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Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, one of the most prominent Fortnite streamers and professional eSports players, made comments on social media about the competitive nature of professional gaming. His opinions quickly sparked heated debates across the Internet on how seriously games should be taken.
Ninja tweeted yesterday afternoon, saying that having an "it’s just a game" mindset towards competitive gaming is weak and that players shouldn't settle for underperforming.
These comments follow a notable outburst from Ninja towards his squadmates earlier this month after he fell victim to four stream snipers. Once he saw a comment suggesting he shouldn't get upset when it's "just a game," Ninja had this to say:
“If anyone ever uses the excuse 'it’s just a game' I’m gonna lose my mind! Imagine telling Lebron James, Tom Brady, that when they're pissed off after losing a game that it’s just a game. Are you kidding me? You're so stupid. It's the competitive nature, bro. It’s about respect bro, it's about pride. It’s so much bigger than a f*cking video game. And anyone that ever uses the excuse 'it's just a game' is a horrible human being, and is lazy. You're a lazy human being.”
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These comments follow a notable outburst from Ninja towards his squadmates earlier this month after he fell victim to four stream snipers. Once he saw a comment suggesting he shouldn't get upset when it's "just a game," Ninja had this to say:
“If anyone ever uses the excuse 'it’s just a game' I’m gonna lose my mind! Imagine telling Lebron James, Tom Brady, that when they're pissed off after losing a game that it’s just a game. Are you kidding me? You're so stupid. It's the competitive nature, bro. It’s about respect bro, it's about pride. It’s so much bigger than a f*cking video game. And anyone that ever uses the excuse 'it's just a game' is a horrible human being, and is lazy. You're a lazy human being.”
It is notable that soon after, Ninja said on this same stream, "And everyone that thinks I'm being so serious right now, this is like 90% a joke, 10% serious." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/17/lady-gagas-hilarious-fortnite-conversation-with-ninja-recapped"]Facts though. pic.twitter.com/puQbtyVI8d
— BR1CK (@BR1CKmixer) February 18, 2020
Maybe It Really Is Just a Game?
Several people were quick to criticize Ninja for his comments on the "weak mindset" of thinking professional gamers are just playing a game. Some felt there were better ways to handle loss than resorting to anger, while others noted that most play games just for fun rather than competitively.
Competition Drives Greatness
Some reacted to Ninja's comments positively, noting his views line up with a healthy competitive drive, and that the "it's just a game" line really is just an excuse for failure.
Just Some Ninja Jokes
While there were plenty of serious reactions to Ninja's comments, there were also countless jokes poking fun at his apparent seriousness on the matter.[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=fortnite-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-skins&captions=true"]