Amouranth's G4 Appearance Is Causing An Uproar
Amouranth tends to cause a bit of a stir no matter where she goes. Though she has a shady side, Amouranth's life has had its fair share of tragedy, too. In other words, she's a person, complex and worthy of the internets consideration, but not blind hatred. Lately, Amouranthh has been busy inventing a strange new meta on Twitch, where she rolls around in a pool filled with plastic balls, bouncing them together for some pleasing ASMR sounds. After buying into a plastic ball company, it seems that Amouranth has tons of the things lying around, which is what brought her to G4, where she's reignited a conversation about sexism in the gaming industry – and on platforms like G4 especially.
G4 was the first gaming network, a television channel solely dedicated to games and gaming culture. It helped launch Olivia Munn's acting career, and eventually fell apart shortly after she left one of the channel's highest-rated shows, "XPlay." Now, G4 is back, albeit in a different capacity than before. Instead of airing on television, the gaming channel is available from streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. According to VentureBeat, G4 has a multi-year contract with Twitch, where it airs most of its content. However, while the channel has launched itself into the world of streaming, some would argue it's still clinging to the gender stereotypes of its early years.
The situation with Froskurinn
Amouranth's appearance on "AustinShow" on G4 caused controversy because it seemed to go against statements the network has publicized in the recent past. In early 2022, G4's official Twitter account posted a clip from one of its shows where host Froskurinn, or Indiana Black, delivered a moving speech about sexism in the gaming community. Black said that she watches the chat while hosting, and she sees commenters upset that she's not "as bangable as the previous host," Olivia Munn, and Morgan Webb. She went on to say that women are not objects and not meant to be attractive to gamers, and that men are not entitled to attractive women. She also stated that while most of the team of "XPlay" hosts receive "flame" for not being Adam Sessler – the show's original host – she's often treated to a different sort of dehumanizing criticism that the other (male) hosts don't get.
At the time, G4's Twitter account said that it (and presumably the network as a whole) stood with Froskurinn's statements, but now viewers aren't so sure after seeing Amouranth's appearance on the network. Amouranth appeared in a 70s-style "Price is Right" skit, where Vtubers tried to guess the price of various items, which were presented by the hosts. As the hosts showed off a children's pool filled with plastic balls, Amouranth popped out wearing a purple bikini. The hosts joked that the ball pit was worth more since Amouranth sat in it, and one of the Vtubers asked how much Amouranth cost in addition to the ball pit. While the clip was seemingly on brand for Amouranth, who frequently shows off her body on her streams, some viewers saw the clip as a direct attack at previous statements from Frostkurinn.
Viewers had some wild responses
So far, Amouranth herself hasn't commented on the episode, except to say that it was a fun show. Viewers weren't so sure, and many commented that booking Amouranth on the channel shows that G4 isn't as committed to women in gaming as it says it is. "Frosks statement's gotten thrown out the window," one viewer said, before insinuating that G4 lost viewers because of Frosk's words. Another commenter said that the show seemed like a direct opposition to Frosk's sentiments, arguing that the hosts "gaslighting" their cohost and threatening to replace her with Amouranth, was funny.
Ultimately, it seemed that gamers who took issue with G4's decision to feature Amouranth weren't mad about Amouranth herself, but with the juxtaposition of the company saying it stood with Froskurinn, then featuring a woman being objectified by two men only a short while later. One gamer simply called the clip "hypocritical and sad."
Amouranth has also made more clothed appearances on G4, even sitting down for an interview about her recent business investments – like buying a gas station. In a way, Amouranth courts controversy about her appearance and content, in addition to conversation about her business decisions. In an interview on "Attack of the Show!," another G4 program, Amouranth said that "The reason why I've been telling the world more about [investments] is that people will write articles when I do." Maybe Amouranth has been playing us all along.