Popular YouTuber and pro "Fortnite" player Faze Jarvis has been permanently banned from playing the online multiplayer battle royale game after posting videos of himself cheating.
The uploaded videos, which have since been deleted, show Jarvis using an "aimbot," a cheating software that automatically targets opponents. Jarvis, who is a member of the e-sports team FaZe clan, posted an emotional video on his YouTube channel on Sunday explaining to his nearly 2 million subscribers why he received the ban and emphasizing how his professional career depends on the game.
In the video, the 17-year-old gamer pointed out that he was banned from playing the first-person shooter after he posted videos of himself using an aimbot to improve his accuracy in the game. Aimbots are designed to improve performance and accuracy by cheating the in-game system. Essentially, aimbots help players out by automatically aiming at opponents and placing the crosshairs on them, giving them a competitive advantage over their enemies.
"I wouldn't be here without this game," he says in the video. "All I was thinking about as I was making those videos was just how entertaining and interesting these videos would be for you guys to watch," he continues. "It didn't even cross my mind to think that I could be banned for life from 'Fortnite.'"
Jarvis' use of the cheating tool violates the "Fortnite" terms of service, which note that players are forbidden from using "cheats, bots, scripts, or mods not expressly authorized by Epic," especially those that give players an unfair advantage over other players. The rules also mention that players found to be cheating will receive a permanent ban across all Epic products.
Although Jarvis was using aimbots, he used them in non-competitive modes, such as solos, prompting many to call Epic's decision to permanently ban him "unfair," including fellow YouTube and "Fortnite" player, The Fortnite Guy.
The argument against the company's decision to ban a player for life for using cheats in a non-competitive context is that it is unwarranted when professional players who have been caught cheating in actual tournaments have been let off with a temporary ban, and even participated in the World Cup later.
