backseat gamer

A backseat gamer is someone who watches another person play and keeps telling them what to do. Backseat gaming is the video game version of backseat driving.

What backseat gaming looks like

It’s the friend on the couch shouting “go left!” or the viewer in a stream’s chat explaining the puzzle solution before the streamer has had a chance to think. A 2006 Urban Dictionary entry, quoted by Inverse, defined it as watching someone play a game and remarking on every move.

Some backseating is welcome, like when a player asks for help. Unasked-for advice, especially spoilers, is what makes it annoying.

Examples

• “Stop backseating, I know where the key is.”
• “No backseat gaming in chat, please.” (a common stream rule)
• “My brother is the worst backseat gamer, he grabs the controller.”
• “Okay, I’ll allow backseating for this boss, I’m stuck.”

Backseating on Twitch

Many streamers set chat rules against backseating, especially during first playthroughs, because constant tips can ruin the experience for the player and for viewers who want to see them figure it out. Some streamers turn it into a game, letting chat vote on decisions instead.

Where backseat gamer comes from

The phrase borrows from “backseat driver,” a passenger who criticises the driver, which Dictionary.com says originated in the United States in the 1920s. The gaming version was defined online by 2006 and became a fixture of streaming culture.

Related terms

• Noob: a beginner.
• Git gud: “get good,” a mocking response to complaints.
• Rage quit: quitting a game in anger.
• AFK: away from keyboard.

Find more gamer talk in our gaming slang dictionary.