Ninja Makes A Ridiculous Claim About His Wealth
When you play a video game online, your experiences can vary. Sometimes you'll enjoy yourself and potentially make some new friends along the way. Other times, you'll want to toss your computer in the dumpster Ron Swanson-style so you don't have to interact with toxic players ever again.
It's really a mixed bag when gaming online, though that mix tends to become a bit more crappy if you're someone famous — say, Ninja for example. It's no big secret that Ninja has to deal with some crummy people both in the titles he's competing in as well as his own chat. A few days back, it seemed the Mixer star finally hit a breaking point.
Someone viewing Timthetatman's channel on Twitch managed to capture Ninja's frustration in a clip.
"Every game that I, like, four-man or five-man with, like, relevant people," Ninja explained, "it's just, within the first two rounds — an insult about Mixer to me, something about Fortnite, or they plug their Twitch stream. And then throughout the game it's continual Fortnite sh*t talking."
Ninja wasn't done yet, though. He followed that window into what it's like playing Fortnite as a popular streamer with a pretty controversial remark — one many are not too happy about.
"Dude, I can literally purchase the bank that your house is being loaned out to [...] and f*cking foreclose," Ninja said. "And then you can't talk sh*t to me 'cause you won't have internet."
Timthetatman took Ninja's comment in with wide, seemingly shocked eyes, before doubling over in laughter at what he'd just heard.
"Now that was a flex, bro, wait a minute," Timthetatman responded.
One can view this moment as Ninja just getting some anger off his chest, and in that regard, what he said was mostly harmless. He didn't single anyone out in particular, which can sometimes lead to other viewers and fans harassing the person in question.
In terms of bragging about how much money he has, though, Ninja's timing could not have been worse. It's not fun to tie every story back to the situation currently facing the world — the coronavirus pandemic — but in this case, Ninja's slam can be directly connected to a real-life issue many are struggling with.
With much of the U.S. being under lockdown, many businesses have closed their doors. This has been a boon to content creators on Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube, as more people are suddenly at home and online.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a job that is suited for remote work, however. Some are staring at a pile of bills, unsure of how they'll pay them. Some are behind now behind on rent or mortgage payments.
Some could eventually be hit with the kind of foreclosure Ninja joked about — not from a streamer looking to exact a little revenge on some trolls, but from an actual bank. In that light, Ninja's rant was pretty distasteful. Not everyone has a Mixer deal worth megabucks, after all. Some are in pretty tough financial spots with no relief in sight.
Needless to say, many on Reddit had a lot to say about Ninja's remark.
"[This] is the dude telling everyone to be positive all the time right?" asked one user.
"Money can't buy class that's for sure," said another.
"[Too] bad he can't flex a decent personality," added another Redditor.
Finally, one Reddit poster came in with the real question, unknowingly putting Ninja in his place by attacking the very premise of Ninja's statement — that he's rich enough to buy a bank.
"How much does he think a bank costs?" the Redditor asked. "Does he have 500+ mill in the bank in liquid cash?"
School may have been disrupted for the moment, but it's good to see some still have their critical thinking caps on.
Now that a lot more people are at home — kids especially — the trolling issue is one that many streamers will have to deal with. It's unlikely Ninja will get a reprieve from that anytime soon. He's also not helping himself by giving viewers negative comments to latch onto, further incentivizing them to troll. It's a vicious cycle.
We're not privy to all the details of Ninja's contract with Mixer, but maybe the guy just needs a break from streaming. If he can get away from all the madness and clear his mind, he might not be so preoccupied with the chatter happening on his channel.
People — all people — could also stand to be a lot nicer. Hopefully we'll see some of that happen, too.