Zack, better known as ‘Asmongold’, is arguably the largest MMORPG streamer on Twitch. He relies on his viewers for this – but a certain type of fan really gets on his nerves.
Who is Asmongold? With over 3 million followers, Asmongold is one of the larger streamers on Twitch, although he is currently streaming on his secondary channel with an average of about 13,000 viewers. There, he recently criticized a certain type of fan during a stream.
If you want to learn more about the streamer and his career, check out the video:
This is the stream in question: On September 9, Asmongold reacted to the comeback announcement of former largest Twitch streamer Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins. Ninja had come under fire after he apparently faked a burnout to generate hype for a comeback.
Here’s how Asmongold evaluated the action: He said that while Ninja’s behavior was strange, he couldn’t understand part of the criticism: the accusation from some of his viewers that the whole action was just a publicity stunt.
What the hell did you think it was? It was on Twitter, of course it was a publicity stunt. That’s his job.
Asmongold via Twitch
Asmongold doesn’t want parasocial viewers
This is what bothers Asmongold: He sees the excitement around Ninja’s comeback as a sign that viewers misjudge their relationship with streamers. They should stop pretending that streamers are their friends.
You have nothing in common with people who are in the top 10 or the top 100 Twitch streamers. You have nothing in common except that you play the same video game. […] Stop pretending that you know these people or understand them.
Asmongold via Twitch
This “parasocial nonsense” should have died out 10 years ago. It’s just uncomfortable, annoying, and disgusting.
Also, viewers who try to “expose” a streamer during such an action don’t come off well: You’re not clever just because you figured out that a streamer is monetized or promoting a sponsor. That’s obviously the case.
Asmongold sees envy in that. People who despise sponsorships are usually not in a position to get sponsors themselves.
What do you think about it? Have you noticed these one-sided relationships some viewers have with ‘their’ streamers? Can you relate to Asmongold’s criticism? Feel free to leave us a comment with your opinion.
Also, Twitch streamer Sodapoppin, who is part of the organization OTK (One True King) together with Asmongold, recently distanced himself from his viewers:
Twitch streamer says: He considers 90% of the people in chat to be losers, but you still need them
