Jimmy Kimmel Belittles Gamers, calls them "Rats"

[Deleted]

It's pretty much the same thing.

No it's not. It's really not.

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4mins 31 seconds in of the 2nd video he issues his threat to the community.

And I have to disagree. Watching people play a game = Watching people play a game.

He.

Is.

Joking.

[Zelk]

Stop getting booty blasted about what some D list celebrity thinks of your hobby

[Felya]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMTkedIUX8U

That's a strange episode of south park to use, when they had one saying pretty much what Kimmel did:

[Frostyfire14]

He threatens to shut down twitch.tv and youtube gaming. He declares he has that power. The audience laughs. It's what we humans like to call "humour" or "a joke," it means you don't have to worry about some dude taking on a multi-billion dollar industry with its hundreds of millions of fans.

I get it. It's a joke. Whoever thinks he can shut down said services have no say on this issue. I never once said I agreed that he could do such a thing.

[Dhrizzle]

I get it. It's a joke. Whoever thinks he can shut down said services have no say on this issue. I never once said I agreed that he could do such a thing.

You characterised it as a threat to the community. There is no threat. We are not threatened. It didn't come across as even remotely plausible.

[Paranoid Android]

I trust the community to exercise that thick skin they always advise others employ.

Tell me about it since every Feminism thread in MMO is related to Gamergate.

[Frostyfire14]

I have always, long before this controversy, been completely at a loss for how Jimmy Kimmel got a late night tv show. He's *by far* the least funny of the late night hosts, his interviews aren't funny, interesting, or entertaining, and his skits are juvenile and unfunny. He's smug and simply boring, and actually a bit annoying. The only saving grace for his show are the musical appearances since he seems to be able to pull in some good musical guests. The rare time my tv has ever been on his show has been only for the start to finish of the musical guest and then I turn it back to one of the other actually entertaining late night shows.

This PR stunt by him just made me loathe his show even more. I'd actually prefer ABC go back to Nightline, at least that would be a reasonable alternative if I don't feel like watching Fallon/Conan/now Colbert.

I do agree on some things here. His humor is not for me. I'm in my early 20's.

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You characterised it as a threat to the community. There is no threat. We are not threatened. It didn't come across as even remotely plausible.

Sorry the tone rubbed off that way.

[vindicatorx]

Not sure why you think this is clickbait with a misleading title. Title is exactly what it is. Sorry if there was another thread, but I searched for it and must have missed it.

Yeah because this happened over a week ago that is why you couldn't find it. I mean it was a joke then, it is still a joke now. People get overly sensitive about shit.

[Aori]

While it is satire, I agree with what he says and always have.

I've never understood the whole watching people play games phenomenon. I've tried wrapping my head around it and I just don't get it.

[AeneasBK]

No it's not. It's really not.

Are you trying to compare watching a live sporting event in a stadium to twitch in your bedroom, or are you comparing a team event like football to a single player game like hearthstone?

Or are you just making shit up at this point?

[vindicatorx]

I do agree on some things here. His humor is not for me. I'm in my early 20's.

Yeah we could tell millennials like to jump the gun on things. He is shooting for people in their 30-40's so mostly gen xers like myself who I think he has always been pretty funny.

[Hitei]

While it is satire, I agree with what he says and always have.

I've never understood the whole watching people play games phenomenon. I've tried wrapping my head around it and I just don't get it.

No different than watching people play sports.

[Polybius]

Are you trying to compare watching a live sporting event in a stadium to twitch in your bedroom, or are you comparing a team event like football to a single player game like hearthstone?

Or are you just making shit up at this point?

There's no difference when your ass is seated in both environments.

[vindicatorx]

No different than watching people play sports.

While I understand that it doesn't really seem that way to me. I guess if you sit at home alone and watch sports it's the same but I don't do that either so ... I guess if I am watching sports it's either live or in a setting with other people interacting as well.

