Earlier this week we reported that Faze Jarvis, a known Fortnite player, was permanently banned from Fortnite for using cheats in the online game. After Epic Games' response that there would be no special exceptions to that rule, Tyler "Ninja" Belvins couldn't help but to weigh in.
The gist of Ninja's statement was that Faze should essentially get a free pass since he's a high-profile content creator. In a clip captured by Daily Clips Central, Ninja can be heard saying:
"There's a difference between a content creator who has millions of subscribers, hundreds of thousands of followers, who gets banned from what literally makes him money, and … some kid who is just a piece of shit who has absolutely zero following, has zero money that comes from Fortnite, from gaming, and hacks."
He added, "You ban that kid, nothing happens to him. Nothing happens. 'Oh no, he can't cheat anymore.' You ban Jarvis, it's different. The stakes are different, it should be handled a little bit differently."
"He's young. There are people who have done worse things on the internet in different areas and haven't gotten banned. I use Logan Paul as a reference, the dude literally filmed someone hanging in a forest and [his] channel didn't get banned and he's been perfectly fine. He uploaded an apology video and he was set."
There are lines, man. I think this is one where it's like, Jarvis, dude, you're an idiot, six-month ban, maybe three months—first offense, young kid, come on man."
While the young and stupid argument is sound in itself, we've all been there, it does beg the question of the current "celebrity" standings of content creators. Are they not held to professional standards since the hobby has crossed over into a profession? If the 'profession' is playing a game, should the game be played fairly? If he's old enough to be given a title and the recognition of being a "pro" streamer, would that not then mean he's old enough to know better?
The plot thickens.
As one can imagine, that philosophy didn't go over too well with streamers that aren't' making a billion dollars doing what they love, which means the eventual foot-in-mouth commentary was met with fans, other content creators, and industry professionals weighing in on his response. Many even allegated that Ninja's stance bodes well for his own ethics in online games, though that notion is purely speculation.
It's an interesting spectrum, one that has bred a very varying degree of reactions. Where do you stand on Faze's ban and Ninja's subsequent reaction? Is Ninja right, or is he delusional? Sound off in the comment section below!
H/T GMG
