Streaming live was recently interrupted with a group of kick streamers being beaten up by locals from Japan. Immediately, the news spread about both the streamers and the reactions of the community. Apparently, it wasn’t random aggression; this was incited by the behavior of the streamers in a local bar.
The different reports and online comments pour out that the trouble started when one of them disrespected a local patron. One incident in part involves charges that one streamer was flirting with a girl and went to the lengths of inviting her to a love hotel.
And, of course, relays back against a girl’s boyfriend and comes to defend her. The next one follows with an incident in which rowdy conduct from the said streamers grew towards their not-so-gracious ejection from the venue.
People remained divided and organized a riot among online users. Many people showed support for locals; their maneuvers were justifiable defense from the misconduct of local streamers. One among them was SquishChamp, who articulated: “Bro the bozo streamer was hitting on a girl in a bar and got mouthy and disrespectful.”
Such statements show a lot of the resentment crowds feel regarding what they believe are bad streaming behaviors—from which those people seem to get away.
On the contrary, some comments had strong criticisms against the violent measures taken by these people against these streamers. One such comment was that of user InfoCitizenry: “That’s crazy. I hope everybody is okay.” Well, this comment talks about the whole crowd involved in it, not just the people of localities, as it almost hints at the idea of possible other solutions to “the matter.”
Funny thing was that humor also entered it with a witty comment by one guy thus: “Bro probably had black Air Force on too,” then used lightheartedly to poke fun at that type and their recklessness.
Another user found humor in the incident too and wrote: “Not all kick but always a kick,” which has much to do with the type of antic, frequently attributed to kick streamers.
Characters like these, however, had joined a few voices that clamored for “one context to be understood.” The response from some users was that the action of streamers would indeed have contoured how the locals referred to their conduct, one of whom thundered his ire as follows: “Kick streamers always on some sht bro.”
The appeal was to fact-check by people, especially those who felt sensationalism was wringing the situation dry of the nuances that inform any incident involving social-media personalities.
There’s a question throughout the entire incident about conduct in public places—public awareness and almost an as-yet-unrecognized sensitivity about and toward cultures and the limits of private space. It reminds all that no matter the location from which you find yourself broadcasting, all actions do have consequences.
There appears to be one thing which is evidently clear as commentators online weigh in: This incident has sparked or rekindled an ongoing discussion regarding respect in social environments, which further extends to the shared responsibilities of those who choose to entertain by live streaming.
In relation to this, it’s worth noting that the situation may not be unique to this incident. As highlighted in some recent discussions, the games’ emphasis on respect and cultural sensitivity helps underline the importance of understanding one’s environment. Such lessons resonate strongly with anyone involved in public discourse, making the conversation about the responsibilities of streamers all the more relevant.
