Erik “Gronkh” Range is accused of being too old to play and also playing incorrectly. In a recent livestream on Twitch, he found clear words for his critics.
In posts on the Gronkh subreddit, the streamer is criticized for his way of playing. He does not understand game mechanics, takes too long to sort his inventory, and might simply be “too old” to play. On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, he responded to the criticism in a livestream.
Together with the gamer crew PietSmiet, Gronkh hosts the charity event Friendly Fire annually. In 2022, the charity event was themed “Starfield”. You can see more about it in our video:
“I can still play at 80.”
This was the criticism: In a post on Reddit, the user “bittersweetness_” writes on October 7, he can no longer watch “Dredge with Gronkh.” He misunderstood “the game as a simple little fishing game, which you can just play and grind alongside in stream.”
In the comments, individual users write that Gronkh may be “just too old” for it.
The user “Akira204” writes in another Reddit post that the constant sorting annoys him. Megbarlis comments with: “Sorting inventory or watching him think is just not exciting.”
This is what Gronkh says about it: In his livestream on October 11, Gronkh addresses the criticism of his playing style. A chat participant writes that a clean inventory is “a must.” Gronkh agrees. He adds: “I love sorting inventories in RPGs. At least for Baldur’s Gate 3, I enjoy doing it, but not so much for Starfield.”
For Baldur’s Gate 3, Gronkh, together with PhunkRoyal recently shot an unexpected short film. There, the two streamers present themselves in unusual costumes that make their fans laugh.
Regarding sorting the inventory in RPGs, he then says:
I don’t really understand how one can complain about sorting the inventory in RPGs. I just don’t get it because it’s part of the game. I believe the trigger was that I was grinding in Dredge. […] I am playing it wrong because I was grinding in Dredge and probably complained that you don’t get enough money for that.
You can watch the saved video of his livestream on his video platform Gronkh.tv. He addresses the topic of inventory management starting at about 14:23 minutes.
When asked in the chat why his age is always a topic, as if he were 90, Gronkh says:
Especially for very young people, 40 is the end of life. When you are a teenager, you can’t imagine being that old. It’s just completely impossible.
I originally thought when I was 16 or so, I would never turn 40 in my life. I thought I would die before that because I couldn’t imagine being 40. And to be honest: When I turned 40, I could also not imagine being 40.
When he says the last sentence, he laughs. He has never gone through a midlife crisis, which is briefly discussed in the chat. With “Ü40”, he notices hardly any differences, only that he has become calmer. He can still party well, and he is “happy”.
In December, the ninth round of the charity event Friendly Fire starts, which Gronkh hosts together with the gamer crew PietSmiet and other streamers:
Friendly Fire 9: Gronkh and PietSmiet’s charity event starts in December with a new theme
He also has strong words for critics regarding the aspect of being “too old to play” (approximately from minute 18):
So sorry. I know that I am old, but the arguments… well, better arguments could be found, I believe. And I’m honest: too old to play? Isn’t that a bit of gatekeeping?
“KampfbieneMaja” writes in the chat: “The gray in the beard and at the temples – better arguments :D”
In response, Gronkh says that while those are arguments for his age, he is not too old to play. “I can still play at 80. It’s just a matter of what. I probably won’t win a CS:GO round, let’s be honest, but I’m not aiming for that,” says the 46-year-old with a laugh. “But I can still sort my inventory at 80.”
When asked in the chat why his age is always a topic, as if he were 90, Gronkh says:
Especially for very young people, 40 is the end of life. When you are a teenager, you can’t imagine being that old. It’s just completely impossible.
I originally thought when I was 16 or so, I would never turn 40 in my life. I thought I would die before that because I couldn’t imagine being 40. And to be honest: When I turned 40, I could also not imagine being 40.
When he says the last sentence, he laughs. He has never gone through a midlife crisis, which is briefly discussed in the chat. With “Ü40”, he notices hardly any differences, only that he has become calmer. He can still party well, and he is “happy”.
In December, the ninth round of the charity event Friendly Fire starts, which Gronkh hosts together with the gamer crew PietSmiet and other streamers:
Friendly Fire 9: Gronkh and PietSmiet’s charity event starts in December with a new theme
