Earlier this week, 14-year old Fortnite pro Cody “Clix” Conrod was “swatted” in his home during a Fortnite Champion Series game. The ordeal, which was captured on stream, could have held dire consequences for the young streamer. Luckily, things turned out ok for Clix, but he was understandably upset by the whole event.
For those who don’t know, “swatting” is the term for when a video game player, usually a streamer, has the police called on them for a very serious crime such as a bomb threat or assault. Usually, the swat is timed so that the police will burst in while the player is streaming, catching the whole thing on video. Thankfully, Clix’s run-in was fairly mild, but the “prank” has been known to take horrible turns. In 2017, 28-year old Andrew Finch of Kansas was shot and killed as result of swatting. The perpetrators of the swat were upset over a lost wager in Call of Duty and had mistakenly sent police to the wrong address, resulting in the death of an innocent person.
Clix’s swat took place as he and his squad were participating in the Fortnite Champion Series, in which players connect online while playing from their own homes. In the video, Clix can be heard in the background as the police arrive. “Police are here. Yo, I just got swatted.” Clix then leaves to deal with the police right in the middle of the game. Clix apparently spoke with police and the incident turned out positively according to a follow-up tweet where Clix says he made friends with one of the officers.
While swatting has taken a downturn since the 2017 incident, it is obviously still occurring. Some gamers still find the act (which is also a serious crime) funny and try the “prank” themselves, attempting to embarrass or inconvenience rival gamers. As we have learned, swatting is neither funny nor harmless, and should not be attempted by anyone.