Streamers Who've Admitted They Wanted To Quit
Being a professional streamer may seem like a dream job to many people, but gaming for a living isn't all fun and games. The pressure to consistently churn out content and the demands of dealing with (hopefully) an ever-growing audience could wear anyone down. Bad days, burnout, and mental health issues affect people in all walks of life, leading many to consider quitting their jobs to look for something better. In that sense, streaming celebrities are no different from anyone else. Even some of gaming's brightest stars have, at times, been tempted to throw in the towel.
Whether it's because of the everyday stresses of the job, an especially disturbing incident, or just because they want to try something new, many streaming personalities have thought about calling it quits; a few have even gone through with it, leaving behind their audiences to seek out whatever comes next. Most, however, have wound up back in front of their computers, entertaining their audiences with gaming exploits and showmanship.
Here are some professional streamers who have thought about hanging up their headsets for good.
PewDiePie
PewDiePie, one of the biggest names on YouTube, recently revealed he'd thought about calling it quits last year. Pewds has talked in the past about the repetitive nature of streaming, and what he sees as the toxicity of YouTube's viewers. In a June 26, 2020 video, a fan asked PewDiePie whether he'd ever considered retiring. His answer was an unequivocal yes.
However, PewDiePie continued by saying he was feeling better about his streaming career after the month-long hiatus he'd taken in January. He stated it had been good for his mental health, and he was ready to continue streaming. With that said, his answer to another question made it clear he doesn't want to be PewDiePie forever. "I don't want my whole life to pass by doing the same thing," said the YouTuber. "I'm getting old, guys, I'm 30... I did not expect me to sit here 10 years later from when I started."
The name PewDiePie is almost synonymous with YouTube at this point. He's one of the site's most popular and highest paid creators according to CNBC. If someone at the top of the game can get burned out, it would seem it can happen to anyone.
Alinity
In a recent video titled, "Very very sad. We need to talk" Natalia "Alinity" Mogollon talked about the massive mental and emotional toll the constant abuse she suffers online has taken on her. She revealed the harassment was so bad she'd considered taking her own life, and at one point asked whether quitting streaming entirely would be the only way to make it stop.
To call Alinity a controversial streamer would be putting it lightly. She's been hit with animal abuse allegations, started fights with some of Twitch and YouTube's biggest stars, and is often accused of having some sway over Twitch's admins that prevents her from getting banned. It seems that being in the internet's cross-hairs finally became too much for the streamer, leading to her tearful tell-all.
It appears Alinity has started taking steps to protect herself from the internet's ire. Her Twitter account was set to private following "Very very sad," which makes it so only approved followers can see and respond to her tweets. So far her efforts to protect her mental and emotional health seem to be working, as her Twitch channel is currently still active.
Dafran
Dafran, a former Overwatch pro and a Twitch streamer with nearly 600,000 followers, announced seemingly out of the blue that he was giving up full-time streaming. He revealed in a short message he wanted to go to school for agriculture. The reason he gave for the sudden change was, "We only have 1 life to live ... I have already spent 1/3 of my life infront [sic] of the computer."
Dafran's fans reacted to the unexpected announcement largely with messages of love and support. A few did express their disappointment and their surprise that Dafran was walking away from his successful streaming career, but the overall response from his audience was a positive one. He did go on to say that he plans to keep streaming "for fun but rarely." However, his Twitch channel has remained completely inactive since then.
Jacksepticeye
Sean McLoughlin, better known as Jacksepticeye, is a boisterous and energetic YouTuber. It may be hard to picture such an upbeat personality feeling depressed, but according to the streamer himself, it has happened. On Jan. 14, 2020, Jacksepticeye responded to questions from his YouTube comments. One commenter asked whether he'd ever thought about quitting YouTube, and McLoughlin answered that he'd thought about it frequently.
"There are definitely moments where I've thought, 'man, I could just stop, and all of this bull s**t would just go away,'" divulged Jacksepticeye. He explained that dealing with the pressures of his career, his audience's expectations, and even YouTube's often-inscrutable algorithms sometimes left him feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
"I absolutely love it, it's the best job I've ever had, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else," the YouTuber continued, "but it is the most stressed and most anxious I have ever been in my life."
Despite the stresses that come with the gig, it doesn't seem like Jacksepticeye is planning to draw the curtain on his YouTube career anytime soon. His channel, which boasts some 24.4 million subscribers, has been getting new content almost every day — though in the "2020," he announced he would be taking a short break for his own health.
Boss_CR
Boss_CR is a Twitch streamer and YouTuber who spends most of his time playing Clash Royale. Earlier this year, he toyed with the idea of giving up on streaming — not due to any major life changes, or because the stress and pressure were getting to him, but just as a simple business decision. On Jan.16, 2020, Boss_CR tweeted he was considering giving up on streaming to focus entirely on his YouTube channel. He reasoned that making that move would allow him to grow his YouTube channel much more quickly, and his YouTube was more profitable than his Twitch channel.
Reactions to his announcement variede. Some people said that it seemed like a good idea, while others asked Boss_CR to reconsider, saying they enjoyed his livestreams more than the uploaded videos. Several people encouraged him to stick with streaming and see if he could handle doing both once he was done with high school. Boss_CR himself didn't reply to many of the comments, and never gave his official decision on what he would be doing.
Some people seemed to think it was reasonable, but so far Boss_CR hasn't acted on the idea. His Twitch channel is still mostly active, with play sessions of Clash Royale appearing every few days.
Lauralania
Lauralania, a once-popular Twitch streamer, found herself at the center of a lot of drama when she went "missing" after an E3 mixer event. In fact, the streamer wasn't missing at all, she simply left the event early and spent the next day playing poker in a hotel. The backlash she got from that decision, especially the anger when people found she was never in danger and had simply left without telling anyone, drove her to say that she wanted to quit streaming completely.
