Lizzie Fourman
I was recently watching a YouTube video over a weekend about streamers who got caught cheating mid-stream. It made me wonder about the various consequences that could happen to you if you get caught.
Well, besides the obvious of being completely humiliated and losing a lot of your dignity. I’m shuddering at the thought of losing any influence I’d have as a streamer over a mistake I knew wasn’t worth it. So, today, I wanted to talk about a specific streamer who got caught cheating along with the possible consequences for any actions seen as cheating.
When QGemini got Caught on Twitch
Over the summer of 2017, a streamer on Twitch known as QGemini was caught cheating while playing CS:GO. She had a cheat sheet of the types of weapons and the ranking for the others in the battle along with the rankings of those same players.
She also had an upgrade so she could see the locations of each player through walls. She didn’t realize the cheat sheet was showing on her computer when she minimized the battle until people watching her stream called her out on it.
She was also called out for showing the sheet on her computer screen. Because of this, she was banned on Valve and then on Twitch some time later. She managed to switch her skins to a new Twitch account before she was banned, though I can’t remember the name of her new Twitch account.
She has become a meme after the situation because she blamed a friend of hers for the cheat. She claimed that her friend left the cheat on her computer when the friend was playing CS:GO earlier that day. She has locked her Twitter account due to all the hate she is claiming she got from this situation.
The Urge and the Consequences
There are bound to be some of us who are not as good as others, especially when playing online. Therefore, there may be an urge to hack your way to the top from time to time. I’m not saying all of us would do that if given the chance.
Heck, I wouldn’t dare do that because my conscience would be urging me to reveal my dark little secret. I’m a shy person who became a gamer just for the fun of it. I’m also the type of person who doesn’t care how many times she wins or loses.
I relate to people behind the screen of my TV or computer than face-to-face with them. That’s why I got into role-playing on Twitter in several fandoms as well. I am always glad to show up for a lap around the track on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, though I am nowhere near first place each time.
The consequences for cheating or even hacking can be huge for those who try it. You saw what happened to QGemini last year, where she was banned from a few places before reappearing.
If you’re caught cheating while in a professional team, you could get kicked out of that team as well. Steam could ban you, as can Valve. Twitch can also permanently ban you through your IP address.
You could even lose your revenue stream that you were getting through the streaming. I don’t know about y’all, but I wouldn’t want to risk losing all of that because of my own actions.
Would you?
