Streaming fans are today fuming over a top Twitch star’s remarks on a game developer looking for a job amidst massive layoffs in the industry.
OTK (One True King), a streaming organization founded by popular stars like Asmongold, Sodapoppin, and many more, held its annual Games Expo on June 4. A whole host of streamers, including Lirik, watched and livestreamed the event on their channels—which is where the controversial comment first popped up. During the event’s Dev for Hire segment, Lirik questioned why Sean Wissler, a designer with 21 years of experience, was on the stage, commenting the “boomer” should try LinkedIn instead.
“21 years?! Motherf**ker, why are you here? The other guy is fresh out of college. Get the f**k back on LinkedIn,” Lirik said on-stream. The Twitch star’s comments didn’t sit right with viewers, however, many of whom quickly agreed streamers have no idea what actual employment or a job search is like. Several other Reddit commenters also wondered what warranted such toxic comments for a guy trying to get hired.
One commenter posted, “The fact he has 21 years and is willing to try this route shows he has passion for the industry and I think it’s very rude to insult him for that.”
Lirik eventually apologized for his comments just before ending his June 4 stream, agreeing his statement was short-sighted. The streamer attributed his sharp comments to the disparity between a guy who recently graduated and a dev with 21 years of experience, who Lirik thinks must’ve made some connections in the industry to land a job.
With the top streamers banking far more than an average person’s monthly income simply by running a 30-second ad, it’s not hard to believe they’re fairly out-of-touch with the modern job landscape. The situation, nevertheless, has resulted in more eyes on the event and, hopefully, more prospects for the game devs.
