Zack "Asmongold" is no stranger to controversy, and is again in hot water following a series of comments made about people that are “mentally unstable.” The streamer is known for his brash online persona, and is a self-proclaimed “professional neckbeard” who relishes in stirring up trouble, but this time he may have gone too far.
The issue began when playing World of Warcraft: Classic, as a stream viewer stated, “I will kill ur family if you ninja something from me in Classic,” which prompted Asmongold to say that he cuts mentally unstable people out of his life entirely, but then added the controversial statement, “They’re disgusting and don’t want to have anything to do with it.”
As is often the case, the stream chat erupted into arguments supporting or condemning Asmongold for his behavior of signaling out individuals with mental health issues. Asmongold stuck to his point and further clarified that anyone who would threaten to murder his family due to actions inside of a video game is disgusting.
While the statement made by Asmongold seems harsh, it should be examined within the context of the situation. This was not an unprompted blanket statement against individuals with mental health issues. This was a reaction to a troll who threatened to kill his family, an extreme type of verbal abuse that no one should have to endure. Whether Asmongold’s statements went beyond this one particularly toxic individual threatening murder is up for debate.
A recent examination of Asmongold’s comments with regard to mental health issues reveals a different picture entirely. In late June, he spoke about the passing of Desmond Daniel Amofah, better known by his online alias, Etika, and how mental health issues can affect content creators.
Asmongold spoke about the negative impact that viewers can have in their interactions with a streamer, such as with Etika, stating, “You’re going to have tons of people that are just talking shit about him [Etika] in the comments, and thinking that he’ll just man up, or he’s just faking it, or he’s just doing it for attention, etc. Apparently not, because now he’s dead. I hope those people feel as stupid as they should.”
In this sense, Asmongold’s reaction feels more in line with the issues faced by Twitch streamers and YouTube content creators. There is already a growing concern for the strain that such activity puts on individuals in the long term, and we have seen that recently not only with Etika, but with Dimitri "Greekgodx" Antonatos, Turner Ellis “Tfue” Tenney, and Laina “Overly Attached Girlfriend” Morris.
Asmongold may face repercussions for his statement by Twitch, and while there is no reason to belittle mental health issues nor those who have them, it is important to recognize that this may have been a visceral reaction to an extreme form of verbal abuse, and no one should be expected to remain calm when a stranger threatens to kill their family, though his choice of words were no doubt inappropriate as well.
Source: dotesports.com