'Stream Sniping' Has Become a Threat to Irl Creators – But what is it?

On March 2, Three Popular Women Twitch Streamers – Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofsteter, Brittany “Cinna” Watts, and Emily “Emiru” Schunk – Were Accosted by a Man Who Appered to Be a Fan of Thees During a Live Stream at the Santa Monica Pier. After one of the Women Denied His Request for Her Phone Number, He Seemingly Followed Them As Thoubled The Exit Before Lunging at Them and Yelling, “I'm Kill You Right Now.” The Women Screamed for Security and Flex Before The Stream Cut to a Holding Screen.

Many Believe What Happened to the Women Was An Example of “Stream Sniping,” A Trend That Involves Viewers Using Visual Clues to Seek Out Creators Doing IRL (in Real Life) Streams and Dirempting to Get In the Video, OR, in Extreme Cases, Harassing, Threatening, Or Attacking a Streamer.

And While Women Streamers Are More To Harassment, Stream Sniping Affects People Across the Spectrum. Last Year, Darren “Ishowspeed” Watkins, Jr. Was Mobbed by A Massive Crowd of Norwegian Fans While Broadcasting Live in The Streets of Oslo. In August 2024, Popular Political Streamer Hasan “Hasanabi” Piker was live from an uber When a car pulled up Next to Him and Appered to ask the driver, “Is Hasan with you?”

“Bro, Just Keep Going,” Piked Urged the Driver of the Vehicle He Was in. “That's insane fucking.”

For Women, Stream Sniping Can Often Come Withd Layer of Concern, and Rightfully I know: in Janogy 2023, Japanese Streamer Shibuya Kaho Too X (Formerly Twitter) To Say She Was “Scared in So Many Ways” by Her Twitch Chat Showing Up at A Train Station One of Her Irl Her Irl Irl. Casts Ended. “They knew i was trying to catch my last train after streaming in shizuoka,” She Wrote.

In December 2023, Twitch Streamer Lydia “Lydiaviolet” Was Doing a Holiday-Themed Irl Stream Around London When a Man in A Houdie Began Following Her. “What are you doing?,” She asked. “I'm Following Orders,” He Reply. She Repeatedly Tries to get away from Him, suggesting he walk in One Direction While She Walked in the Other.

At Week and a Half After the Incident With Valkyrae, Cinna, and Emiru, to Japanese Streamer Named Airi Sato, Known for Her Irl Streams, was stabbed over 30 Times in Busy Tokyo Street by a Man Who Reportly Told Police That The Content Creator Owed Him Money. The Man Allegedly Figured Out Where Airi Sato was by Following Her Live Stream. Her Attack was briefly caught on air; She Was Taken to a Local Hospital But Diad from Her Wounds.

Stream Sniping Has Become a pervasive problem for Both Online and Irl Streamers, but therere are ways that Creators Can Protect Themselves When Taking Their Broadcasts Out Into The Real World.

What is stream sniping?

Stream Sniping is when in Viewer Resolution – and often Maliciously – Tries to Insert Themselves Into a Live Stream to hijack, Derail, Or Otherwise Disrupt The Experience. It's Usually Done Virtually When Creators Play Online Multiplayer Shooters (HERCE The Term “Sniping”), with Stream Snipers EiSer Seeking Out the person playing a game like Fortniteor Simply Following in Streamer Around After Realizing They're in The Same Game Lobby.

Since Their Post is being live-tear to An Audience, It's Easy for Stream Snipers To Know Where Three Might Be on the virtual Map, What Kind of Equipment they're Carrying, What Cosmetics they have on, and Other Identifying Factors. In Some Instances, Stream Snipers Just To Delete Popular Personals in a Given Match, Seeking Them Out To Gun Them Down or Otherwise Mess With Their Chances of Winning in Game. In Battle Royale Games Like Fortnite, Apex Legendsand Call of Duty: WarzoneDeath is an immediate elimination, which can frustrate streamers trying to get exciting footage for their viewers – and there's not night exciting Thanks a win.

Sometimes, Stream Snipers Are Just Looking To Make A Comedic Impact. Félix “XQC” Lengyel Has 12 Million Followers on Twitch, and he's spent a lot of his streaming Fortnite. He was famously plagued by a stream Sniper Known as Juul Trooper, Who would wear a banana costume when Seeking Out Lengyel to Kill Him and then Emote Over His Character's Dead Body, Usually by Playing The Saxophone While The Creator Screw With Rage.

