Elon Musk faces player ire over Path of Exile 2 streams

Elon Musk is once again fighting critics on the Internet. This time it’s the video game community.

The tech titan has taken time out of his roles as SpaceX CEO and adviser to President-elect Donald Trump in recent days to call out some of the gaming world’s niche content creators, hitting back at accusations that he isn’t quite the gamer he is pretends to be.

The allegations amount to a kind of stolen valor for video games and center around some recent live streams where Musk played Path of Exile 2, a popular online role-playing game in which players choose from a variety of characters to stop corruption spreading through the fictional world of Wraeclast. When playing on hardcore mode, as Musk does, when a character dies, their death is permanent. As players play, their characters level up, increasing in power and capability.

But many players have pointed out that what they say is a crucial discrepancy. Two of Musk’s characters were particularly powerful – among the 100 most powerful in the world – when they were “alive” (two characters linked to Musk have since “died” and are now ranked in the 30s and 200s, respectively). The levels of Musk’s now-deceased characters would require dozens, if not hundreds of hours of gameplay, depending on the player, to achieve. However, his skills seem to be lacking, according to some players.

“I’m a big fan of Elon Musk – but this is embarrassing and very silly,” Zack Hoyt, known as Asmongold to his 3.29 million subscribers on YouTube, said in a video published on Sunday. “It makes him look bad and it’s for no reason at all. It has no meaning and it achieves no goal.”

Criticism of the X CEO – who for years has described himself as an avid gamer – began to gain traction online after he live-streamed himself playing Path of Exile 2 on January 7. Days later, in The Reddit community to the game, some accused Musk of having someone “boost” his account or play for him. Others suggested that he play with a more skilled player’s account.

Allegations surrounding Musk’s gaming skills gained momentum after Hoyt and several prominent game creators began emphasizing, posting YouTube videos that have garnered millions of views and circulated across other platforms, including X. They cited what they described as examples on Musk showing that he is not the elite player he claims to be, including bypassing valuable in-game materials that players almost always pick up.

Musk spent the early morning hours Thursday defending himself against the allegations and hurling insults at Hoyt, saying he’s good at “caustic commentary” but not good at video games.

Hoyt later shared that he had not been followed by Musk and his blue tick on X had been removed (his blue tick has since returned).

Musk did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

The online gaming community is large, featuring a nonstop buzz of message boards and chat rooms as well as hundreds of individual creators making thousands of videos dissecting the many complicated and time-consuming games that have grown in popularity while also discussing community drama and intrigue.

The culture of the community also has a somewhat informal code of ethics: increased respect is given to players who put in the time to become good at a game and develop their character, but these accolades are earned, not bought. High profile players are welcome – but they are also scrutinized, especially when they make big claims.

And Musk has been the subject of the gaming community’s scrutiny for quite some time. In 2022, some in the online gaming community noted that the way Musk, who often talked about how much he played and enjoyed the game Elden Ring, had designed his character with excesses that an expert gamer would not do, such as carrying two heavy swords and two heavy shields that would slow down his magic-casting character.

Some of Musk’s previous games boast a fresh look as well. YouTuber and video game content creator Charlie Christopher White Jr. noted on January 11 that Musk made a appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast last November, where he claimed to be among the top 20 players in the world for Diablo IV, another ARPG like Path of Exile 2.

“If you’re really good at Diablo, you should be at least pretty good at Path of Exile. And he just isn’t,” White said in a video has been viewed more than 4.6 million times.

Others have wondered how Musk is able to carry out his duties as at SpaceX and X while also preparing for his role in the incoming Trump administration, where he will lead the new Department of Government Efficiency if he also plays for many hours. day.

In a recent post to X, Musk said that video games were a tool he used to calm himself without taking care of things like his businesses and his children.

“I play video games as my only recreational activity to quiet my mind. Some days are really hard, so playing video games is my weird solace,” he said in the post.

Some have suggested that despite his questionable skills while streaming, Musk may actually be the one playing for hours to improve his character and shirk other responsibilities. That theory is consistent with a story Musk told Rogan in November’s podcast episode.

“In my last semester of college, I probably spent more time on Quake than all my college classes,” Musk told Rogan, adding that for a time Musk was one of the best Quake players in the world. It is unclear what Musk’s rank was in Quake.