Twitch Streamer Sketch Creates Speculation by Always Wearing Headphones
Sketch usually wears headphones. Does he wear the accessory as part of a character he's portraying or for a medical reason?
Published March 25 2024, 8:29 a.m. ET
Gaming content creators typically have high-energy personalities and defining characteristics. In the case of Twitch streamer Sketch, he's known for always wearing headphones. This isn't crazy uncommon for gamers to help keep them locked in on the game. However, many creators also take a break when they aren't actively in the game.
In case you aren't familiar with Sketch, he's a Minecraft streamer with over 84,000 followers. He wears a headset most of the time and, until recently, it was believed that he was autistic.
Why does Sketch wear headphones?
Sketch's theoretical autism is a reason that many believe that he wears a headset often. Sometimes, people with autism struggle with sensory overload, including auditory. A headset helps mitigate the stimulation and keep them centered.
"I’m fairly certain that’s a thing autistic people do," wrote a fan on Reddit. Another said, "I guess because he gets sensory overload in certain environments."
However, more of them started to speculate that much of Sketch's persona was a character mocking those with disabilities. "I’m not hating or nothing I love Sketch being a Texans fan my cousin showed me him and this duo is f--king awesome," a fan started speculating. "I was just wondering why. Cause me and my brother are watching the unboxing and debating if it was a character or a disability just wondering."
More veteran fans noted that Sketch was playing some sort of character, but others insisted that there might be an element of truth behind his actions, including the use of headphones.
"Bro he might actually be slightly autistic," one wrote. "Autistic kids do wear head phones and sometimes blink excessively due to visual sensitivity which is why Sketch is always squinting unless the character is supposed to be autistic he definitely has it nothing wrong with that he’s funny as hell."
Some fans also note that you can occasionally see a character break where he doesn't act with the same mannerisms. "Sketch when he acts normal is hilarious," wrote one fan on a TikTok clip of Sketch's interview with Barstool Sports. In the video, he has his headphones with him, but not fully over his ears.
His fans are actually heartbroken when there is a slip-up. Many admitted in the comments of another TikTok that they enjoy the "mystery" of the man behind the character.
"I find acting autistic kinda weird to do for entertainment," one fan argued that what he was doing was likely offensive. Others said that his normal voice is "nice."
Even with the clear change in voice, a lot of fans are still insistent that he isn't just a character. They said in one TikTok comment section that his voice just sounds different when he uses different microphones.
"This is just like the same case as h20 delirious," wrote one fan, referencing another major YouTuber. "Just sounds different without a low-quality mic." Overall, the consensus is that Sketch's headphones are part of some sort of skit and unlikely to be related to any real medical reason.
