2018

Shawn returns to Hard NOC Life as he and Keith break down the week that was in Nerd Pop. http://traffic.libsyn.com/thenerdsofcolor/HNL119.mp3 This week, Shawn talks more about decolonizing fandom (1:00) and decentering whiteness in pop culture (10:00). Meanwhile, Keith goes on an extended rant about Crazy Rich Asians backlash (14:00). Then they turn to television and […]

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is a Fortnite superstar. With over 10,000,000 subscribers, the 27-year-old is the most popular streamer on all of Twitch. And in a new interview with Polygon, he’s defended his choice not to stream with female players, essentially branding himself the Mike Pence of online gaming.

In a stream from last month (which now has almost 4 million views on YouTube), Ninja explained why he doesn’t stream with women, saying “This is exactly what happens. I play with another girl streamer, right? A joke would be made, a giggle would happen, and then this is the YouTube video: ‘Ninja Flirting With So-and-So? JGhosty [Ninja’s wife, also a streamer] Angry?’ Like clockwork, a video like that would be up in less than 10 minutes.” He frames that as “a life lesson” for his followers.

It’s true that female streamers face a unique set of hurdles, with many viewers aggressively sexualizing and romanticizing them, rather than respecting them as gamers. They are notoriously subjected to the kind of gossip and rumors Ninja describes here. That’s why it’s so unfortunate that he chooses to perpetuate that treatment of women, rather than work to change it.

Obviously, Ninja is free to stream with whomever he chooses. But he’s also going to be criticized for effectively denying all female streamers, no matter how talented, access to his 10,000,000 followers. Streaming has a persistent reputation as a boys’ club and players like Ninja refusing to ever share that kind of platform with a woman is exactly why. How are women ever supposed to rise to the top of this or any field when they’re actively and deliberately ignored by major players in their industry? (How does one get to be a major player in the first place? By forging connections with other players and offering each other shared exposure.)

By refusing to play with female streamers, he may feel like he’s staying out of things. But in reality, he’s only reinforcing the idea that female streamers should be avoided, that they come with drama attached, and that there is an inherent sexualization when playing with them.

He tells Polygon that  “The only way to avoid that [gossip] is to not play with them at all.” Or he could use his massive platform to condemn that kind of gossip. He has an opportunity to dispell the view that men and women can’t have a platonic gaming session, which he could do simply by leading by example. Instead, he’s choosing to tacitly perpetuate this sexist view of female gamers.

(via Polygon, image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Hollywood has always been a place where executives and talent Dare to Be Stupid, sign Fat paychecks, act all White ‘n’ Nerdy, and occasionally Eat It when their gambles fail, so who better for the town to honor than “Weird Al” Yankovic? While he’s been spending most of his life living in a song satirist’s paradise, as his career has kept adapting, it’s now time for him to get walked on, when his name becomes part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yankovic announced the honor in a Tweet earlier today:

The time has finally come… On Aug. 27 at 11:30 AM I’ll be getting my very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6914 Hollywood Blvd., right across the street from the Chinese Theatre). The ceremony is FREE and open to the public, so come on down!!

— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) August 13, 2018

Michael Jackson, who was probably the most notable target of Yankovic’s parodies over the years, has his star nearby, at 6927 Hollywood Blvd. on the other side of the street. It would be funny if they were directly adjacent, but Al deserves his own spotlight, particularly in the wake of a national tour that spotlighted all his original songwriting. It’s probably about even money that he writes a song about the experience of getting his name on the sidewalk.

If you live in the area, will you come out for Al? Have you picked out a Hawaiian shirt for the occasion? Let us know in comments below.

Image: Last Week Tonight

Henry Golding is ready to take on Hollywood. “[We’re] possibly moving to Los Angeles,” said the 31-year old British-Malaysian actor during a luncheon in Century City in June. “The focus is definitely on movies.” It’s a warm day, so we are sitting at a picnic table under an awning on the rooftop of Eataly. Golding […]