[Bonkbonk100]

I guess it generates views. Ever heard about the "Don't feed the troll" saying? It works here too. Imagine if nobody wrote anything on his video or better yet, didn't even bother to watch it, I'm sure this thing would be over by now.

But no, let's act like retards in the comment section so he can show the "world" how bad and horrible human beings we gamers are.

[Felya]

No different than watching people play sports.

The point is that you can do the same exact thing you are watching. You cannot sit on your couch or at your PC and play sports... It would be more like watching people play sports video games...

[AeneasBK]

The point is that you can do the same exact thing you are watching. You cannot sit on your couch or at your PC and play sports... It would be more like watching people play sports video games...

Do you guys not have open spaces outdoors? Just because video games have more convenient matchmaking systems...

[Polybius]

The point is that you can do the same exact thing you are watching. You cannot sit on your couch or at your PC and play sports... It would be more like watching people play sports video games...

You either watch a video game or play it; you either watch sports of play sports.

edit: I don't think I interpreted correctly, lmao

[Delekii]

A tv show is made for one thing, watching. A game is an interactive medium, therefor it is not the same thing.

You can argue because of twitch chat and what not, it is more interactive than just a tv-show but will still be less interactive than actually playing the game.

Sometimes you want less interaction. More pertinently; sometimes you want a different form of interaction.

Hail gaming, the more flexible form of entertainment than television!

The old argument, but watching someone play a game is still not like watching sports. Not by a long shot.

Yes, it is. It is literally the exact same thing. Give me an argument that proves otherwise that doesn't involve any sort of subjective qualification of either activity.

The point is that you can do the same exact thing you are watching. You cannot sit on your couch or at your PC and play sports... It would be more like watching people play sports video games...

Ok then; since you can do "the exact same thing that you are watching"; go and compete at a world class gaming event. Go on, I'll wait. Frankly, I'd even except evidence of some sort of even low level success at a game that you are currently playing.

When you condense the argument down to its lowest common denominator, you are saying that people shouldn't watch the world cup because they can go and kick a soccer ball in the park.

Now, let me further qualify this argument: Even if the person you are watching is totally shit at the game you are watching and you are better than them at the game, this STILL does not mean that you don't want to watch them play - in this case, the only reason you are watching them is likely because they are entertaining in some other way. Analogously, there are often comedians who do other things badly like singing or playing an instrument - you aren't watching them for that skill, but it makes up part of their act. Same thing for gamers who aren't in the high-skill or professional ilk. You aren't necessarily watching only for the game.

Let me flip the argument around; if there was a way for the major sporting codes to garner as much followship for the non-pro forms of the game as online gaming can do, do you think they wouldn't?

[Hitei]

While I understand that it doesn't really seem that way to me. I guess if you sit at home alone and watch sports it's the same but I don't do that either so ... I guess if I am watching sports it's either live or in a setting with other people interacting as well.

Hence the allure of twitch, without having to leave home you can watch the same events/gamers as thousands of other people and be rowdy and get kicked out for doing stupid shit, much like attending a sporting event.

But unlike watching sports, watching gamers allows for interaction. No matter how much you watch ESPN, athletes are never going to know you exist, but if you're a regular in a stream, especially a lower viewer count stream, it's easy to become friends with the streamers and then it just becomes a place where you hangout and chat with friends.

A lot of it is the game in question and the streamer as well, competitive games can get pretty exciting, horror games are pretty amusing to watch people play, and streamers with a sense of humor can be pretty entertaining. Kimmel makes a comment about it being like watching other people at an arcade play games when you run out of quarters, and that's a fair anology, he just presents it in a negative light.

It's like hanging out with a friend, joking around and cheering them on as they try to set the high score or finish something particularly difficult--but unlike an arcade, you can be doing a ton of other things on your computer while you watch streams. I like to throw twitch on my second monitor while I'm doing stuff that doesn't require intense focus or listening, things like playing minecraft, leveling in wow, drawing, browsing MMOC, etc. It's like listening to music, only it's live so it's not a song you've ever heard before.