Mixer streamer and professional Fortnite player Ninja is one of the most famous gaming personalities in the world, having appeared on talk shows like Ellen and set for a cameo in the upcoming Free Guy movie. While he has toned things down a bit since his meteoric rise in popularity, Ninja is still known for occasionally raging at the games he's playing, and according to a recent tweet, getting angry about losing in a video game should be the norm.
Ninja's tweet takes aim at the phrase "it's just a game," writing it off as a "weak mindset." He then says that people who don't get angry when they lose have "lost twice." So far, Ninja's tweet has over 100,000 likes and 13,000 re-tweets. There are many commenting on the tweet that agree with Ninja's stance, but there have also been many who have criticized Ninja's take.
Meanwhile, a clip of Ninja talking about "it's just a game" during a livestream is also picking up traction on social media. In the clip, he says, "Imagine telling LeBron James, Tom Brady, that when they're pissed off after losing a game that it's 'just a game.' Like, are you kidding me? You're so stupid. It's the competitive nature, bro. It's about respect, bro. It's about pride. It's so much bigger than a f****** video game." Ninja then described people who use the excuse "it's just a game" as horrible, lazy human beings.
Some have pushed back against Ninja's comparison to Tom Brady and LeBron James, saying that game streaming and professional sports aren't really comparable. In the case of Tom Brady and LeBron James, winning and losing has a profound impact on what they're paid, but Ninja is more of an entertainer in his streaming career. People watch Ninja on Mixer for his personality and commentary, and him losing games of Fortnite in a non-esports setting is not going to really impact his bottom line.
Then again, the argument could be made that the reason why Ninja has been so successful is more because of his skills in Fortnite and less because of his value as an entertainer. In that case, losing Fortnite games could very well negatively impact his income.
It's worth pointing out that Ninja was named the top-earning gamer of 2019, with Forbes claiming that he made at least $17 million last year. So he has a lot more invested in video gaming and streaming than the average person, and perhaps his comments were directed at other professionals instead of casual fans.