The 19-year-old YouTuber Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. has become a star in gaming in just 11 months and is shaping live streaming on YouTube. However, his career in Valorant is now over. After a clip of IShowSpeed went viral on the internet, a Riot employee immediately banned him permanently. A sexist and hateful performance was the reason.
Who is IShowSpeed?
- The 19-year-old American Darren Watkins Jr. comes from Cincinnati. His YouTube channel has grown from 100,000 subscribers (April 2021) to 6 million in 11 months: He is undoubtedly one of the biggest winners of the last year.
- His breakthrough on YouTube came when his fans started uploading clips of him on TikTok. This accelerated his growth significantly: He also collaborated with musicians.
- Unlike many gaming YouTubers who produce classic video-on-demand content, IShowSpeed is truly dedicated to live streaming on YouTube: They are building a competition to Twitch. He shows games like Fortnite or NBA2k21 – but he also made a name for himself in Valorant.
3.3 million see the terrible and sexist clip of the streamer
The clip became his downfall: The e-sports journalist Jake Luckey showed a clip of IShowSpeed from Valorant, where he completely loses control, cursing and insulting. He uses racist and sexist slurs, his facial expression is twisted in anger, and his voice cracks.
The low point of the outburst is reached when he hears a female voice in the voice chat:
“Bitch? Is a bitch talking to me? Is a woman talking to me? Get out of the damn game and wash your man’s dishes, bitch!”
That was the reaction: Luckey himself said he now understands why Valorant is considered so toxic. One of the most popular players says such nonsense and is still cheered for it.
The tweet received so much attention that it also prompted a Riot employee, Riot necrotix, to intervene: She said that such a person should not be in their community. She permanently banned him from Valorant. She thanked the e-sports journalist and encouraged him to continue reporting on such matters – this way, Riot can make Valorant safer.
What the YouTuber says: IShowSpeed comments on this clip. He says:
- On the day the clip was made, he was constantly being racially insulted himself. People talked about his deceased aunt. He had “not a good day” that day.
- He does not want to make excuses – it was clearly his fault. However, it is simply not his typical behavior to shout at people without reason. He was totally in the wrong back then and cannot justify it.
- However, the clip is already several months old. Since then, he has developed further. He is still very young.
This is what’s behind it: Riot has been striving from day one to ensure that Valorant is presented in a way that makes everyone feel safe and welcome.
After a sexism scandal at Riot Games, they wanted to ensure that female players are protected and safe, especially in Valorant. This was an important point on the agenda. Therefore, the behavior now makes sense.
It is interesting that the clip of IShowSpeed apparently had no consequences for months and now provokes such a strong reaction within a few hours.
Update 8.4., 12:00 PM: The ban of IShowSpeed has caused a big controversy on the internet:
Creator says: Racial insults don’t count because video games aren’t real either
