Community makes you strong – or poor, as in this case: A viewer on Twitch gave away subscriptions worth $50,000 to other viewers on the stream. This drove him into bankruptcy and almost destroyed his family. So help was needed – and his mess became public.
“The Ramsey Show” is a US podcast about finances, careers and relationships. Listeners can call in live to get advice from experts. Caller Alex recently did just that when he was plagued by financial worries. His tragic and strange story: As a viewer on Twitch in debt!
The platform offers viewers the opportunity to support their favorite streamers with paid subscriptions (“subs”). In return, viewers receive some extras such as additional emojis in the chat.
Whether on a computer, smartphone, tablet or TV – Twitch is available everywhere: viewers can also buy “subs” at any time
You can not only buy “subs” for yourself, but also give them to other viewers as gifts – either specifically or arbitrarily. The more “subs” you give away, the more the streamer and the community will celebrate it.
But that took a fateful turn for Alex!
He confesses to having become addicted to giving away hundreds of “subs”: “I got so lost in the hype of giving away 100 'subs' for $500 and everyone freaking out about it.” He didn't even know the recipients!
Within a year he had accumulated a mountain of 50,000 dollars Debts “I was so intoxicated. I don't know, it just happened and I didn't follow it, didn't pay attention. As soon as one credit card was blocked, I just took the next one,” says Alex. He is in the military. Others in the Gamble to watch, calm him down and distract him.
The moderators can hardly believe the story. Alex admits that he has kept everything secret from his wife and family. He blames the mountain of debt on not having a knack for Money The moderator does not accept this excuse: “You live in a different reality!”
The “subs” donations only stopped when Alex's wife found out about him. His family almost broke up because of it. But he has since gotten help. The experts also give him tips on how to get out of his Twitch bankruptcy in small steps.
He has already taken the first step: deleted his Twitch account.