Viral Buzz: Twitch Livestreamer Shocked by Lightning While Gaming During North Carolina Storm

In a freak real-time moment caught on stream, Christian Howard, known to his fans as Chrispymate, was struck by lightning while playing video games during a storm at his Wake County, North Carolina home on July 19.

Howard, 27, was live on Twitch when a bolt of lightning sent a jolt through his metal-capped earbuds, temporarily blinding him and causing an intense burst of pressure in his ears.

“Bro, I just got struck by lightning,” Howard said on stream, stunned. “I felt lightning go through my ears.”

😳 The Aftermath: Zap, Vision Loss, and... Super Strength?

After ending the stream, Howard checked on his cats (they were fine), and later described the sensation as being blasted by bass at a rock concert, mixed with the shock of a gag-toy zap.

“My vision went white, and then I bolted,” he told WRAL News.
“It felt like the drummer hit the bass drum in my skull.”

Despite the scare, Howard walked away unharmed, later joking that he felt like he had superpowers the next day:

“I had the best gym session of my life. I haven’t sprinted yet, but I felt like I had super strength.”

💻 CDC Warns: Lightning Strikes Can Happen Indoors

Although most lightning strikes occur outside, the CDC reminds Americans that lightning can travel through wiring, outlets, and plumbing, making electronics—including gaming setups—dangerous to use during a storm.

Devices connected to outlets, like PCs, gaming consoles, or laptops, can act as conduits for powerful electrical currents.

⚠️ Pro Tip: Unplug during storms. No kill streak is worth a lightning strike.

🌩️ Lightning by the Numbers:

• Odds of getting struck in the U.S.: 1 in 15,300
• Average deaths per year (2006–2023): 28
• 2025 deaths so far: 12
• U.S. lightning strikes annually: 36.8 million
• Top hotspots: Florida, Louisiana, and Tornado Alley

🎙 MainEvent.News | Backstage Take

Chrispymate’s lightning strike is the most electrifying moment on Twitch in 2025—literally. It’s a shocking reminder (pun intended) that even indoor gamers aren’t totally safe during a storm. But let’s be honest… if this becomes his streamer origin story, we’re here for the sequel. We hope he has no health issues that come of this, and he keeps gamin' along.

Watch the interview he conducted with with Fox Weather after the incident below: