The Biggest Streaming Fails Ever
For as long as people have been playing video games, there's always been an audience who'd rather watch than play. While this used to be limited to going to a friend's house to observe them getting through level after level, this is now something most players also enjoy taking part in. With the popularity of Twitch, YouTube, and other streaming services, gameplay viewership is more popular than ever before. Many streamers are even fortunate enough to stream their gameplay full-time, receiving donations, endorsements, and sponsorships.
As with anything, however, there are positives and negatives to this trend. Recording live means that anything could happen, whether it's staged to gain more viewers, or a freak accident that happens to be caught at the right moment. Looking at the biggest streaming fails of all time, we'll encompass everything from computer glitches to burned-down apartments. Here's a guidebook of what not to do on your livestream.
Internet lag stops the unstoppable Jason Voorhees
YouTube channel Outside Xbox is known for their sharp wit, comedic gaming commentary, and susceptibility to jump scares. It's no wonder that their many subscribers enjoy watching them play horror games.
While playing survival horror game Friday the 13th: The Game, things were going about how they usually did. But a laggy internet connection turned the horror game into a comedy when Outside Xbox froze while playing the villain, Jason Voorhees.
At first, one of the terrified camp counselors assumed they'd been trapped by their antagonist, but as the player slowly started to realize that Outside Xbox had frozen, they decided to have a little fun. Stripping down to his underwear and opening the door Jason was trapped near, the player began to dance and taunt the frozen Voorhees until the game finally disconnected. It definitely stands out as one of Outside Xbox's most memorable livestreams.
Poiised loses his poise while streaming The Sinner
YouTube streamer Poiised is known for his scream-filled horror gameplay videos. As a gamer who gets scared easily, he's the ideal person to watch for a lighter approach to the horror genre. His VR horror streams stand out as particularly entertaining since he's often falling to the ground or ripping the VR headset off in terror.
But when Poiised was doing a stream of indie horror game The Sinner, a terrifying glitch had his scream-meter even higher than normal. While exploring the house, a young girl antagonist will randomly catch the player, rough them up a bit, and return them to a certain place in the game. During his stream, a strange glitch occurred that caused the little girl to follow Poiised through the entire house as if she were on a leash attached to him. She didn't attack or change her idle animation, but having the stoic girl following him around proved creepy enough without any needed horror. The glitch may be the most nightmare-inducing in gaming history.
Minecraft streamer Ushiro burns his apartment down
When dealing with fire, it's usually a good idea to have your undivided attention on the possible life-threatening hazzard. This, unfortunately, wasn't the case with Minecraft streamer Ushiro.
While livestreaming his Minecraft gameplay and reviewing a product in his apartment, Ushiro was showing off his new lighter. Filling the device with lighter fluid, he wiped up the excess accelerant with a tissue, which he then deposited in a paper-filled bag near his desk. Things would have been okay for Ushiro, had he not then attempted to ignite his lighter. He quickly realized his mistake when the outside of his lighter went up in flames and he quickly dropped it into the bag beside him, full of paper and an accelerant-soaked tissue.
It didn't take long for Ushiro's bag to catch fire. But the mishap didn't stop there. As Ushiro moved the bag to another spot in the room, he placed cardboard boxes on it to try to smother the flames, effectively adding more fuel to the fire. While his livestream continued, comments can be heard from viewers telling him to get help. Though Ushiro did attempt to put the fire out with buckets of water, he eventually had to flee his apartment, which is completely engulfed in flames by the time the stream ends. Reports say that no one was seriously harmed during the blaze.
AnaPlaying sets her hair on fire
Livestreams and fire don't seem to mix, especially when gamers are distracted. While livestreaming League of Legends, Twitch streamer AnaPlaying was flicking her lighter on and off, quite close to her head. The gamer amiably chatted with her viewers and kept a close eye on her screen, all while keeping the lighter close to her head.
The trouble came when Ana lit her lighter a bit too close to her hair. Assuming she probably had at least some hairspray or product in her hair, her choice of toys probably wasn't the best. In seconds her hair ignited into quite an impressive blaze. Ana continued to chat with viewers who tried to tell her about the hazard on her head, and after a few long seconds, Ana noticed the flames and quickly patted them out, extinguishing the blaze before it could do any serious damage.
Luckily, in the end of the video, Ana laughs the incident off and seems unharmed. Though she probably won't be playing with fire again any time soon.
Streamer Sarakateee gets a bloody eye
Fire's bad enough, but it would seem that animals are another no-no for gamers who want to share their life with the world.
While streaming Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Twitch gamer Sarakateee was taking a break between matches. She talked to her viewers, reclined in her seat, and petted her cat, Olive. At first Sarakateee asked Olive for kisses, which, being a cat, she refused, giving Sara the cold shoulder. Not one to give up, Sara leaned back once more and asked again, nuzzling the cat who swiftly swiped at her.
