Large donations are a fiery way to capture attention in Twitch broadcasts, but such a playful act may not make the tailor feel comfortable all the time, no matter how grateful they are. And of course, one of Twitter’s most prominent broadcasters has made significant contributions to its broadcasts.
Vtuber and Twitch juggernaut candidate simply “Pokimane” Anys announced on Twitter in early November that, from now on, donations to his channel will be a hit. You can no longer donate more than $5 to Anys, asking viewers to instead take that money and give it to other broadcasters who may need it more than he does.
work with @mayelasaenzphoto to create a $ 5 donation cap for my channel!
Thank you for supporting me to the point where I look for anything more than unnecessary. For anyone who has donated a lot – please support growing channels, charities, and manage yourself pic.twitter.com/QhrusbDFxD
– pokimane (@pokimanelol) November 2, 2020
worked with @streamlabs to create a donation cap of $5 for my channel!
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.❤️😊 pic.twitter.com/QhrusbDFxD
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) November 2, 2020
A very good move, and contrary to the ways in which many promoters seem to work. However, as one of the major channels on Twitch, Anys may be able to afford it.
In early 2020, the widespread personality announced a multi-year contract with Twitch, and while certain standards were not disclosed, you should consider it a good penny. Anys has also carefully directed much attention this year, as his recent AOC broadcast encouraged viewers to vote – meaning that, even if donations are low, he is still paid.
Viewers have embraced the change, with one recent offering jokingly saying that they would spend more money on “dual RAM” on their PC now. That live radio station saw Anys explain his decision further, and noted that he believed that watching live streams, especially subsidized rivers, was a better sign of support than money. He also encouraged people to participate in the discussion.
“Even though sometimes people give $20 to me, I feel guilty,” he said at the same time as the live broadcast.
“When people give even more, I feel like they have a certain hope – I feel very bad,” he said later in the same passage. “Like, if I feel like I can’t meet their expectations, in terms of my response or what they expect me to do …” He walked away.
“Even writing, like, humorous responses respond when we do sponsored things … that can mean a lot,” Anys continued.
Many responses to social media have been very positive. “The girl did it again,” wrote Kaceytron, another major Twitch broadcaster, in Anys’ announcement. “We always grow our bar together and do it flawlessly.”
While Anys did not respond at the time of publication, Streamlabs – the makers of the tool he uses to donate – told Polygon that it was the first time anyone had asked them to help them find a way to reduce their donation amount. Often, many products Streamlabs do, like custom tips pages, that help encourage people to invest in their streamers.
“While Pokimane is the first to do so, we find this appealing to some of the more experienced broadcasters,” said Ashray Urs, head of production at Streamlabs. He also added that in the future, Streamlabs wants to put performance on anyone who wants to donate his money.
“We are investigating ways in which broadcasters can wrap donations and send any excessive amount directly to the charity they love,” the official said. And indeed, on social media at least, a few Twitch broadcasters have expressed an interest in doing the same. Some, meanwhile, are still wondering if this will encourage people to donate more than once.
