Pokimane claims Twitch doubters only ‘fuel her’ now after years of hate

Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys has dealt with her fair share of critics across her Twitch career. Once running away from them and hiding from the hate, she is now using it to “fuel her” and push her forward as she continues to break barriers.

Pokimane’s streaming career only ever seems to go to new heights year on year.

Once just a small-time League of Legends content creator, she’s built an empire on Twitch, often topping the charts as one of the platform’s biggest names.

With big numbers came scrutiny though. Pioneering her way through a community often condemned as sexist, Pokimane paved the way for many other women in streaming and gaming.

Reflecting on her award win at the Streamy’s in 2018 ⁠— and the criticism she received on stage mere minutes after winning ⁠— Pokimane said she feels sorry for her past self, who took that hate and ignored it.

“I was so used to people discrediting any accomplishment, or anything I did ever. I wasn’t even tearing up like I am now ⁠— I was so used to it that I just brushed it off,” she said in a recent Twitch stream.

• Read More: xQc loses 2 million followers after Twitch bans bots

“I feel so sad for this version of myself at this point, who didn’t get the opportunity to appreciate a lot of the things that I did because there was always someone like this.”

Pokimane has found a new way to channel that negative energy now. She instead uses it to fuel her to create more content and prove her Twitch doubters wrong.

“Maybe comments like that just fuel me? You think I’m not going to be able to play the next game? Watch me. We’re suctioning up all the negative energy, and turning it into fuel,” she said.

“This was before Fortnite. Before Among Us. Before Valorant. Fortnite is where my channel grew the most. Could you imagine if I listened to this person and just quit and went back to school here? That’s crazy to think about.”

• Read More: Pokimane explains key to being successful streamer

“It’s crazy the amount of things that have happened since that very moment, and how I unintentionally proved them wrong by continuing to do what I want to do.”

Pokimane is thankful for her community for their support along the way.

Now it seems like those haters who want her to fail have some recognition too, for keeping Pokimane in the scene and passionate to keep breaking down barriers.