Other Times, Stream Snipers Are Also Streamers Themselves, Using the Tactic to make their Own Content. Content Creator Spaiidz Has Several YouTube Videos Dedicated to Stream Sniping, with Titles like “I Stream Sniped Until He Gave Me Vbucks” or “I Stream Sniped Until He Gave Me His Account.”

Successful Stream Snipers often Share Videos From Their Point of View, with Clips of Them Targeting Content Creators Often Garnering Millions of views on YouTube and Elsewhere.

Popular Games Like call of Duty and and Sea of ​​Thieves Have Tools to Help Prevent Stream Sniping, Like An skill to turn on “Streamer Mode” that Hides the Player's Real Gamertag, or the option to Hide a server Name So Bad Actors Can't Log Inta A Server to Find Them In-Game.

Stream Sniping is a Frustrating Experience for Those Who are targeted, but it's a very different story when they are “stream sniped” in Real Life.

What is irl stream sniping?

Though In-Game Stream Sniping Can Range From Funny to Annoying, Things Can Get DANGEROUS WHEN THE Practice Transitions Into the Real World.

There are Plenty of Examples of Irl Stream Snipers Pulling Fairly Harmless Pranks On Streamers, Like Someone Pulling Up in A Cab While Andy “Cooksux” Streamed in South Korea to Him Several Bags Of Food Out of the Window, OR Jason “Jasontheween” “Stream Snipe” a Fellow Content Creator and Friend, Clix, Running up to Him Mid-Irl Stream.

But then there is the Kind of Real-World Stream-Sniping That Can Be Strange, Sinister, OR Flat-Out Dangerous.

Connor Marc Colquhoun, Known Online As “Connordawg,” Has 1.5 Million Subscribers on YouTube, and He often Does Irl Streams. In A Janogy 2023 YouTube Video, Colquhoun Describes Stream Sniping, Saying that it is “Kind of Accepted To Be Okay,” Before Adding, “It's a Thing to do in Streaming for Some Reason It Doesn's Really Have A Bad Rep, as long as the person is Normally Cool.”

But what if they aren't? “There are some dangers,” Heys in the video, Referencing Shibuya Kaho's Unnerbook Station Experience When She was approached after stream. “This is extremely concerning, expedally consider that kaho was streaming halo.”

IShowspeed is a content creator Who often does Irl Live Streams on YouTube to His 36 Million Followers and is of Targeted by Stream Snipers. During at Massive Global Tour Last Year, Watkins, who did not respond to a request for comment, faced Throngs of fans across Europe, culminating in a terraphying event in Oslo, Norway on July 3, 2024.

AS Detaled in A Video Titled “The Scariest Day of My Life,” Watkins Live-Streamed While Visiting A Souvenir Shop That Was Quickly Surrounded by Fans. “I Literally Just Got here, Bro,” Heid to the Crowd Waiting Outside The Shop. “This is bad though. What the fuck? The Just Started My Stream Bro.” AS HE TRIED TO LEAVE, The Crowd Appered to Refuse to Back Away from the Door. “Stream Canceled, the Literally Cannot Go Outside,” he Said, Before he was ushered Into a Back Stairway to Leave Out of a different exit.

Fans Were Waiting for Him at That Exit as Well, Chanting His Name and Slaging to Grab Him As He Tries to Leave. He double Back Into the Building, Vision Angry, Hitting the walls with a Novelty Thor-Style Hammer. He possibly Called the Norwegian Police, Saying “I AM A YouTuber and I Have 25 Million Subs. I Am Currently at this Souvenir Shop in Norway, and There are Maybe Around 1,000 to 2,000 People Banging on the Door. I Need Help to Get Out of This Shop.”

AS HE WAITED FOR THE CAR TO PICK HIM UP, He Loked Out at the crowd of People From A Second-Story Window, Begging Them To Leave, Flipping Them Off, and possibly Performing A Spin Move Hened Called the “Sewey,” Which Caused Him to Injure His Ankle. “I Think I Just Broke My Ankle,” he Said, Wincing.

