Fortnite gamer FaZe Jarvis permanently banned after cheating during YouTube live stream
A Fortnite gamer with more than two million YouTube subscribers has been permanently banned from the game he loves for cheating.
FaZe Jarvis, who says he has “devoted every hour” to master the game over the past two years, used a cheating software called "aimbots" in a friendly game he streamed live on YouTube.
Aimbots automatically aim weapons at opponents in the game and are strictly banned by the game’s developers, Epic.
Epic states on its FAQ (frequently asked questions) page: “We take cheating very seriously on both a legal and game development front.
"We don’t want to tip our hand by talking in-depth about how we combat cheating.
“Cheaters are permanently banned across all Epic products.”
Clearly upset, Jarvis posted a video explaining why he has been banned and apologising for cheating.
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“I'm making this video for the whole of the Fortnite community and all of my fans,” he says.
“It's (the game) allowed me to pursue my dream and do what I love doing every day.
"I have devoted every hour to become better at the game.
“I don't even know how many hours I've spent creating content on Fortnite for you guys and it's been the best two years of my life.”
Jarvis owned up to his “huge mistake” but insisted it “didn’t even cross his mind” that he could be banned and would not have used aimbots in a competitive game mode.
He said: “It’s crazy I can never play Fortnite again or create content for you guys.
"It’s obvious that I made a massive mistake and of course I would never think about doing anything like this again.
“The amount of happiness I get from playing every day is crazy, just waking up and being able to play is so much fun.”
He added: “It’s crazy how one game can change your life forever.”
Jarvis’s mother told MailOnline that her son was "broken" following the ban.
“Jarvis made an error and he admits that," Barbara Khattri said.
"But the gaming community needs to re-think how it treats people.
“He's broken.
"He loves that game.
"He doesn't have a devious bone in his body and what I really know is that for any mistake that doesn't physically harm a person there should be the chance to make amends.”