Ninja speaks to kids complaining about ping in Fortnite

William Davis Published 01/09/2019

Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins had some words for the kids complaining about ping.

Ninja posted a clip on Twitter, as in the middle of a game Ninja found a spot to hide and let the audience know his opinion about the kids complaining about ping in Fortnite.

“Listen, every single 13 years-old to 18 years-old that is complaining and tweeting about ping. The fact that you even get a chance to compete for millions of dollars online instead of having to spend thousands of your own money to go travel to these places, buy a hotel, pay for your flight and/or gas, not to mention the team pass that you usually have to purchase,” Ninja said.

The streamer is comparing the Fortnite Champion Series: Season X with traditional LAN events, particularly those that he himself competed in in the past.

The Fornite Championship Series is the most recent competitive event by Epic Games. Players from around the world get to compete every weekend between August 17 and September 15. Players compete in trios that must stay together through the event.

The weekly Fortnite Champion Series prize change depending on the region. In Europe, the highest prize is $96,000 and the lowest is $960, which is awarded to teams standing from 31st to the 250th place. Top teams qualify to the final event, where the prizes go as high as $480,000.

Ninja compares his Halo past with Fortnite today

Ninja first gained renown as an accomplished esports pro in Halo. He was among the top players and teams in that game when the esports industry was in a very different place.

Players had to endure relative hardships just to compete at events, and there were no gaurantees around that dedication paying off. It all came down to the results, and if those results weren’t up to par, all of the travel and effort would be for naught.

“Then you have to stay there for three days, guess what? You might not even win. So you lose 100% of the money you just spend and then you come back home and you have to explain to mommy and daddy why you wasted two grand for a shot at winning money. In fact, if you’re a 13 years-old try convincing mommy and daddy to let you flight to California when you live in New York,” Ninja continued.

It’s a far cry from today’s esports scene in which top players and teams are more typically flown around the world by sponsors and professional esports organizations. In some games, including Fortnite, players have the opportunity to win prizes without even leaving their homes, and even those prizes often dwarf the amounts that were competed over a decade or more ago.

The ultimate prizes in esports, such as the $30 million prize pool offered at the Fortnite World Championship, are beyond comparison with anything from those past days.

“Please, these kids got it so good and they don’t even know it,” Ninja concluded.

In response, some fans expressed their disagreement with Ninja’s position, but multiple professional players and esports veterans agreed with Ninja’s statement on the matter.

William Davis

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