Twitch streamer and competitive Fortnite star Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has repeated a controversial statement over “It’s just a game,” reinforcing his mindset over getting angry after a loss.
In a response to a viral commentary over “tryhard” gamers and questioning the fun value of games, Ninja copied and pasted his tweet from February 2020.
“The phrase “it’s just a game” is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what happened, losing, imperfection of a craft,” Ninja wrote, adding it mattered to be concerned about skills following a losing game. “When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice. There’s always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle.” Blevin’s statement also supported gamers who showed strong reactions towards a bad play, along with different reactions that come with losing a match in games such as Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty or new competitive platformer Fall Guys.
Of course, these are also the same exact words echoed by Blevins earlier in the year. The tweet also divided users online, who debated about the purpose of games as a fun activity or a serious tool for growth and progression. Ninja was also under fire for suggesting the former as a “weak mindset,” sparking some outrage while he reinforced his idea.
Now, Blevins’ latest tweet takes a firm stance on his mindset while others replied with surprise and follow-up statements. Users also brought the debate back on the table with both mindsets butting heads.
According to SVG, some suggested that Blevins’ tweet encouraged players to not give up in becoming better players while angry reactions for losses are a sign of awareness. While some disagreed and spawned memes over Ninja’s words, others were on his side and argued natural reactions are normal (much like sports fans during intense moments).
Ninja has recently returned to Twitch, following a short contract streaming with Microsoft’s late gaming platform Mixer in late 2019. After the company announced it was closing Mixer down, Blevins was free to game on any platform he choose apart from an offer to join Facebook Gaming. Fans were excited to see Ninja during his first stream since the closure on YouTube Gaming on July 2020.