TMZ Games

Terrifying moment from a pro gamer -- who was struck by ACTUAL LIGHTNING while streaming on Twitch ... and the video is intense.

27-year-old Jaime Bickford -- AKA Karma -- was commenting on a game of "Rocket League" on Sunday night when somehow she was hit by lightning during a storm in her area.

According to Bickford's bio, she lives in the Boston area.

During the stream, you can hear the storm rumbling, followed by Jaime shrieking in pain.

You can hear Jaime drop her controller and she begins to cry in pain.

A short time later ... she got back on the stream and provided an update.

"Sorry guys, I am a little bit upset right now. Lightning, apparently we’re having really bad thunderstorms here."

"Apparently, my house got hit or something and it went through my controller and shocked my hand. I’m completely fine. I’m just kinda ... I got scared and also my hand burns hurt a little bit."

Bickford even posted a photo of the melted controller.

She posted an update the following morning -- saying, "Hands healed up after being iced all last night and were very minor burns, controller is melted near USB connection where I got flashbanged or w/e ."

She added, "And I am COMPLETELY FINE. Thanks for the outpouring of love."

CALLING ALL CARS ... HELLO?! ANYONE? ANY CARS?

NO?

Oh, that's because there are NO MORE COP CARS in Fortnite -- and it seems to be the video game's way of acknowledging the real-life protests against police brutality.

All traces of police vehicles -- including SWAT vans -- have been removed from the game ... leaving many players wondering, why?

The Wall Street Journal cites a source at Epic Games -- the company behind the game -- who says it wasn't intended to be a political statement.

"I think it’s just us being sensitive about the issues many people in our audience are dealing with,” the source told WSJ.

The move has little to no impact on the actual gameplay -- you can't drive the cars around or anything like that ... they're basically decorative.

Epic Games hasn't spoken publicly about the issue -- but earlier this month, they posted a blog addressing the Black Lives Matter movement and the outrage over the killing of George Floyd ... and how it delayed the release of the Fortnite Season 3 launch.

"Recent events are a heavy reminder of ongoing injustices in society, from the denial of basic human rights to the impact of racism both overt and subtle against people of color," Epic Games said.

Wanna add the Holy Grail of Pokemon cards to your childhood collection?

Hope you've got the cash ... TMZ Sports has learned a SUPER rare Trainer card is hitting the auction block -- but it could fetch over $100,000!!!

We're told the No. 1 Trainer promo card is one of the rarest pieces in the history of Pokemon ... with only seven known in existence.

According to the guys over at Heritage Auctions ... the card was handed out to winners of regional Pokemon tournaments as a sort of entry ticket into an exclusive tourney in Tokyo in 1999.

The piece -- graded out as a perfect Gem MT 10 -- features art of Mewtwo and we're told it reads, "The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament's champion is recognized here, and this honor is praised."

"By presenting this card, you may gain preferential entry into the Secret Super Battle.”

With only seven copies ever created ... we're told the card is even rarer than the legendary Pikachu Illustrator card -- which has sold for over $50K in the past.

How's MLB stud Jedd Gyorko passing the time during quarantine??

INSANE CORNHOLE TRICK SHOTS, BABY!!!

The Milwaukee Brewers infielder has been crushing it with the bags while staying safe at home ... and we gotta say, these are some of the most impressive trick shots we've ever seen.

Check out some of the clips of Gyorko's bag game so far ... there's a double cornhole, a behind-the-backer and even a celebratory beer chug as well!!

But, the best shot Jedd's hit during the MLB's postponed play? That came just a few days ago when the 31-year-old holed a ridiculous shot in his West Virginia living room.

Gyorko, standing by the front door, tossed a bag some 20 feet OVER the mezzanine ... and landed it without even hitting the rim.

Yeah, INSANE, RIGHT?!?!

Of course, some called him out for the clips -- wondering how long it took him to actually hit the shots -- but Jedd proved he was the real deal in a Zoom match with ex-Cardinals teammate Kolten Wong last week.

Gyorko crushed the dude in three games ... hitting insane shots there as well -- and then he bodied his good buddy on social media for good measure afterward.

