From an early age, Twitcher Nick Kolcheff (aka Nickmercs) has always had a soft spot for gaming. He spent his teen years enthralled in countless games of ​​Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Gears of War. After he finished high school, parental pressure forced the young adult to enter a community college and find ways to play video games during his spare time. 

A helpful tip from a friend, Nick, better known as Nickmercs, began streaming his gaming sessions to earn subscribers and donations. After seeing a steady rise in supporters, the Michigan native placed all his attention on content creation

A friend suggested @NICKMERCS stream his gaming sessions. Today, he has 6.2M subscribers on @Twitch. #gaming #contententrepreneur #creatoreconomy Click To Tweet

Today, Nick plays Fortnight, Apex, and Call of Duty: Warzone for his 6.2M subscribers. And this April, Nickmercs made $1.7M, coming in first place on a Dot ESports high-earning gamers list. 

Why we’re a Stan: Twitcher Nick realized his passion for gaming could become content that an audience would pay to watch.

About the author

Shameyka McCalman is a wordsmith whose work often centers around fashion, art, and other creatives of color. She earned her communications degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and enjoys sifting through clothes in local vintage shops, frequenting nearby plays, and gazing at exhibitions on view in museums.