Highlights
- Pokemon GO streamer j0beats was harassed while live on Twitch, with a man trying to kiss her during the stream.
- j0beats reported the incident to the police.
- This is not the first case of harassment towards Pokemon GO streamers.
A Pokemon GO streamer was harassed while she was live on Twitch. English content creator j0beats is known for her Pokemon GO and IRL streams, where many of her viewers tune in to her exploring nearby areas while hunting for Pokemon. The game recently revealed a new Routes feature that document players' walking routes.
First released in 2016, Pokemon GO is an AR mobile game that lets players feel like a Pokemon Trainer as they search and catch Pokemon wherever they go. It continues to be one of the most successful mobile games in the world despite Niantic receiving backlash for the controversial Remote Raid update. Pokemon GO is also the game of choice of many content creators as they take their viewers on an adventure while looking for Pokemon. Sometimes, they even have interesting encounters with people, both wholesome and disturbing.
Unfortunately for j0beats, she experienced the latter as a man tried to kiss her while she was streaming Pokemon GO on Twitch. In a clip she shared on Twitter, she was seen talking to two men, and one of them leaned in when she had her eyes closed. The men immediately left after the incident, leaving the streamer unscathed, but she said that she "didn't appreciate" what happened. She later tweeted that she already reported the incident to the police, and thanked the people who expressed their concern and support after witnessing the harassment during her stream. She added that she had a panic alarm with her, but wasn't able to use it because she was "more embarrassed than anything at the time."
In the replies, many followers and fellow Pokemon GO streamers continued sending their love and support to j0beats. One said that such disgusting behavior was unacceptable on and off camera, to which j0beats agreed and noted that some people seemed to assume that it's okay to harass someone just because they had a camera on them. This also wasn't the first time a Pokemon GO streamer was harassed while live as Summit1g was swatted while playing at a public park.
Some viewers harass Twitch streamers by swatting them or even sending disturbing gifts. This is why streamers, especially those who do IRL content, should practice extreme caution and make sure they don't give out any personal information to protect themselves. It might also help if they had self-defense tools like j0beats' panic alarm in case of emergency.