Erik “Gronkh” Range is accused of being too old to play and also of playing incorrectly. In a recent live stream on Twitch, he found clear words for his critics.
In posts on the Gronkh subreddit, the streamer is criticized for his style of play. He doesn’t understand game mechanics, takes too long to sort through his inventory, and is perhaps simply “too old” to play. On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, he will respond to the criticism in a live stream.
With the gamer troupe PietSmiet, Gronkh organizes the annual charitable event Friendly Fire. In 2022, the charity event had the motto “Starfield”. You can see more about this in our video:
Friendly Fire 8 starts soon – Gronkh & Co. collect millions in donations every year
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“I can still play when I’m 80.”
This was the criticism: In a post on Reddit on October 7th, the user “bittersweetness_” wrote that he “couldn’t watch Dredge at Gronkh anymore.” He “simply misunderstood the game as a simple, small fishing game that you play on the side can play and grind in stream.”
In the comments, individual users write that Gronkh may be “just too old” for that.
The user “Akira204” writes in another Reddit post that the constant sorting is annoying him. Megbarlis comments on this with, “Sorting inventory or watching him think about it is just not exciting.”
This is what Gronkh says about it: In his livestream on October 11th, Gronkh addresses the criticism of his style of play. One chat participant writes that a clean inventory is “a must.” Gronkh agrees. He adds: “I really enjoy sorting inventories in RPGs. Well, at least with Baldur’s Gate 3 I like doing that, but not so much with Starfield.”
Gronkh recently made an unexpected short film for Baldur’s Gate 3 together with PhunkRoyal. There the two streamers present themselves in unusual costumes that make their fans laugh.
He then says about sorting inventory in RPGs:
I’m also not sure how you can complain about RPGs having their inventory sorted. I just don’t understand because it’s just part of the game. I think the trigger was that I was grinding at Dredge. […] I’m playing it wrong because I was grinding at Dredge and I guess I complained that you didn’t get enough money for it.
You can watch the saved video of his live stream on his video platform Gronkh.tv. He addresses the topic of inventory management at around 14:23 minutes.
He also has clear words for the critics on the aspect of “too old to play” (from around minute 18):
So sorry. I know I’m old, but the arguments… you could look for better arguments, I think. And I’ll be honest, too old to gamble, too old to play? That’s also… isn’t that also gatekeeping, a bit?
“ KampfbieneMaja ” writes in the chat: “The gray in the beard and temples – better arguments :D”
Gronkh says that these are arguments for his age, but he is not too old to play. “I can still play at 80. The question is what. I probably won’t win a CS:GO round, hand on heart, but that’s not what I’m aiming for,” says the 46-year-old with a laugh. “But I can still sort my inventory at 80.”
When asked in the chat why his age is always an issue, as if he were 90, Gronkh says:
Especially for very young people, 40 is the end of life. When you’re in your teens, you can’t imagine being that old. It’s just completely impossible.
I originally thought, when I was 16 or something, that I would never turn 40 in my life. I thought I would die before then because I couldn’t imagine being 40. And I’ll be honest: When I turned 40, I couldn’t imagine being 40 either.
When he says the last sentence, he laughs. He never experienced a midlife crisis, which is briefly discussed in the chat. At “over 40” he hardly notices any differences, only that he has become calmer. He can still party well and he is “happy”.
The ninth round of the charity event Friendly Fire starts in December, which Gronkh is organizing together with the gamer group PietSmiet and other streamers:
Friendly Fire 9: Gronkh and PietSmiet’s fundraising event starts in December with a new motto