Streamers, please think about some of your antics for the good of the community.

First of all, let me say I do not want to call anybody out specifically, but just want to comment on some things I've seen as a relative newcomer to Age of Empires and the stream scene. I hope that those who have done what I am discussing here think about their actions a little bit more.

I just got into watching Age of Empires 2 online streams, and recordings of various tournaments/games, and while I am enjoying several (I'll call out Nili here in a positive sense. NAC2 was awesome), I have noticed some streams with some worrying antics. I was watching a recorded stream from someone yesterday, and they talked about how they had lied to a new player regarding a game mechanic. They apologized, sure, but had a chuckle as they shared this story about a tricking a noob. Later I witnessed this person lying to a spectator who was asking if a paused game had frozen, and this streamer blatently lied. The tricked person then assumed they had internet problems or something wrong on their end.

To the streamer, I say, please think about your actions. You may think it's funny, and I grant that maybe I'm in the minority here, but as a newcomer, I was appalled, and I might not be the only one. If I was lied to about a game mechanic, I might never play right, trusting the information I was given as it would seem to be from a so-called more reputable source. If I were that person who was told the stream froze...I could think something is wrong with my computer. I could call up my ISP and request repairs...I could spend money trying to fix something all because of a lie.

The bottom line is that blatently...to a newcomer like myself, this specific streamer came across as an asshole. I don't want their name put in this thread...I'm sure many will know who this person is...I don't want this streamer punished...but I want to plead with them...think about your actions. Anyone like myself, interested in Age2, might come across your stream first...and they might be turned away from the game, thinking the community is toxic. No offense, streamer, but when you lie to innocent people just for laughs...yeah, that makes you what many today call "toxic". If it had been my first introduction to Age2...honestly...I might not have bought the game, and turned away. Actions have consequences, and I want you and anyone else who does the same to just take a moment and think about your actions when you're streaming to the world. Think about how pissed and hurt innocent people feel when they realize they were lied to, and they just wanted to engage with the community. Some may subscribe to you because of such antics, but others, like myself, will spend their money elsewhere and leave.

I love the Age community at large, and I want it to prosper, but some things I'm seeing are ringing warning bells in my head. I think some people need to realize what they are doing.

Thank you for your time.

Much love.