Organised online and offline gaming competitions have long been a part of video game culture, but it’s only in recent years that it’s become so mainstream that you can make millions doing it.

People are also raking it in by gaming on YouTube channels.

They’re calling it ‘esports’, in case you’re really playing catch-up.

Esports often takes the form of organised, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. It’s extremely competitive, with massive cash prizes up for grabs. 

One of the most popular multiplayer online games is Fortnite, and trust me when I say that Fortnite players take it very very seriously.

There’s even a Fortnite World Cup.

So when popular YouTube gamer FaZe Jarvis (yes, that’s how he spells his name) used “aimbots” during a public online match, everyone was extremely upset.

Sky News is here to explain “aimbots” and why they’re bad:

Aimbots can be used to automatically focus weapons on opponents, making it easier to get kills.

Jarvis, who has more than two million subscribers on his YouTube channel, was not playing competitively when he used the aimbots in the Solos battle royale mode and openly said he was using cheat software in the video.

Let’s take a minute to watch him bragging about using aimbots, telling everyone that you can get banned for using aimbots, then using aimbots while playing Fortnite live for the world to see:

Not his best work.

Fornite community rules state that cheating is not allowed and any violation of the rules “can result in action against your account all the way up to a permanent ban”.

A permanent ban is exactly what FaZe was issued with and now he can never play Fortnite again.

In response to this, he made an incredibly emotional apology video. He really goes off the rails around the 4:40 mark:

Get it together, kid. There are other online gaming platforms.

Fans of FaZe Jarvis have rallied behind the YouTube star, saying the punishment is too harsh.

Many fans have used the Twitter hashtag #FreeJarvis and some have argued that the game company has been more lenient on those caught cheating in the past.

Earlier this year, two players caught cheating during the Fortnite World Cup were let off with a slap on the wrist, so this does seem a little unfair.

Look, this thing seems to be getting pretty big, so it might be time for Fortnite creators, Epic Games, to sit down, work out and finalise the laws, rules, and punishments.

Surely a month or so off would suffice?

Oh, and if you’re going to cheat, don’t livestream it.

That’s kinda common sense.

[source:skynews]