'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Stalking, both online and physical, has been an ever-growing issue in the world of video game streaming.
Like any form of virtual stardom, prominent streaming personalities (especially women) have seen their fair share of threats. And yesterday, popular League of Legends Twitch streamer Janet "xChocoBars" Rose took to Twitter to talk about the stalking issue that she has been facing.
She wrote:
"I often think about how I will prob die by the hands of my stalker and no one can do anything about it until it really happens. I know it’s heavy to talk about but if it does happen I hope my death will mean something and help protect other creators from similar situations."
On first reading, it may come off as a joke, as the way it was written was in such a 'matter of fact' way that it couldn't be true.
However, in a follow-up tweet by Jeremy "Disguised Toast" Wang, who is a very popular YouTube streamer, much of the confusion is cleared up. It got revealed that xChocoBars is dealing with a severe stalking issue.
Disguised Toast and xChocoBars were in a relationship till this January, when the two streamers decided to split up.
Disguised Toast replied in a tweet:
"Janet has been dealing with this for over 2 years now. She has gone to the authorities, spoken to lawyers - responses always boils down to: “We can’t do anything unless he does commit a crime” despite the overwhelming amount of evidence. Sorry you’re still dealing with this."
The line: "We can't do anything unless he does commit a crime" is quite alarming, and it just goes to show that streamers being stalked can do nothing about the harassment that they are facing.
However, seeing the comments that her tweet is getting, we can at least say that xChocoBars has the support of the wider gaming community.
Streamer stalking: A stark reminder of the "Sweet Anita" incident
Earlier in July, another Twitch star, Sweet Anita, came forward with a similar issue, where she was continually being stalked online.
She even went as far as to contact Twitch to come up with a solution to the problem. Her tweet read::
"I'm trying to message @twitch about my stalker to see if they can provide the police with key information, but they have stopped replying to me. I desperately need help, I can't keep living like this."
Though Twitch did ultimately heed the streamer's pleas, it took a community backlash against the platform to get them to do it.
