In a controversial tweet, internet personality and famed streamer Dr. Disrespect claimed that “mobile gamers aren’t real gamers.” As of writing, the tweet gained almost 68,000 likes and has been retweeted over 10,000 times. The comment section is split, rife with leading game personalities and casual gamers arguing over the validity of the statement.
For those unfamiliar with his work, the character of Dr. Disrespect is most famous for his success as a streamer. He tends to focus on battle royale games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Fortnite, and H1Z1, to name a few. He is known as an entertaining personality in the video game world and has over three million followers on Twitch.
The man behind Dr. Disrespect is Guy Beahm. Beahm’s casual persona is far different from the larger-than-life entity that is Dr. Disrespect. When turning into the Doc, Beahm sports a black wig, tactical vest, and reflective sunglasses. Dr. Disrespect is more a caricature of the stereotypical male gamer than anything else. He was created to give Beahm the chance to act like a dominating gamer back when he was playing Halo 2 on his Xbox. Over the years the character morphed into what it is today, which has drawn comparisons of Dr. Disrespect being the closest thing the gaming industry has to a WWE character.
Mobile gamers aren’t real gamers.
— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) June 10, 2019
So while the controversial tweet was made by Dr. Disrespect and not Beahm, one wonders where the man ends and the character begins. Does Beahm himself believe this, or is it only the Dr. Disrespect character who stands by the tweet? World-leading esports organization Fnatic responded in defense of mobile gamers, and multiple people came forward arguing that the gaming community should not be discriminating against one of the biggest markets it has.
For our last fifteen years, it's been nothing but a pleasure to be a part of an ever-evolving and growing industry. We now share a passion with more gamers than ever.
Regardless of platform, favourite game or even favourite team, this shared passion inspires us.
Bye now.
— FNATIC (@FNATIC) June 10, 2019
Pretty sure mobile makes up half of the gaming market revenue. The other half is spilt by pc and console so like you are in the minority of gamers.. how does that feel? pic.twitter.com/UhTHEUFHyb
— Judgement (@AIMJudgement) June 10, 2019
With all the buzz surrounding the tweet, it is important to remember that Dr. Disrespect is an entertainment personality. While his opinions have great reach and should not be downplayed, being as over-the-top as a WWE wrestler is what endeared him to so many fans in the first place. Perhaps this is one tweet we can take with a few grains of salt.
