Tragic Details About Sykkuno

Before becoming a full-time variety streamer, Sykkuno worked as a software developer. Though he joined YouTube in 2011, his career took off years later due to the popularity of his "League of Legends" content. He currently has 3.7 million followers on Twitch, 2.64 million subscribers on YouTube, and regularly streams with his real-life friend Corpse Husband, in addition to other popular steamers such as gaming queen Valkyrae, LilyPichu, Ludwig, and Disguised Toast. Success doesn't necessarily mean a smooth path, however. There have been plenty of bumps along the way.

It's easy to think of streamers as individuals who just play games for a living, but it's important to remember that they're people too. People who often receive considerably more than their fair share of harassment from some of the less supportive members of the community. Unfortunately, Sykkuno is no exception. Here are a few of the more tragic details about his journey to Twitch streaming greatness.

Viewers who watch Sykkuno's Twitch streams might notice that he has a curious habit of covering his mouth when he laughs. He'll make a joke, or one of his teammates will say something funny, and then his hand will fly up to shield his mouth and nose. It's so automatic that it's obviously a reflex at this point and not something he decides to do in the moment. Many fans have speculated as to the source of this tick, but one Reddit user claims to know the answer.

Zimi1G created a Reddit thread asking about the streamer's unusual move. Multiple people offers their opinions, but user SuggestionAgreeable2 presented the alleged quote, "people [made] fun of me in the past so it just became a habit," confirming many fans' suspicions. Reportedly, this statement came from a stream which has since been deleted in which Sykkuno answered the question for some of his viewers.

People aren't always aware of the effect that their words have on others. It's important to remember the lasting damage this kind of teasing can have on an individual's confidence.

Toxic gamers are a serious problem in the industry. Everyone from esports pros to the average joe playing a casual round of "Fortnite" on their phone has probably experienced this to some extent. It isn't just limited to video games either. Harmful behavior in the gaming community extends to tabletop RPGs as well. Many find it best to just ignore this kind of conduct rather than feed it by giving the perpetrators attention. Sometimes that's easier said than done, though.

In a livestream earlier this year, Sykkuno announced his decision not to play "Dungeons & Dragons" on Twitch anymore. "D&D was genuinely the worst experience I had with fans," he said. "I'm a sub on Lily's channel, right? I was banning her long-time subs sometimes. I remember one time I actually felt bad, because this guy was subbed to Lily for like nine months and I banned him because he sent me death threats."

Aside from the obvious reasons why this behavior is inexcusable, it's also unfortunate that this toxicity is ruining "Dungeons & Dragons" for streamers who want to explore it in a public forum. After all, many games experience a massive surge in popularity when streamers decide to bring them to the forefront.

During a "Minecraft" stream last year, Disguised Toast asked Sykkuno, "If a girl said you were cute vs a guy saying you were cute, which one would you feel more complimented by?" Sykkuno responded, "A guy, because I feel like the girl is just making fun of me." This unexpected response made Toast laugh in shock before he asked Sykkuno to elaborate on his answer, guessing that Sykkuno had encountered a girl who had said he was cute as part of a dare.

"It wasn't a dare," explained Sykkuno. "She asked me for my phone number too ... Later I found out she just wrote my phone number in the bathroom to troll me, and I got random calls for like a year ... So, now if a girl calls me cute, I'm just like 'hmm.' I think she's just making fun of me again."

The way Sykkuno spoke about the experience made it clear that this deception had a lasting impact on him, making it difficult for him to take compliments at face value. Toast later called Sykkuno a genius and asked if anyone had ever told him that. Sykkuno responded, "Lily did say it one time, I don't know if she was joking or not, though."

Sykkuno might have several close friends (and millions of followers) now, but things weren't always that way. Not that long ago, he reportedly didn't have any friends at all. 

During an older stream, Sykkuno stated, "I really didn't have any friends or anybody to talk to. I just did work, and home, and went to sleep, and that was it. So, I would leave a lot of streams on to make it feel like I had someone who wanted to talk to me." Loneliness is something everyone struggles with occasionally. It's nice to know that, despite all the toxicity, Sykkuno found comfort in the Twitch community when he was going through a tough time.

Sykkuno went on to say, "I do think I'm really glad I started streaming because of all the people that show up. Hopefully, I can make you guys feel a little better." As heartbreaking as that is, it's good to see that Sykkuno feels he made it to the other side of that dark period in his life. Sharing his experience might also mean a lot to those who are going through something similar.