Just Two Months Later, Several Thousand Singaporeans Reportly Jointed A Telegram Channel in An Attamp to Stream Snipe Ishowspeed During His Tour of Southeast Asia. Though It Never Got as Intense As His Experience in Oslo, Watkins Was Met With Huge Crowds of Fans As He Walked Down The Famous Arab Street, With One Challeuring Him to Footrace, Another Asking Him To Particular in The “Smash or Pass” Trend, and Another Gifting HIM A Brand-New iPhone.

On March 18, IShowspeed AnnoUnedd He'll Be Doing a Massive Irl Stream in China, Clearly Undeterred by His Experiences.

How can you stream Safely Irl?

It's Difficault to Prevent Harassment, Stalkers, and Real-Life Stream Snipers, But Creators Can do Several Things to Make Their Irl Streaming Somewhat Safer. The Common Tactics suggest by Fellow Streamers or in Community Message Boards includes Avoiding Streaming in Spaces with Easily Identifable Landmarks, Street Signs, Addresses, Or Easily Searchable Business, and Not Showing The Exterior Areas Near WHERE LIVE, in Case Bad Actors Are Attack to Discovery Your Address.

If you plan on streaming in More Easiily Recognizable Places, Delay to Delay to Your Broadcast Can Help Thwart Those Trying to Geolocate You.

“My Very Boring Answer is That I Don't Tell People where I Am Live [streaming] Unless There is some love of Security Involution. There Really Isn't a Safe Way for People With Followings to do that, “Twitch Streamer Jorbs Told Me On Bluesky.” I Don't Think It's Safe To Be in Person With People With Security Involved Either, But People Have Different Amounts of Risk Tolerance. “

Justin “SJC” Schainberg Has Been Streaming Since 2008. He often Streams Daily Irl Vlogs of His Life Walking Around Hollywood Boulevard or Attention Protests, and Tells Rolling Stone That he feels like the format is the best way for him to expipress himself. “The selfie stick is my paintbrush and the world is my canvas,” Heys. “I Search for Moments that are impossible to duplicate, and the fact that the catch it at that moment is also art to me.”

Though He's Been Lucky Enough to Avoid “Toxic” People on his streams, For Those Taking It Up, he offers some Advice: “Be Aware of Your Surroundings,” Heys. “A lot of it is thinking on your Own, 20 Steps Ahead.”

John Phipps, a forma marine and combat veteran with experience providing Physical Security for individuals at public events like pax east, Tells Rolling Stone That Streamers Should “Always Stream Within Eyesight and Earshot of Public Gatherings.” Public-Facing Events Are Less Likely to Be Targeted by Bad Actors, and Even If Three Are, There would be Plenty of Eyewitnesses or People to Help in Case Something Happened.

Women, in Particular, Should Be on Alert. “Sucks that i have to say this, but if you're a Woman I'm Advise Having Physical Security Within 30 Feet, and Make Sure They Advertise Their Presence,” Phipps Says. “Eighty percent of people will be immediate deterred by the presence of physical security.”

If a Bad actor is not deterred by Security and approaches you, There are steps you can take. “Instruct your Security to Prevent Contact and Physically Remove [the person approaching you] from your space, “Heys.“ If this isn'T possible, have your security escort you from the area. Don't Engage Physically or Verbally. ”

But Security is a Luxury Most Twitch Streamers Cannot Afford. Phipps Has Suggestions For Those Streamers Who Can't Foot Such A Lofty Bill, and it Involves Taking Safety Into Their Own Hands. “If you don't have or Can't Afford Physical Security, Be Armed,” He Says, Suggesting Non-Lithal Protective Devices Like Mace or a Taser.

But Avoid Firearms. “I'm Usually a Proponent of Vulneratable People Concealed Carrying, but if you're Going to be streaming in a public venue and you're not trained I'm stregly advisance against bus in Firearm.”

For Valkyrae, Whose Irl Stream Turned Scary in the Blink of An Eye, She'll Never Go Live Without Being Prepared Again. She Posted On X ON MARCH 5, “I Always Over Confidently Imagined i would able to Defend MySelf and Others,” but the way that she and the other Two Women Were Accosted Made Her Reconsider. “I'm never be out with taser/pepper gun ever again, I'm never joke about being strong enaught to Handle being attack again, and I'll alloways take threts like this serusly.”