over things not related to Twitch. A large part of the video is Pokimane explaining the pressure that Twitch streamers experience, and she goes as far as to say “I don’t want to participate in the rat race that is streaming.” She mentions how she has been streaming for the better part of nine years, and that she has played many games during that time, but that she wants to stay away from the competitive nature of streaming, and do her own thing.
Of course, Pokimane is one of Twitch’s most popular streamers, boasting over nine million followers, so an exit on her part would not only put a dent in her income but Twitch’s as well. In fact, Pokimane is not even the only large streamer to take a break from Twitch streaming, as the popular Fortnite streamer, Ninja has recently taken a break as well. He tweeted “I just need a break… I don’t know when I will be back, or where.” Unlike Pokimane, it seems that he might be departing from Twitch, where he has over 18 million followers.
It’s worth noting that YouTube has been making a play for some popular Twitch streamers, perhaps most notably, Dr Disrespect. Ninja himself had departed Twitch to leave for Mixer, a Microsoft service that has now shut down. Even though Ninja had been streaming on Twitch after Mixer shut down, he changed his Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube profiles all to make it clear that he was taking a break. But again, Pokimane’s situation and Ninja’s situation seem to be different.
So, do not be worried that Pokimane took a break from Twitch, as it was a temporary one. It does mean that going forward she will be less active on Twitch than she once was, especially with regard to streaming video game-related content. But if this means that she will be feeling better about her career, and herself, we should get better content out of her. And even if we don’t she will still presumably be much happier than she was previously so it is a win-win situation.
