Streamer and professional gamer Tyler Blevins, better known as "Ninja," recently told viewers during a Twitch livestream that he and his wife have been attending church weekly and striving to become more authentic and disciplined — both on and offline.
"We're going to church every Sunday," Blevins said, referring to himself and his wife, Jessica. "Jess and I are going through this journey, where, you know, our relationship with God and Jesus."
The 33-year-old gamer, who rose to global fame in 2017 playing "Fortnite Battle Royale," has more than 19 million followers on Twitch and nearly 24 million subscribers on YouTube.
During a stream last week titled "NEW FORTNITE SEASON | God is great!" Blevins opened up about his evolving spiritual life and personal goals.
"I'm just trying to be a better person, dude," he said. "Trying to walk the walk and not just talk the talk."
In March, Blevins made headlines for publicly declaring "Jesus is King" to his followers. Since then, he has continued to speak about his faith journey, stressing that his intent is not to preach or judge but to be open about what matters to him.
"Even if you don't think [Jesus is King], don't judge me for it, and I won't judge you for it," he said in a previous stream. "I love you all no matter what. And in the chat, we respect all religions, all people. … Someone has no religion? We love everybody, dude."
Blevins told his audience last week that he's reflecting on his past behavior, particularly his sometimes explosive reactions during gameplay.
"I find myself being hypocritical a lot of the times, and I don't like that about myself," he said. "I also look back at a lot of the things that I did in the past. Now, listen, I'm not saying I regret things in the past. Obviously, there are things that I do, but, like, I can't keep trying to better myself and trying to live biblically and also in the meanwhile tell somebody I could buy their f— bank and foreclose their house."
The candid remarks came in response to fan comments in the stream chat. One follower wrote, "Ninja giving his life to God is the biggest streamer glowup ever. Congrats, brother, welcome home."
"Thank you," Blevins responded. "Kinda hard to even think about my time when I wasn't — you know what I mean?"
Blevins, who quit playing the game "Marvel Rivals" citing the toxic community, said he is learning to step away from negativity rather than retaliate.
"I don't want to go back and roast the s— out of people that are roasting me. Of course, I could," he said. "The point I'm trying to make … it's a lot easier to combat negativity with negativity and just roast these people that are roasting me back. … You know what I mean? But I just don't want to do that anymore."
"I felt like I couldn't or I just didn't want to talk back bad to the people who were talking s— to me because I didn't want to keep talking s—."
Blevins acknowledged the emotional toll toxic gaming environments can take: "I would start my day off in a great mood, and then people would just get to me."
Although he emphasized his desire to improve, Blevins says that his transformation is still in progress.
"I don't want to be that person anymore," he said, referencing his past behavior of yelling at and insulting other players. "I might still pop off every once in a while and lose my cool, but I'm working on it."
He also responded to a viewer's concern that he doesn't take enough breaks from streaming, saying he makes time to rest and connect with loved ones.
"I take breaks quite often," he said. "I spend time with the people I love and that helps reset my mindset."
The popular streamer, who has been married since 2017, has often spoken about his personal values, including how his faith influences his career choices.
In 2018, Blevins told ESPN he avoids one-on-one gaming sessions with women, likening the intimacy of such interactions to real-life conversations that could potentially compromise his marriage.
"This is my spouse," Blevins said. "This is the person I vowed to spend the rest of my life with … I'm protecting my relationship."
He has also credited his mother, who rejected doctors' suggestions to abort him due to health concerns during pregnancy, for instilling in him a belief that "God has a plan."
"We don't need something like the threat of the end of times to start becoming better humans and developing a relationship with the Lord," Blevins told his followers earlier this year.
One habit he said has helped improve his mindset is prayer. "I can confidently say I feel like I'm all-around a better person and in a better mindset since I started praying every night," he said.
Blevins isn't the only high-profile figure in digital media speaking publicly about faith. Podcaster Joe Rogan recently revealed that he's been attending a Christian church and described the experience as overwhelmingly positive.
"It's actually very nice," Rogan said during a June episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience." "They're all just trying to be better people. It's a good vibe."
