Ninja discusses break from streaming, mental health woes

Olivia Richman Published 24/07/2019

One of Twitch’s most popular personalities, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, surprised fans by taking a two-week break from streaming.

After heading to the NFL Player Social Summit in Los Angeles in early July, Ninja decided to take time off from from work while in California despite Red Bull hooking him up with a studio to stream in. His followers were not aware of why he suddenly slipped away from Twitch until he revealed the reason upon his return 14 days later.

The last five streams before his break, Ninja noticed that his chats were “extremely toxic.”

“I know, don’t let the haters get you down. But it’s one of those things where, when the same stuff happens over and over for months on end, it just wears and tears you down. Just some of the dumbest things. But after eight months of it, I just felt I needed a break,” Ninja admitted.

For that reason, Ninja just didn’t feel all too motivated to hop on stream while in Los Angeles. The 28-year-old Fortnite personality said that every time they’d ask if he wanted to use the Red Bull studio, he’d basically just say, “Nah.”

“Of course, I always miss streaming. I miss gaming. I love gaming. Gaming is my life,” Ninja said. “I found myself sitting around and doing nothing some days. But it almost felt better.”

Before the break, Ninja was streaming up to 12 hours every single day, according to Twitch Metrics. This was often done from early in the morning to late in the evening. In the last seven days, Ninja streamed for just 37 hours with an average viewership of 38,668.

While in California, Ninja stepped away from the computer screen and spent every day with his wife. He said he also saw his closest friends from the state, and even met a bunch of new people.

“It’s just necessary, man. It’s just necessary when you’re feeling overwhelmed or you feel like you’re just stuck in a loop to break out of it. Mental health man, you’ve got to take care of yourself first, always,” Ninja said.

Even though Ninja was absent from Twitch, he was still present on Twitter, where he shared his California adventures with his followers. At the beach, Ninja tweeted that “time off is due” after eight years of “insane time.”

That same day, Ninja dished out some advice to his fans.

“Today I challenge you to smile at everyone you see. I love smiling at someone randomly and seeing them brighten up. Try it… It might change your life,” Ninja said.

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.

View full profile