Twitch streamer Asmongold hit back after his “ugly female leads” comment sparked criticism against him and his own appearance.
On December 16, Asmongold uploaded a YouTube video discussing the controversy around an upcoming game announced at the 2024 Game Awards: Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
Both Intergalactic and the forthcoming Witcher 4 sparked discourse about their lead characters.
Asmongold argued, “Making an ugly character actually is, at best, a net-zero effect, and in almost all cases, a negative effect.”
Intergalactic’s main character, Jordan A. Mun.
“I think the mindset of putting something into a game that players actively don’t like is actually more important than the enjoyment of the customer — I think that mindset is going to permeate the entire game,” he said.
The streamer made it clear he has no issue with CD Projekt’s The Witcher 4, saving his criticism for Naughty Dog’s game.
Asmongold responds to backlash over Intergalactic criticism
Following his comments, many pointed out the streamer’s own looks in retaliation.
Asmon responded that he wouldn’t want to play a character who looked like himself in a game.
“I always find this funny: people want to call me ugly, [but] I’m not trying to put myself in the f*cking game! Like, if I saw a character that looked like me in a video game, I’d say, ‘Change it.’ I don’t even want to be that!” he laughed.
“People like this can cry and b*tch, and get mad, and complain that I am this or that thing. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be right.
“And everybody can call me ugly. Everybody can call me racist. Everybody can say I’m a terrible person. But nobody is saying I’m wrong. And so, we sit around, and we think about this. I’m just observing this.”
Asmon’s take was criticized by fellow Twitch streamer Hasan, who mocked players whose enjoyment of a game hinged on whether or not they found a character “fappable” or not.
“Not everything has to be instant gratification. You don’t have to hyper-sexualize every female character … You should be ashamed to even have those thoughts,” Hasan said.