Elon Musk is no stranger to controversy, and this time, he’s facing off with the gaming world.
Recently, the tech mogul took a break from his SpaceX duties and his advisory role with President-elect Trump to tackle some accusations from the gaming community. The controversy centers around his gaming skills — or, more specifically, the claim that he’s not as much of a gamer as he makes himself out to be.
Musk has been streaming his gameplay of Path of Exile 2, an online role-playing game where players battle to stop corruption in the fictional world of Wraeclast. It’s a tough game, especially when you play on hardcore mode, where your character’s death is permanent. As players progress, their characters grow stronger, leveling up through hours of gameplay.
But here’s the issue — Musk’s characters were among the top 100 most powerful in the world when they “died,” which raised a few eyebrows. Gamers argue that reaching such high levels would take hundreds of hours of gameplay — but Musk’s performance seemed to fall short of what you’d expect from such powerful characters.
Zack Hoyt, aka Asmongold to his 3.29 million YouTube subscribers, weighed in, calling Musk’s gameplay “embarrassing” and “silly.” He pointed out that the whole situation made Musk look bad for no good reason. And, as you can imagine, once big names like Hoyt started speaking out, the criticisms started piling up online.
The gaming world exploded after Musk streamed his Path of Exile 2 session on January 7. Reddit users quickly suggested that Musk might have had someone else play his game for him, or worse, was using someone else’s high-level account. This idea gained traction, especially after a few gaming influencers shared their opinions — videos from Hoyt and others got millions of views.
Musk wasn’t about to stay silent. He defended himself on social media, taking shots at Hoyt, calling him “good at caustic commentary” but not at games. The back-and-forth even led to Musk unfollowing Hoyt and removing his blue checkmark on X (though it was later restored).
It’s clear that the gaming community holds high expectations for its players. It’s not just about the skill — it’s about the time, effort, and dedication that goes into leveling up. And when someone claims to be a top-tier gamer, they better back it up.
This isn’t Musk’s first clash with gamers. Back in 2022, eagle-eyed players pointed out some questionable decisions Musk made while playing Elden Ring, like using two heavy swords and shields on a magic-casting character — something an experienced player wouldn’t do.
Musk’s previous gaming boasts are also being scrutinized. For instance, during a Joe Rogan Experience podcast last year, he claimed to be in the top 20 players for Diablo IV. YouTuber Charlie Christopher White Jr. quickly called him out, pointing out that if Musk were really that good at Diablo, he’d be much better at Path of Exile 2 — but that just doesn’t seem to be the case.
So, how does Musk manage to balance all his duties with gaming? With SpaceX, X, and his upcoming role in the Trump administration, there are questions about how he finds time to game so much. In a recent post, Musk explained that gaming helps him unwind after his busy day, calling it his “strange solace” when things get tough.
Some skeptics suggest Musk might be spending more time gaming than he lets on — possibly sacrificing time spent on his responsibilities. Musk himself has confessed that during his college days, he was so hooked on Quake that he spent more time playing than studying. But, how much time is Musk really investing in gaming today? Only he knows.
It seems the gaming community isn’t quite ready to give Musk a free pass, but this battle between the tech titan and gamers is far from over.
