Streamsniping is one of the most frustrating phenomena that can be found in gaming.
The most recent example of stream sniping that caught the internet by storm was one that involved two content creators: former Counter Strike Global Offensive (CSGO) professional player Tarik “tarik” Celik, and former VALORANT professional player Matthew “Wardell” Yu. With both of them on opposing sides during an online game of VALORANT, both parties were streaming their games to their followers.
During the stream, it was fairly obvious that Wardell was teamed up with a notorious stream sniper who was watching Tarik’s stream in order to help their team win the game. Tark then went on to question him about it, to which Wardell responded with the denial of any knowledge of doing such, causing him to be flung into hot water online.
What exactly is a streamsniper?
The term is a combination of two separate terms, stream and sniper. The stream in this context refers to the online digital live show that personalities appear on. These streams can have different kinds of content, but one of the most popular activities to stream lately is video games. For the second part of the term, it refers to the role in gun games that incentivize staying at a distance and giving the team their advantage from there.
Combined, it refers to someone watching a stream of someone from the opposing team, giving them access to information and tactics that they previously had no way of knowing.
Ripples in gaming
The reason why this is such a controversial topic is because of the implications or possible consequences it may have on different aspects of the gaming community.
On the side of the streamers, it sets a precedent that they run the risk of one of their viewers actively tuning into their stream just to make sure that their gaming experience in the game is less than enjoyable. It may be deterring enough for them to stop streaming altogether, which would be unfavorable for both the sake of their livelihood as well as for their fans.
Another unintended ripple it may have on the gaming scene in general is ensuring that the competitive ecosystem will remain a mess. Players’ skill levels won’t be measured properly, and would result in a frustrating and overall poor gaming experience. This would be especially true for all of the newer players.
The nail in the coffin would be the number of people who would even be inspired to do the same things with the streamers that they know, repeating the cycle and overall making the game unplayable.
This, itself, is extremely disheartening, as video games are meant to be an escape from the stresses of the world, not become an exact mirror of them. Hopefully, this event will serve as a reminder on how to properly keep the gaming space a fun one for all.
