NICKMERCS explains his recent break from streaming on Twitch

Olivia Richman Published 22/05/2020

Twitch streamer Nick “NICKMERCS” Kolcheff has long been one of the most popular streamers on the platform.

To many people’s surprise, a report earlier this year showed that NICKMERCS wasn’t just a famous face on Twitch, but also one of the most successful when it comes to earnings. According to a study by Little Loans, the FaZe Clan Fortnite streamer was making even more than Turner “Tfue” Tenney and Herschel “DrDisrespect” Beahm. This was due to his immense subscriber count. NICKMERCS receives over $1.5 million annually from subscriptions alone thanks to his amount of tier 3 subscribers, the highest-paying subscribers on the streaming platform.

But as the saying goes, money can’t buy happiness.

NICKMERCS recently tweeted that he is taking a “little hiatus” from streaming due to a lack of balance in his life resulting from streaming over 200 hours each month.

“Lost the balance, bros. In the gym again, working on my health, physical, and mental. Also spending some much needed time with the family,” NICKMERCS tweeted to his fans.

Takin’ a little hiatus from the stream game after back to back to back 200+ hour months. Lost the balance bros. In the gym again, workin’ on my health, physical & mental. Also spendin’ some much needed time with the family. I’ll be live tomorrow, keep the balance. ????????
— nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) May 21, 2020

At the end of the announcement, NICKMERCS stated that he’d be live today. It’s unclear if his “hiatus” was just a one-day thing or if he plans to take a short break after his stream today.

Twitch streamers feel the pressure to stream long hours

Streaming for 200 hours each month is no easy task. At the very least, that’s around 7 hours a day with no days off from sitting at his desk, playing games, and talking to his fans and followers. While this is often seen as “living the dream,” streaming has taken a toll on many big names in the past.

I’ll be on soon boys. Did my first workout in months. Your boy is torched. Probably 30 mins, gonna sit here for a sec, if I fall asleep tell swag to call me https://t.co/Etk8WeG3Wa #MFAM | #FaZeUp pic.twitter.com/3SgB5N5Icg
— nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) May 19, 2020

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins took a vacation from streaming before switching to Mixer. He cited mental health reasons for his private trip with friends and family. For years, Tyler had taken no days off, afraid to lose subscribers or get flack for his absence. But he admitted the negativity finally got to him and that he needed to temporarily step away from the streaming life.

Tfue did the same thing last year, also revealing that he’d been “trapped in a negative head space.”

2 day without Fortnite feeling pretty damn good
— Tfue (@TTfue) May 20, 2020

Other streamers have notably left Twitch to focus on their education, recover from mental or physical health strains, or to simply get away from being on their computer all day long. Streaming has only become more stressful in recent months, since people have quickly turned to Twitch for entertainment and social connection. With a bigger audience than ever before, streamers have felt the need to stream longer and more frequently.

Twitch recently announced the formation of the Safety Advisory Council. One of their goals is to help content creators find a better work-life balance on the platform.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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