Member-only story
Gaming’s Racism Problem Doesn’t Go Away When You’re an Esports Star
‘Call of Duty’ gamer Kris ‘Swagg’ Lamberson breaks down how he battles the hate
Black kids spend more time playing video games than White kids, yet the free-for-all nature of online communities for games like Call of Duty and the digital anonymity it affords has emboldened many to spew racism. Black gamers of Call of Duty are harassed with racist usernames and rhetoric at such regularity that the game’s creator claimed to be banning thousands of accounts every day. For the average Black gamer, these virtual vacations from reality often include navigating through detours of real-life hate.
African American gamer Kris “Swagg” Lamberson has built his name in those same rooms through Call of Duty livestreams and YouTube videos of his lightly profane, invitingly theatrical, and always impressive killing sprees. In five years, he’s garnered more than one million subscribers on Twitch, a six-figure salary, and has become the first Black member of FaZe Clan, one of Forbes’ four most valuable esports companies. But the 24-year-old’s inviting personality has not precluded racist attacks during his five-year journey from injured athlete to elite esports gamer.
Speaking with Momentum, Swagg explains how he deals with racism online, why he…
