Pokimane Becomes First Streamer To Cap Twitch Donations
As the gaming and streaming communities continue to grown hand-in-hand, the rise of full-time streamers slows no sign of slowing down. From Tyler "Ninja" Blevis to Dr Disrespect, Rachell "Valkyrae" Hofstetter to Kaitlyn "Amouranth" Siragusa, Twitch has become known for its big names. Yes, Dr Disrespect might have been given the boot, but it's important to remember the prominence the streaming service has had in all their lives.
When it comes to big streamers, few come close to Imane "Pokimane" Anys, who sits pretty at the top of Twitch's women. With over 6.1 million followers on the platform, she is by far the most-subscribed female streamer. With this in mind, Pokimane has now put her significant influence to the test and capped the amount you can donate to her. The whole thing is part of Anys' new mantra that people should be spending their money closer to home.
What is Pokimane's donation cap?
Posting on Twitter, Pokimane confirmed the new cap will be set at $5. She told her followers, "Thank you for supporting me to the point where I consider anything more than that unnecessary. To anyone that was more generous – please support growing channels, charities, and treat yourselves".
Given that this is Pokimane's job and she makes a living from your donations, it's refreshing to see her attitude toward what can be given to her. That being said, with so many subscribers, we doubt she's short of a couple of dollars.
It's all well and good, but Anys also came under fire from some. Critics said she should allow larger donations and simply pass on the excess herself. That way, at least she'd know it's being given to the right causes. Of course, Twitch itself has a controversial past with donations, just like when a troll was donating tens of thousands of dollars to streamers (presumably making their year) and then cancelling at the last minute.
How much does Pokimane earn from Twitch?
On the subject of money, Pokimane has previously discussed her net worth. Google is notoriously tricky with these things, and while Pokimane still won't reveal what she's worth, she laughed when one search said it's around $2 million. The streamer once talked about her most expensive purchase - which was her handbag - but said she'd never go into five figures. Wow, that makes Michael "shroud" Grzesiek's $13,000 trip on a private jet just to make it back for a World of Warcraft match seem a little excessive.
Considering Anys recently signed a multiyear deal with Twitch, we're also not expecting her to go anywhere in the near future. Even with a donation cap, she's sure to keep raking in the big bucks. Having started her streaming career back in 2013, it makes sense that she wants to stick with Twitch for the foreseeable.
The donation cap is a move in the right direction for a more humble version of Twitch, but it seems like just a drop in the ocean compared to the sheer volume of donations being made every minute. Will the other big names follow in Poki's footsteps and negatively impact their own salary for the sake of helping others? Watch this space.
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