The two streamers DrDisrespect (38) and xQc (25) are jokingly in a dispute about the idea of what gaming and entertainment really are in 2020. xQc is having great success on Twitch with Bloons TD 6, a tower defense game for PC and mobile. This does not sit well with the gaming purist DrDisrespect at all. However, xQc accuses the older streamer of being out of touch with the times.
These are the two opponents: The streamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel is 25 years old and something like “the new generation of Twitch.”
xQc is the rising star on the streaming platform. In 2018, he played a minor role on Twitch (9600 viewers on average), became bigger in 2019 (17,800 viewers), and is the most successful streamer on the platform in 2020 (39,000 viewers).
The former Overwatch pro started with shooters, but now his channel offers a wild mix of games.
xQc jumps from reaction videos to any games. He plays practically everything and has no scruples. Nothing is too niche or too weird for him: He plays “The Game of Life,” some “Four in a Row”-variants with virtual school friends (and gets banned for it) or a tower defense mobile game. What he plays doesn’t really matter.
The 13 years older Guy “DrDisrespect” Beahm had his breakthrough on Twitch in 2017 with PUBG and was one of the most successful and influential streamers on the platform until his ban in 2020.
The former “Call of Duty” designer appears as a macho character and is considered a gifted entertainer who provides his audience with elaborately produced videos and sets. He is also a strong shooter player, though not as outstanding world-class as he often portrays himself.
Even though he has brought many new impulses to Twitch in the field of entertainment in recent years, DrDisrespect is a purist when it comes to gaming like many gamers of his generation. He takes pride in his huge and expensive PC setup and primarily plays the big AAA shooters like Call of Duty: Warzone. For weeks, he plays the same games and hardly varies. He outright rejects mobile gaming, stating it is not real gaming.
“xQc, are you kidding me?”
This is the conflict now: xQc simply plays everything on Twitch. He caught “Bloons TD 6” and showcased the colorful tower defense game in a stream, where he peaked at over 57,000 viewers.
DrDisrespect apparently couldn’t handle this at all. In a Twitter video, he stares in disbelief at the camera while xQc shows Bloons in the background: “xQc, you have 60,000 people watching you play Bloons Tenacious Distraction Six – or whatever it’s called. Are you kidding me?”
xQc laughed off this criticism in his stream and gratefully picked up the gauntlet: This “boomer” needs to rethink his definition of entertainment. The term “boomer” refers to older people who are no longer in touch with the times.
xQc then imitates DrDisrespect, portraying him as he clumsily danced around and boasted about his arena. xQc explains: Entertainment is changing. “The boomer DrDisrespect” needs to adapt to the times.
xQc vs. DrDisrespect: 13 years age difference is noticeable
This is what’s behind it: Even though the conflict is surely meant in jest, two concepts are opposing each other here. xQc and DrDisrespect are two of the exceptional streamers on Twitch over the past five years.
There are some similarities:
- Both are primarily entertainers who have recognized that viewers want more than just watching one guy or girl play a game
- Both streamers are characterized by their flamboyant personalities and stand out strongly from the crowd. DrDisrespect has created his own character. xQc is his own brand with his hyperactive way of speaking and moving
- Both streamers rely on interaction with the chat and engage their viewers
- Both streamers polarize strongly; they have their fans, but also many who can’t relate to them – both leave few indifferent
- Both streamers are independently successful regardless of games. They do not have “the one game” like Tfue or Ninja with Fortnite that makes them successful, but are variety streamers
- Both show that behind the character, there is a person who, with all the commotion that the character causes, has his problems
But there are some differences:
- xQc plays everything and constantly wants to give the audience new stimuli – DrDisrespect focuses on few, high-quality games. He is committed to the shooter genre. He doesn’t understand how someone on Twitch can play something like “WoW Classic”
- DrDisrespect opts for a classic performance; some segments of his show are prepared and presented to the audience – xQc improvises more and is a bundle of energy that continuously engages with the chat
- Whereas in DrDisrespect’s case, the game and his performance in it always play an important role, it seems that for xQc, gaming itself recedes into the background and merely serves as a basis to keep the show running
Conflict shows the difference between generations
The two streamers xQc (25) and DrDisrespect (38) represent two generations of gamers in their dispute. For the older generation, something like “mobile gaming” or casual gaming is something that has little or nothing to do with their hobby. For someone like xQc or younger players who grew up with smartphones, these boundaries are increasingly blurring.
DrDisrespect’s ban on Twitch in 2020 was one of the major topics on the platform. Even in the autumn, the ban still had repercussions. Because the seemingly indestructible streamer was privately hit hard by the ban, as he explained:
DrDisrespect struggles with the Twitch ban, is having real problems
