Billionaire Alki David bruisin’ for a fight

An eccentric billionaire and media entrepreneur issues a challenge for a  video game tournament. He calls out prominent gamers on YouTube and gets called a “gypsy fruitcake” in return. The insulter is deemed a hero and (even more) drama erupts on YouTube.

Ah, the Internet. 

Last month, Alki David, the eccentric billionaire and self-described actor, posted a video inviting prominent YouTube gamers and commentators to his home to engage in “The Billionaires Charity Challenge” – a series of video game tournaments broadcasted live over David’s BattleCam, a live streaming video network. 

Alki David is known for his wacky money-giveaways and publicity antics, one of which included offering $1 million to someone who would streak naked in front of President Obama.  

Clearly, David’s publicity tactics can be a bit extreme, which could explain all the hate he gets on YouTube.

David recently offered money to livestream a suicide on his BattleCam, something mcsportzhawk points out in his video titled Alki David- Billionaire Challenge-Suicide Joke/Hoax Explained.  

When the Internet erupted in vitriol over the possibility, David made a video on Monday “apologizing” in his own way by calling anyone who didn’t realize it was a joke an “idiot.”

Somewhere, somehow, during last night’s BattleCam feed, WhiteBoy7thst called Alki David “a gypsy fruitcake” over the phone, a phrase which David repeated. WhiteBoy7thst deemed the moment a success and  made t-shirts to celebrate. WhiteBoy7thst is now an Internet hero, if his Twitter stream is any indication.  

Alki David’s “admission” that he’s “a gypsy fruitcake” has spawned a variety of videos, one of which is almost two hours long and is comprised entirely of one looped clip of David saying “I am a gypsy fruitcake” over and over again.

Just last month, Alki David and WhiteBoy7thst were partying together, seemingly happy. So what happened? Is this just a case of gamers “shit-talking?”

Or is there something more serious brewing? Are gamers really that bored with insulting each other that they’ve stooped to accusing each other of bringing down the entire YouTube gaming community?

There is a feud brewing between prominent gamer commentators on YouTube (and talk of gamers dropping out). Then there’s the comments on the numerous Alki David billionaire’s challenge videos, with some reading more melodramatic than a sweet 16 party gone wrong.

In true YouTube fashion, response videos to David’s challenge have also been uploaded. Some defend David, some defend Whiteboy7thst. Others criticize the whole process.

TF141R13 writes “How has this guy managed to almost ruin our community?” and  TVBrs wonders “why has the entire YouTube gaming community gone ape shit? I don’t care about akli  [sic] or this bullshit… I don’t care about your beef with other commentators. Make some dam [sic] videos, this isn’t high school.”

MCCENTx2 offers some words of wisdom in his YouTube comment: “People hate Alki cause he made one joke about assisted suicide. WhiteBoy says fag or Gypsy all the time which can be homophobic or racist and he’s a hero. I don’t hate either of them. I think people are hating on Alki just because other people are.”

It’s very obvious that any flamboyant thing David does serves to advertise his products, but who knew gamers were so prone to drama?