There’s a fresh bout of controversy doing the rounds in the streamer space, and it concerns Technoblade, the Minecraft creator who passed away from cancer in 2022. Before his passing, he racked up tens of millions of followers and made a massive name for himself, and he’s still fondly remembered by many today.
However, one YouTuber, dubbed ‘Technolarp’, has taken it upon himself to replicate Technoblade, feeding into a growing larptuber trend that’s seeing aspiring creators parody or mirror existing or past creators. The situation has drawn backlash from Technoblade’s friends and family and other industry personalities, and it’s not good.
Who is Technolarp and What Does Technodad Say?
Technolarp is a growing YouTuber with almost 200,000 subscribers, but his entire shtick these days is built around copying Technoblade’s vibe and aesthetic. In the description under Technolarp’s videos, he’s written, ‘I am NOT the Real Technoblade’ as something of a disclaimer.
In Technolarp’s most recent video, he took the stage with one of Technoblade’s former collaborative partners and friends, and it didn’t land so well with viewers. One wrote, ‘This is morally grey,’ while another said, ‘This is so unsettling. Hearing Skeppy laugh with a copy of his friend that has passed.’
Another wrote:
This feels weird. Technoblade passed away a few years ago and someone who sounds exactly like him comes out and skeppy collabs with him. If someone said this would happen a few years ago everyone would call them crazy. It feels abnormal.
The situation worsened across social media, and a statement was provided by Technodad, Technoblade’s father. He wrote:
I just don’t know how to react to this. I mean, certainly it’s flattering to Techno. But, like, what am I supposed to do? I will say that Technolarp has reached out to me on a few occassions to get my take on things, and I have been putting that off for a while. I just don’t know what to say to him.
My response is: inconclusive. I’m still ruminating on the whole thing.
Others took a firmer stance against Technolarp, using some fairly inflammatory language on socials:
Many have concerns that Technolarp is making money off the impersonation of a beloved YouTuber who passed away, a notion that leaves a sour taste in most people’s mouths.
On July 11, the most prolific personality in the debate thus far, Simon Collins-Laflamme, the co-founder of Hypixel, weighed in:
If Technodad asks to delete the channel, he then becomes the villain to the larper fans.
This is a lose-lose situation for Technodad. The larper knows this; he’s weird enough to do this in the first place- actual psychopath behavior.
As a dad myself, I’m quite angry at the situation. If I can help, let me know.
It’s still mostly a subjective debate. Let us know on which side of the fence you stand on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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