Popular World of Warcraft star Asmongold has warned aspiring streamers against banking on explosive Twitch growth to “make it big” on the platform, and suggested it may even kill all momentum completely if handled wrong.
Becoming the next internet sensation is every aspiring streamer’s dream, and it does happen, on occasion. A viral TikTok clip fired Neekolul into Twitch stardom. Humble Kiwi woodcarver Broxh also found himself — albeit less happily — in the spotlight after viral success.
It isn’t always sunshine and roses though, veteran streaming star Asmongold has warned. In fact, he sees it as one of the worst ways to grow a channel, especially when the popularity is more than a small-time streamer can control.
According to the World of Warcraft streamer, any time a Twitch channel sees an explosion in popularity, hundreds of new fans pour in to “see the hype.” These viewers may seem positive, but too many too quickly spell trouble, he said.
The problem? If a Twitch star doesn’t build an actual community from the ground up, full of fans who understand inside jokes, and the vibe of the stream, the streamer can “quickly find themselves a stranger in their own community.”
“Whenever a stream grows very quickly, and sees a large surge in popularity, it is extremely hard to create and cultivate and keep those inside jokes and the inside irony behind the jokes as pure as they originally were,” he said.
Asmongold — who recently took a four-month break from streaming to give himself a mental reset — said he believes building a meaningful connection with fans is how a streamer gets, and remains, big on Twitch.
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“The key is trust. The reason that’s important inside a community is because it not only creates a community where you — the streamer or content creator — is comfortable, but your fans are comfortable too,” he explained.
“If you find yourself growing too quickly, take a step back. Focus on building a core Twitch community. Make sure you know you have a lot of people watching you, and be aware of that when you’re creating content. Get away from inside jokes.”
Asmongold isn’t the only streamer to speak out about the hidden negative side of explosive fame either — Neekolul commented on her “draining” rise to stardom soon after she hit the big time on the Amazon-owned website.
Long-term Twitch star Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter, who now streams on Youtube, has also recently weighed in on the struggles of internet fame. She admitted she’s “always paranoid,” and struggles with that a lot in her career.
