The role-playing community of GTA Online is very engaged. A recent controversy involving YouTube star Valkyrae shows that sometimes they go overboard. She found a rare memento of a deceased role-player on the RP server No Pixel 3.0 and promptly attracted the ire of viewers.
What happened? During an RP stream in GTA Online, Valkyrae opened several packs of the in-game collectible card game. She pulled one of the rarest cards in the series.
This card is not just rare. It is the “Boe Jangles” card, which is a memento of the character of the late role-player Kenny “Blue622” Tancredi.
How rare is this card? The likelihood of pulling this card is 1:10,000, and it is considered the most coveted card on the server.
Who is that? blue622 was a co-founder of the “No Pixel” server and was one of the people who contributed to the boom of GTA Online on Twitch in 2019.
He was also a moderator of the well-known stream summit1G. Kenny was so beloved by fans that over $40,000 were raised after his death. He was considered an important part of the GTA community.
Here you can see her pulling the card:
Valkyrae wants to sell the card, fans find it disrespectful
Here’s why the fans are so angry: The reaction of many viewers confirms the role blue622 still plays in the community almost a year after his death.
In the stream, Valkyrae considers selling the card after finding it and asks her viewers what it is worth. That does not sit well with many. They find it disrespectful to simply want to sell this card.
Numerous critics believe that this would not do justice to the memory of blue622.
How Valkyrae responds: In a later stream, Valkyrae appears confused. She says, “I had the impression that I was going to sell cards, but I don’t know what to do, people are angry at me because I want to sell the card… But I thought I’d sell it to someone who it holds sentimental value for.” (via Twitch)
Creators of the collectible card game and RP streamer defend Valkyrae
Are there any other voices? Valkyrae is not alone in the debate. Her fellow streamer Ramee, who is active on No Pixel, also stands by her. The creator of the card game, Arsenal, also defends Valkyrae.
This is what the creator of the card game says: Arsenal writes: “I hate that something meant to bring fun to the servers has caused people to create drama.”
In his view, what Valkyrae is doing is exactly the purpose of the card game. Especially since the card is meant to go to someone who finds emotional value in it.
This is what Ramee says: Ramee refers to the chat in which Valkyrae received so much criticism as “brain dead.” It’s absolutely unfair to criticize her for wanting to give the card to someone who shares the emotional value.
For now, it looks like the drama surrounding the card is over and the controversy has calmed down. Numerous players now also defend her and express disbelief regarding the criticism.
What do you think of the debate? Can you understand the criticism of Valkyrae? Or should she do what she thinks is right with the card? Discuss with us in the comments.
What’s happening this week in GTA Online can be found here in our overview: In GTA Online, you can now easily earn $100,000 with stunt races
