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It's June, and he is in Los Angeles for the biggest tournament of his life, the Fortnite Celebrity Pro-Am, where 50 gamers will be paired with 50 celebrities to duke it out for $3 million in charity prize money. More kids have appeared.įOR TYLER BLEVINS, it is the summer of more: more people, more events, more fame. Yes, he will sign that $2 bill, but only after he finishes the game.įive hours later, Ninja turns off the stream and collapses in his chair, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. No, Ninja will not play squads with them. Ninja," brings him fries, makes sure he has enough water and acts as a first line of defense against the adoring crowds. Every so often, he turns to smile at his wife, Jess, sitting patiently behind him, and at one point mouths "I love you." Jess, whom at least one kid calls "Mrs. Ninja doesn't go to the bathroom all afternoon. Lollapalooza founder and Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell stops by too, his 13-year-old son in tow. Is that cool?"īenny, the Chicago Bulls' mascot, drops in to play and gifts him a jersey.
![i ninja steam i ninja steam](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ou9P6b1dxaM/maxresdefault.jpg)
When that happens, he leans over and says, "Hey, buddy, I'd like to take my picture with you. Some kids are too shy to ask for a photo, staring at him in awe. Hot and exhausted as he is, he takes pictures with every single kid who shows up after each game, bending his stringy frame so that his face is level with theirs. Throughout the day, Ninja, 27, talks about wanting to watch rapper Logic perform that night from a room with no mics and no cameras. Even when we're out and about at night, it's just so much," he says, before turning on the camera to broadcast himself to millions. It's about 1:30, later in the day than he usually starts streaming. Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, the object of their adoration, is tired. "It's Ninja! It's Ninja! He plays Fortnite!" On a sweltering afternoon in Chicago, with the bass from the closest stage at Lollapalooza booming in the background, a dozen kids cluster at a tent to watch a pale, gangly young man with neon pink hair play a video game.