Streamers often get worked up while playing video games, and to some fans, watching their over-the-top reactions is part of the fun. However, a streamer is very much a public figure, and when frustration causes them to truly lash out at their audience, that decision has repercussions.
Samito is a popular pro Overwatch streamer who's been working with the Florida Mayhem, an American professional Overwatch esports team based out of Miami and Orlando, for just over 12 months. He advertises himself as the "world's angriest gamer" on his YouTube channel, where he streams Monday to Friday, and where, during a May 26 live stream, he took out his anger from losing a match on a viewer in the channel's chat. This isn't the first time a streamer has turned on their audience, but there's usually a reason for these pros to attack their fans--for example, Twitch streamer xQc threatened his viewers with banning if they chat hopped to harass people who played with him. The Samito incident was something different.
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In this stream, a visibly frustrated Samito quit the lobby, took off his headset, and announced that he wasn't even going to get mad before he began venting his frustrations at the chat. This began by telling the viewer to "shut up" and insulting them and only got more vulgar from there, culminating in Samito telling the viewer to “Get the f*** out of my stream. Never come back. No one loves you. Kill yourself.” Again, streamers swearing or cursing during live streams is nothing new, but their wrath is generally targeted at NPCs, other players, or the game itself, not the fans who help them earn a living from playing video games.
After his rant, Samito allegedly apologized for these comments. A short while later, he ended the stream and set it to private. However, this did not stop the Overwatch scene from catching wind of the outburst, which hasn't been received terribly well. One Redditor described Samito as "toxic" and another called him "possibly the worst person in the OW community.” A third pointed out that Samito appears to be wearing a Florida Mayhem shirt during the stream in question, which is a very bad look for the team. People often underestimate how hard it is to be a pro streamer, but most streamers have successfully avoided telling viewers to commit suicide while live and representing their brand.
It remains to be seen what consequences this outburst will have for Samito. While many streamers, particularly Twitch streamers, have been banned for less, YouTube has historically been a more lenient platform to creators. Judging by the opinions shared on Reddit, Samito may be canceled in the near future, but as xQc has pointed out, cancel culture has its flaws. As of writing, Samito has 139K subscribers and has yet to publicly address what he said during the live stream. However, he has found the time to address the Exo Boots nerf on Twitter and stream as usual on May 28.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings or know someone else who is, please reach out and call the Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255 (USA), the Samaritans 116-123 (UK), Lifeline 13-11-14 (AUS), or visit IASP or Suicide.org to find a helpline in your country.
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