Esports analyst Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields has taken his latest shot at popular streamer, Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins.
Thorin has gained a reputation as someone who doesn’t hold back with his opinions, regardless of how controversial or cutthroat they may seem. Ninja, on the other hand, is someone who has tailored his public persona to appeal to the masses, which includes no longer swearing during his streams.
This difference of tactics when it comes to making content makes a potential war of words between the two an interesting prospect. Thorin’s latest shot at Ninja comes after he made it as the first gamer to appear on the front of ESPN’s magazine.
Normally reserved for sports stars, Ninja’s appearance on the front page has been signaled as a sign of the times that gamers and esports is now being taken seriously in the mainstream media.
During the interview, he claimed that he could play at a top level of any esport, but Thorin has hit out at that particular comment. Although he didn’t mention it was specifically Ninja he was referring to, it’s widely accepted that’s who he was talking about.
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It's cute a variety children's entertainment streamer imagines he could compete in a real hardcore esports game. Ah, bless!
— Thorin (@Thooorin) September 18, 2018
As expected there was plenty of Ninja fans who were quick to defend the streamer, including pointing out that he’d competed at a top level in a number of titles.
That, of course, didn’t change Thorin’s opinion.
Unsurprisingly, I'm not particularly interested in the opinions of people without a background in Counter-Strike on how they think other people would do in Counter-Strike. Funny that.
— Thorin (@Thooorin) September 18, 2018