Twitch darling Dr Disrespect, perhaps Battlegrounds‘ most recognisable streaming personality, got suspended from the game yesterday after pulling the trigger on a squadmate, VICE Waypoint reports. And when Dr Disrespect threatened to roundhouse kick developer PlayerUnknown in the neck, PlayerUnknown spoke out about the unnecessary use of violence in his game and in real life.
Battlegrounds/Dr Disrespect
Dr Disrespect is OG Twitch. On stream, he’s an over-the-top sinister arsehole. His mullet, wraparound sunglasses and moustache drive home the thing. It’s a comic performance and, every day, around 10 thousand viewers tune in for it. After making a name for himself as an H1Z1 streamer last year, a few months ago, Dr Disrespect moved on to Battlegrounds, a game whose culture glommed onto his villainous act and impressive reflexes.
Yesterday, Dr Disrespect pulled a very in-character, arsehole move: After finding a vehicle that only seated three, Dr Disrespect nonchalantly shot his fourth squadmate. “We’re gonna go find a car, OK?” Dr Disrespect said before showering him with bullets. After the first few bullets and a pause, he shot his squadmade in the head a few more times for good measure.
It was a gag, sure, but Dr Disrespect violated Battlegrounds‘ mandate against “team kills” — a bannable offence. Battlegrounds‘ rules read, “Do not team kill: There is no excuse for non-accidental team kills. If your teammate is breaking these rules, report them to us instead.” On Stream, Dr Disrespect complained: “I can’t just get off in the middle of a streak!”
It’s a bit unusual for developers to comment on specific bans, but PlayerUnknown had some strong opinions on what one of his game’s biggest personalities did on stream. Here’s a tense exchange that went down on Twitter after the banning incident:
Dr Disrespect later threatened to kick PlayerUnknown’s various body parts, provoking PlayerUnknown to divulge a few personal views on violence, which, surprisingly for a third-person shooter developer, lean more toward pacifism:
Suggesting violence is the best way to solve a disagreement is just wrong, even if you are playing a character… https://t.co/ziQtkyyg8E
— PLAYERUNKNOWN (@BattleRoyaleMod) July 18, 2017
And in a longer message, PlayerUnknown explained that “even the threat of violence is not something that should be joked about… All I ask from anyone that reads this is to consider that your words, however flippant they may be, could have unintended effects on those reading them.” He then divulged a story:
When I was in college, many years ago, I had a disagreement with my flat mate. Instead of talking it out like men, he decided to get aggressive and while I was backing away from him, he kicked me in the chest and put my head through a plate glass door. Thankfully, I don’t suffer from any ill effects due to this experience.
The point of that story is to attempt to explain why I think even the threat of violence is not something that should be joked about. Given my experience in college, and the fact that The Doc’s threat, even as a joke, synced up closely to a bad experience I endured, it could have brought up bad memories, triggered a panic attack or had other consequences The Doc might not have intended when composing the tweet.
Comments
7 responses to “Battlegrounds Streamer’s Suspension Provokes Candid Explanation From PlayerUnknown”
Being a ‘Dr’ myself, I thought I would have heard of this ‘Dr’ long ago, yet I have never heard of him until this article.
maybe I’m just too sensitive, but I think once you take the character, whatever they may be, into public(so a multiplayer game in this case), it has to be treated as a real person. You’re no longer behind closed doors, as it were. And in this case, the real person was an ass of the dirtiest kind, and should never be allowed on twitch in the first place. That place is a cesspool as it is. They don’t need role models like this.
Yea, role models because have you seen that chat? Gotta be mostly kids.
I think it’s a good stance to take. Firstly the streamer did break the rules on team killing. PUBG seems to be trying to foster an environment of inclusiveness when it comes to pick up groups with random. We’ve all been in a team game and have some joker team kill us, it’s not fun.
Lrn2OoC
Also maybe dont make threats of violence to people in real life. EVER! In the gaming community especially this is what causes stalking, swatting, doxing, financial ruin and other things.
A person who makes his livelyhood from games should be more respectful of the devs.
Yeah, this guy wants to be all edgy and give attitude but his livelihood is based on people watching him play a game.
He can feign nonchalance all he wants but the developer can ban him if he acts like a dick.
Well, PU’s set the bar high.
Can he live up to his own lofty standards?
Only time will tell.
Not that lofty. Not that hard.
What about the constant racism before every match, how about doing something about that.
I wouldn’t say don’t intentionally kill your teammates is setting the bar high. Nothing wrong with sticking to the rules of the game. I don’t see why if you are streaming you should be exempt. If anything its a good example that all players should be treated equally.
Can’t we all just get along!