The German Twitch streamer Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris was the target of a parody by Jan Böhmermann on ZDF Magazin Royale on September 16. In the show, Twitch streamers were accused of promoting gambling in games like FIFA 22. In a Twitch stream, MontanaBlack explained how he views the discussion around loot boxes. MontanaBlack sees the responsibility only partially lying with EA or Twitch streamers: He believes the state should be accountable.
What was the topic of ZDF Magazin Royale?
- On Friday, September 16, an current episode of ZDF Magazin Royale addressed the topic of “in-game purchases” in games like FIFA 22.
- The satirist Jan Böhmermann commented on the show in the role of a Twitch streamer, resembling the German streamer MontanaBlack. He was quite shocked when the topic of “taxes” was mentioned.
- At the end of the video, host Böhmermann insulted streamer Böhmermann as an “asshole” for promoting something like loot boxes.
Cap, muscle shirt, chain around the neck, and a bulky watch: The external features of MontanaBlack were clearly recognizable in Böhmermann’s character:
“I have a clean slate”
What MontanaBlack said before the broadcast: Even before the show aired on Friday, MontanaBlack was seen live on Twitch with streamer Trymacs.
Trymacs asked MontanaBlack how he felt about Böhmermann seemingly parodying him:
- Trymacs: “Should that be you?”
- MontanaBlack: “Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know. At least – it was definitely a reference to me. But I think if it were a complete thing, then maybe he would have added a tattoo …”
MontanaBlack, in any case, viewed the appearance casually. He stated he has a clean slate. He last showcased a casino 3.5 years ago. Only the “e-cigarettes” thing could Böhmermann open up, but he stated he only smokes them; he has no cigarettes on the market himself.
However, it annoys him when thousands of people ask him what it is all about, and he himself simply does not know.
Even though MontanaBlack stated he has a clean slate, it sounded like he had concerns about being a scapegoat for casino streams or e-cigarettes. He already found this criticism unfair in advance.
The streamer said: He actually likes Böhmermann and could potentially be friends with him in private – only that thing from a few years ago when Böhmermann accused his community of consisting of young Nazis, that was a major mistake by the satirist. MontanaBlack had also defended himself against that accusation.
MontanaBlack lets lawyer check video
What MontanaBlack said during the broadcast: While the show was already available in the media library, MontanaBlack continued to stream on Twitch. In the middle of it, he looked at his phone, read briefly, and then said to Trymacs:
“It’s about in-game purchases. My business partner is writing to me right now: all good, it’s about in-game purchases. Meanwhile, the first one who watched the video was my lawyer. You never know what nonsense might be claimed. You have a status, dude, where you always have to have lawyers available 24/7.”
“It’s content for us”
What does MontanaBlack say about the criticism of streamers in the segment? Like Trymacs, MontanaBlack sees only a small responsibility on his part when viewers spend too much money on loot boxes in FIFA. The streamer says:
“You can take every larger influencer who plays FIFA or CS:GO or whatever and does case openings, and that is something that can definitely be criticized. Max [Trymacs] or I or the others are also aware that it’s really not far from gambling.
But it’s content for us, and we simply hope that people realize that we are people who have more money and waste it there. And I hope that people are in control of themselves, and in the end, everyone is responsible for themselves.”
MontanaBlack sees the blame for the problem with:
- 1% EA
- 4% the streamers
- and 95% “Father State,” who allows this
MontanaBlack says, if he were in EA’s position and loot boxes were legal, he would also do it right away.
With “Father State,” MontanaBlack has had ongoing problems. He was annoyed in April 2021 about the regulations he faced. He was considering leaving Germany for Malta. There, he would have to pay fewer taxes and could indulge in gambling on Twitch again.
How dangerous gambling can be is currently shown by the streamer “ItsSlikeR,” who borrowed money from viewers and fellow streamers over several years – and paid back nothing:
