You're sitting there, headset on, totally locked into a game, and then—boom. Everything goes white. Your ears ring like a fire alarm, and you feel a jolt of raw electricity rip through your skull. It sounds like a bad creepypasta or a scene from a low-budget disaster flick, but for one content creator, this was a Tuesday. People always joke about "getting sparked" in a game, but the story of the kick streamer struck by lightning is one of those rare moments where the digital world and a literal act of God collided in the most terrifying way possible.
The internet is usually a place for "fake" viral moments. We’ve all seen the staged jump scares and the scripted "swatting" calls. But when Christian Howard—better known to his fans as Chrispymate—was live, the danger wasn't coming from a troll in the chat. It was coming from the sky above Holly Springs, North Carolina.
What Really Happened to Chrispymate?
Most people assume that if you're inside your house, you're 100% safe from a storm. We've been told that since we were kids. "Go inside, you'll be fine." Well, nature doesn't always play by the rules.
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In July 2025, Chris Howard was doing what thousands of streamers do every single night. He was mid-game, wearing a wired headset, and interacting with his community. Outside, a storm was rolling through Wake County. Lightning didn't hit him directly like a cartoon character standing in a field; it struck the ground or a utility line near his home.
The physics of it are honestly wild. When lightning hits near a house, that massive surge of energy looks for the path of least resistance. Usually, that’s your copper wiring or plumbing. In Chris's case, the electricity traveled through the house’s electrical system, jumped into his PC, and found its way up his headset wire.
He described the sensation as a "giant drum" being beaten inside his eardrums. His vision went totally white. If you watch the clip—which went viral on platforms like Kick, Twitch, and TikTok—you see the room illuminate with a blinding flash. For a second, he's just stunned. Then the survival instinct kicks in, he rips the headset off, and bolts.
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Why the Kick Streamer Struck by Lightning is a Lesson in Physics
There’s a lot of skepticism whenever a video like this surfaces. "How did his PC stay on?" or "Why didn't his brains fry?" are common questions in the Reddit threads that popped up after the incident.
Here’s the thing: you don’t need a direct 1.21-gigawatt hit to feel the effects. This is a phenomenon called Ground Potential Rise or sometimes just an induction surge.
- Wired vs. Wireless: This is the biggest takeaway. Chris was wearing earbuds that had metal components and were physically tethered to a powered device.
- The Path: Electricity doesn't always destroy everything in its path. It can surge through a motherboard, bypass the power supply's fail-safes, and exit through the easiest "ground" it can find—which happened to be the guy sitting in the chair.
- The Aftermath: Chris mentioned feeling a "gum strip gag toy" zap, but on a massive scale. He actually went to the gym the next day, claiming he had the best workout of his life because of the adrenaline, but experts (and his chat) were screaming at him to see a doctor.
When a kick streamer struck by lightning continues to stream or act like it’s no big deal, it's easy to forget that internal damage is a real thing. Electricity can mess with your heart rhythm (arrhythmia) hours after the initial shock. Luckily, Howard seems to have escaped without permanent damage, but the event serves as a grim reminder that your gaming rig is basically a giant lightning rod if it isn't grounded properly.
Common Misconceptions About Indoor Strikes
We tend to think of lightning as a "strike or no strike" event. In reality, it’s more of a splash. When that bolt hits, the energy radiates.
- Surge protectors aren't invincible. Most people think a $20 power strip from a big-box store will save them. Most strips are rated for small spikes, not a localized lightning hit.
- The "Rubber Sole" Myth. Wearing sneakers won't save you if you're holding a grounded controller or wearing a wired headset. The voltage in a lightning strike is high enough to jump through air, let alone a thin piece of rubber.
- Modern Plumbing and Wiring. Newer homes often use PEX (plastic) piping, which is safer, but your electrical grid is still almost entirely copper.
This isn't even the first time this has happened in the gaming world. Back in 2020, a professional Rocket League player named Karma (Mariano Willett) was struck through her controller during a broadcast. Her controller literally sparked and burned her hand. It’s a recurring theme: streamers, long sessions, and a lack of "storm etiquette."
How to Actually Stay Safe While Streaming
If you're a creator, or just someone who spends twelve hours a day at a desk, you need to change how you handle summer storms. It feels "kinda" paranoid to stop a stream just because of some thunder, but the kick streamer struck by lightning clip shows exactly why the "one more game" mentality is dangerous.
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Unplug the high-value stuff. Don't just turn it off. Physically pull the plug from the wall. If the circuit isn't closed, the lightning has a much harder time finding your expensive GPU.
Switch to wireless. If you absolutely must play during a storm, go wireless. Bluetooth headsets and controllers break the physical path between the wall outlet and your body. It won't save your PC if it gets hit, but it might save your eardrums.
Listen to the "Mom" advice. It turns out the old wives' tales about not showering or using the phone during a storm are backed by actual science. Anything connected to the home's infrastructure is a potential conduit.
Basically, if you hear thunder, the lightning is close enough to hit you. Chris Howard was lucky. He walked away with a crazy story and a viral clip. Others haven't been so fortunate. The next time you see those purple clouds rolling in, maybe take it as a sign to go touch some (non-conductive) grass or just read a book until the cells pass.
Immediate Safety Steps for Gamers:
- Check your home's grounding. If you live in an older building, your "three-prong" outlets might not actually be grounded.
- Invest in a high-quality UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) with a high joule rating, though even these can't stop a direct hit.
- If a storm is directly overhead, stop the stream. Your community will understand, and a "Technical Difficulties" screen is better than a trip to the ER.