Ninja has been criticized for calling out those who aren’t angry after losing a video game. The Fortnite streamer took to Twitter to complain about those who use the phrase “it’s just a game” after losing, calling it a “weak mindset.”
Ninja, real name Tyler Blevins, has made a career out of being an exceptional Fortnite player, to the point where Epic Games even included him in the battle royale game as an unlockable skin. However, despite very few people being able to make a living out of playing video games, Ninja still believes that players should take the hobby more seriously.
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“When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice,” the Mixer streamer tweeted. “There’s always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle.”
The phrase “it’s just a game” is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice.
There’s always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle.
— Ninja (@Ninja) February 18, 2020
Ninja’s comment was both criticized and mocked, with some pointing out that his young and impressionable audience may believe that he is condoning toxicity. Considering that many don’t exactly take out their frustrations when playing video games in a constructive way, him telling his audience that not being riled is a sign of weakness didn’t go down well.
This is a disappointing stance to have, particularly from someone with an audience who will take this as 'its ok to smash my keyboard/scream at my loved ones/punch a hole in the wall just because I lost a game'.
Channel that energy into something constructive, not destructive.
— Madeleine 🌹 (@zhiana) February 18, 2020
I ran away from home once cus my mom threw out my PlayStation after I launched my controller at my grandma and knocked her unconscious for 3 hours cus I got worldstared in a COD game. These people just don’t understand us, Ninj
— Froste 💯 (@Froste) February 18, 2020
me playing papas pizzeria on coolmath https://t.co/EE34ttjJ9D
— ☆ ‧dreamboy··‧̩̥˟͙冬˟͙‧̩̥l (@LilNasX) February 18, 2020
Ninja later responded to a critic of his comments, adding: “‘There is always room for improvement, never settle” is bad advice?”
Ninja has had a long-running issue with those who use “it’s just a game” following a poor performance. The streamer previously called those who use the phrase “stupid,” asking them to “imagine telling Lebron James or Tom Brady” that it’s just a game after they’ve lost.
While the comparisons between traditional sports and esports are understandable, Ninja’s comments suggest that everyone should adopt the same mindset, even if they’re not making a career out of playing Fortnite. Considering that many competitive games struggle with toxicity issues, suggesting that players should become more enraged after losing wouldn’t exactly benefit gaming’s many online communities.
