Does Gaming Twitch Have a Stalker Problem?

It should come as no surprise that there are some shady people online. Shady people, including stalkers, have always existed in our societies, but the internet has made the world smaller, granting stalkers broader access to potential victims. As an online platform, Twitch is no stranger to these types of nefarious people. But just how bad is this problem?

When we’re discussing stalking here, we’re talking about people acting with malicious intent. We’re talking about the kind of stalking that includes harassment, death threats, and targeted intimidation. There is another type of stalking, and this one can be just as scary to those affected, but it isn’t malicious. This type of stalking is when misguided fans of a Twitch streamer try to greet them at their house for a friendly chat, not realizing that it’s inappropriate. We’re not talking about that kind of stalker here.

On September 9, Twitch streamer BXBulletTV detailed her experiences with Inception Esports Owner Matt Brockett, who goes by Spectypoo online. She alleges that for the last two months, Spectypoo has been involved in targeted harassment towards herself, as well as being sexually inappropriate with children.

So, how did this all start? BXBulletTV was a streamer for Inception Esports in the past, which was when she noticed and documented his inappropriate behavior. She then wrote a 24-page report, that details the allegations of sexual misconduct and racist and homophobic conversations on the Inception Esports discord. The report contains screenshots of private messages and public discussions that allegedly prove Specty was trying to “lure kids” to the discord for exploitation purposes.

BXBullet claims that a few months after the report was released, Specty became aware of it and then started to harass her personally. He allegedly repeatedly attempted to doxx her and claimed he had her address and would turn up unannounced.

Perhaps the most alarming allegation when it comes to BXBullet’s alleged targeted harassment is the photo of her daughter. BX claims that her three-year-old daughter ran into the room in a state of semi-undress when she was streaming. BX immediately tended to her daughter, removing her from the room and the camera’s view. However, “somebody associated with him (Specty)”, have already clipped the stream. This person then sent BX a message saying he had “naked photos” of her child saved on his computer and he intended to use the photo to blackmail her.

Spectypoo addressed the allegations by saying, “It’s three years ago…and that’s no excuse or anything, but I don’t remember what I did three weeks ago, so” He continued, “I’m not asking every single person what their age is on Discord, and I don’t think people do that normally”.

This story is just the latest in a long list of streamers who have experienced harassment, so it seems that at present, Twitch does have a stalking problem. But what is Twitch doing about it? After all, BXBulletTV claims she has complained to Twitch over 50 times with no action being taken.

We can’t comment on the validity of these allegations, but it highlights an important issue. Esports is still a growing industry and the industry will be judged by the characters we prop up with our views. There’s no place for stalking and harassment in esports.