Much of the story was told through Lauralania's Twitter account, which is now set to private, but Mandatory took screenshots of many of the relevant tweets. When Lauralania got onto the internet after "a day unplugged," she was shocked that she was the subject of a convention-wide search. Though she initially seemed touched by the amount of concern people were showing for her, as the attention continued to build and turn nasty she eventually switched to saying things like "this is the most insane thing ever" and "I'm having the worst panic attack of my life."
Lauralania finally sent a tweet saying, "I'm honestly probably done streaming I'm so sorry I hate myself." Indeed, Lauralania's Twitch channel is down, though she has since resumed streaming under the moniker "RolePlayers."
iamBrandon
Brandon Stennis, who goes by the username iamBrandon, revealed in an interview with the Chicago Creator that racism almost drove him to quit streaming entirely.
"There was a time where I wanted to quit because I would deal with people just coming into my channel and saying racist things to me every single day of streaming," said Stennis. "It got really bad ... I turned off my stream and I'm just like, you know, I don't know if I can do this anymore if I have to deal with this every single day."
Harassment and hate speech are against Twitch's terms of service and should result in bans for the offending parties, but the site has gotten a reputation for inconsistent enforcement of its own rules, as iamBrandon unfortunately experienced for himself.
However, Stennis recognized that his surrender was exactly what his harassers wanted, and he persevered. In his interview with the Creator, Stennis went on to say that he felt he needed to stick with his streaming career as a form of representation, so that young Black kids could see themselves where he is someday. Once he made that decision, he just stopped letting the racist comments bother him.
Aside from his Twitch channel, iamBrandon is very active in the Chicago gaming community and until recently ran the Twitch Chicago MeetUp group.
ProtoxxGaming
ProtoxxGaming, a Twitch streamer and YouTuber who specializes in Runescape, wrote a lengthy post a couple of months ago saying he was considering giving up on streaming. He offered a number of reasons for this, including the pressure to keep streaming regularly and the stress of having to always put on a happy, upbeat attitude.
Protoxx told his viewers that he'd only started streaming to see what it was like, and as a way to help grow his YouTube audience. However, when he started making money from streaming, he felt pressured to keep doing it. He also explained that he often felt anxious that he wasn't farther along in Runescape, and wasn't always able to keep up with all of the new content.
Currently, ProtoxxGaming's Youtube channel is still active and features regular uploads. However, that is not the case with his Twitch channel, which he has updated much less frequently. While ProtoxxGaming never did give an official statement on what he'd be doing, it seems that he is at least taking a break from Twitch, if not giving up the platform completely.
ANIS13K
Twitch streamer ANIS13K found himself at the center of a lot of controversy in late December 2019 when an organization called Reveal Truth provided evidence that he'd actually been keeping the money he raised through supposed charity streams. Shortly after Reveal Truth's posts, ANIS13K came forward and admitted that it was all true. He participated in a confession and apology stream through his Twitch channel, and said that it would likely be the last time he appeared on that site.
One tweet from Reveal Truth reads (via Google Translate), "Your famous gift from last year which was 1400 € (not 3000 € as said below) oddly the AFSEP also never heard of it." Basically, the organization ANIS13K had supposedly donated the money to never received such a donation.
"I didn't make the right choice and from there I entered a vicious spiral where I always owed money here and there, taking out some loan to pay some other loan," ANIS13K said. "The following year I did the same, I saw other streamers moving forward on Twitch, they had crazy equipment ... I wanted that too. Each time I was very well aware that what I was doing was wrong, but I did it anyway."
True to his word, ANIS13K's Twitch channel has been taken down. He does still have a small YouTube channel under the same name, but it hasn't received new content since January.
Myth
Myth, of pro esports team TSM, posted a video on May 24, 2020 thanking his fans for all their support over his previous four years of streaming. He revealed he'd often been tempted to quit while spending nearly half a decade constantly in front of a camera. Despite this, he said he knew his fans always had his back, and that they inspired him to keep going even when he didn't want to.
That support was on full display in the comments. The tweet, which Myth posted on his 21st birthday, was flooded with love and well-wishes from the gaming community. Myth hasn't brought up the issue again after that single tweet, and his Twitch channel — which boasts an impressive 6.7 million followers — has continued to receive content several times a week.
It's clear quitting streaming was more than a passing thought for Myth, given he devoted a thank you video to the idea. However, it seems equally clear he has no plans to do so anytime soon, and will continue streaming for the community that loves him — at least for the foreseeable future.
Skyrim Grandma
Shirley Curry, better known as Skyrim Grandma, uploaded a vlog on May 2, 2020, warning it was "not going to be a happy video." The elderly streamer revealed she was feeling stressed out due to being trolled on the internet, and she was taking an indefinite break from YouTube for her own health.
Curry, who attracted a large audience with her kind and genuine personality (as well as the novelty of watching an 80-year-old woman playing Skyrim), told viewers that her blood pressure and stress levels were rising due to online hostility and the pressure of keeping a regular streaming schedule. She announced she couldn't keep up with it anymore, and that she needed a break from all the attention and interaction during streaming.
There was no sign of that hostility in the comments, which ranged from messages of support for Curry to promises that they had her back; one comment from user The King in Yellow reads, "Being cruel to Grandma Shirley is like picking a fight with the whole internet." Many people simply said that they wanted her to be happy, and whatever she needed to do for herself was fine.
Thankfully, in this case "indefinite" ended up being less than a month. Curry uploaded her next video on May 30, continuing her long-running Skyrim adventures.