The contact seemed innocent enough until Sarakateee began to yell, holding her eye and moving away from the ferocious feline. Viewers could clearly see Sarakateee's red, bloody eye as tears of blood seemed to stream down her face; the true embodiment of a horror movie in real life. Sarakateee continued to stream for a few moments before going to the hospital. She updated via her Twitter soon after to tell her fans that her eye was literally saved by her contact lens, though she was probably a bit miffed with her furry friend.
Kootra gets swatted
Pranks and challenges are spread more quickly with the introduction of social media, and usually, these aren't the most harmless activities. From the Tide Pod Challenge to swatting, things can get ugly fast.
While streaming Counter-Strike in 2014, gamer Jordan Mathewson, also known as Kootra, got swatted. The whole thing was captured on his stream and was likely called in by a rival gamer who watched the whole thing unfold.
At first, Kootra seemed confused by the commotion outside of the door in his collective's office, but it didn't take him long to catch on. He stated that rooms were being cleared out and hinted that he may be getting swatted. This suspicion was soon confirmed when the heavily-armed SWAT team entered the office and told Kootra to get on the ground, eventually turning his camera away from the action.
While the video is good for a laugh or two, utilizing those important resources for a prank could land the tipper in very hot water. Assuming he was caught, he probably isn't laughing now.
ZilianOP walked again
One of the biggest draws that gamers have to live streaming their gameplay is the idea that they could possibly make enough money off of the endeavor to fuel their love for gaming even further. This is why Patreon and Streamlabs pages are set up. Most gamers rely on their engaging personalities and exciting gameplay to attract donations, but for some people, this isn't quite lucrative enough.
ZilianOP was a popular Twitch streamer who would often have his girlfriend participate in his streams; reading comments from viewers and adding in her own commentary. One of the things that set ZilianOP apart was the fact that he was wheelchair-bound and claimed to be paralyzed from the waist down. During one of his live streams, Zilian apparently forgot that he'd left his camera on and proceeded to stand up from his wheelchair and walk out of the shot. His girlfriend, who was still commenting on the channel seemed to catch on to his mistake and tried to draw attention away from it. The damage had already been done, however, as viewers became understandably upset that ZilianOP had pretended to be in a wheelchair in order to get more money from donors. Groups who promote inclusiveness in the gaming community such as AbleGamers were among those who called for justice. ZilianOP's Twitch account, along with his girlfriend's account, were both quickly banned by Twitch following the incident.
LegendaryLeaTV rants about how kids with cancer are meant to die
Some things aren't generally discussed in polite company to avoid offending anyone. This rule doesn't always apply to Twitch streams, however. Gamers are often known for making controversial statements or providing dialogue that isn't exactly safe for work. But it seems like everyone can generally agree that there are lines that decent human beings don't cross. Unless that person is LegendaryLeaTV.
In 2016 while streaming her Hearthstone gameplay, LegendaryLea was talking with her viewers and receiving donations. One donation came in from a viewer attempting to get some visibility for his charity which supported research for children with cancer. Lea accepted the money but then proceeded to go on one of the more bizarre and offensive rants in Twitch history: because she majored in Biology, her viewers should listen to her when she said that kids with cancer are "meant to die". She then proceeded to explain the reasons why they will die no matter what we do. It has been speculated that Lea was drunk while making these statements, but even intoxication doesn't justify this massive nosedive.
Bjergsen's mom walks in wearing a bikini
"Check your corners" is a common mantra in gaming, particularly when playing battle royale-style games. No one wants to be surprised by an unwanted rival when they're busy reloading their weapon. An almost equally important mantra in live streaming should probably be "check your surroundings."
In 2016 while streaming League of Legends, gamer Bjergsen had a bit of a surprise appearance from an unscheduled guest. Bjergsen's mother can be heard in the hallway of their home before she made her big Twitch debut wearing only a bikini. Bjergsen quickly told his mom that he was streaming live and she closed the door with the urgency of someone who definitely didn't want to be seen by thousands of viewers in a compromising state.
Bjergsen later stated that his mother had just gotten out of the shower, which explained her scantily-clad situation. The incident has since earned Bjergsen's mother many a commenter singing her praises for her nice physique.
SilentSentry promises supporters a dance but falls and takes out computer instead
One way Twitch streamers keep their subscribers happy is to promise incentives for donations and subscriptions. Often times these incentives include exclusive videos and access to the streamer that others won't be able to see. Other times, gamers get a bit more creative with the way their rewards.
While livestreaming his gameplay in 2014, gamer SilentSentry got himself into a sticky situation. When one of his viewers donated money to him he wanted to give them something special in return. He expressed his gratitude for the donation and promised to dance in order to thank the patron. Putting a horse head mask on and standing up from his gaming station, SilentSentry turned on Pour Some Sugar on Me, jumped on a poorly-installed pole in his room, attempted to swing around it, and face-planted into his computer in what appears to be an incredibly painful live stream fail. SilentSentry later confirmed to his viewers that he was okay, though it's probably safe to say that his ego was a bit bruised.