"Thanks @thewongone808 for the entertainment and competition tonight," Gyorko wrote underneath a picture of Wong faceplanting. "I appreciate ya!! Who’s next?"

Austin Rogers is freaking out over the stunning abilities of Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer ... the "Jeopardy!" sensation says these G.O.A.T.s are the LeBron's of trivia.

We got Austin -- who captivated America back in 2017 with an impressive 12-game winning streak on Alex Trebek's show -- in Harlem, and he couldn't stop gushing over the trio duking it out for a million-dollar prize.

Austin took home a whopping $411,000 during his run at the top, but he says he's been blown away watching Ken, Brad and James make some extremely difficult questions look like child's play ... and he's putting them on par with the greatest athletes on Earth.

The "Jeopardy!" boys facing off for G.O.A.T. status already have tons of cash to their names -- and with even more up for grabs ... we noticed they have very different spending habits.

TMZ did some digging, and it turns out Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer have chosen to splurge (or not splurge) on unique causes -- and you'd be surprised at who's done what with their dough. BTW, this new 3-day tourney's got a million-dollar cash prize.

That said ... let's get into the numbers a bit.

Starting with Ken, the guy's racked up a grand total of about $3.5 million in "Jeopardy!" winnings over the years between his regular 74-game streak in '04 and other tournaments he's competed in since. Looks like KJ's an investor type -- he's got quite the portfolio.

Ken's got a crib with an estimated value of $2.1 million in Seattle. He's also pledged 10% of his OG $2.52 mil haul to the Mormon church and has announced a couple other donations. Other monies are tied up in stocks and bonds.

James seems a bit more charitable, at least publicly. He's pulled in around $2.7 mil from "Jeopardy!" and a good amount has gone to charities like Project 150, Communities in Schools of Nevada, Vegas-Clark County Library District Foundation and the Lustgarten Foundation.

Super Bowl champ Jay Ajayi is taking his talents to video games ... 'cause the NFL running back is becoming a professional FIFA 20 player!!

The 26-year-old Pro Bowler and current free agent is staying competitive in a different sport by officially signing with the Philadelphia Union for the 2020 eMLS Cup campaign.

Ajayi addressed the move in a statement, saying, "Philadelphia will always hold a special place in my heart. I am blessed to be able to represent the city through e-sports and to be one of the first pro athletes to become a professional gamer."

"Representing the Philadelphia Union for eMLS combines two of my greatest passions outside of football, soccer and gaming. I’m a competitor, so you’re going to see me give my all for the Union at every eMLS event this year."

Tons of traditional mainstream athletes are becoming serious gamers -- with NBA stars like Gordon Hayward, Karl-Anthony Towns and De'Aaron Fox showing off REAL skills on the sticks.

And, with legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Alex Rodriguez and other guys INVESTING in Esports, you might see other pro stars making the jump, too!

As for Ajayi, he's not giving up his NFL career just yet -- he briefly played with the Philadelphia Eagles at the beginning of the 2019 season before getting cut.

Just 'cause pro gamers compete from comfy chairs doesn't mean they can't get hurt ... so says the FaZe Clan co-owner, Apex, who tells TMZ Sports video game injuries are a real thing!!

"I've heard of career-ending hand surgeries, for sure," Apex told us out in Hollywood on Monday.

"People get carpal tunnel. I don't get that into it, thankfully. But, some people legit stretch their hands, they do a whole thing of warm-ups to make sure they don't."

Apex even says one of his gamers had to sit out several months due to injury and couldn't play!!

And, just like other pro sports leagues, Apex says teams are hiring psychologists to help with the pressure of competing ... and FaZe Clan may follow suit.

FaZe Selkoe -- aka the president of the famous FaZe Clan -- says Esports stars ain't making NFL player money yet ... but he tells TMZ Sports it could eventually happen.

And, why? The 44-year-old says their business model is just perfect for today's society.

Selkoe tells us because fans can watch and interact with players during tournaments AND in practice sessions, he says the potential for the growth of gamers' wallets is HUGE.

"They'll have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people watching them play and interact," Selkoe says ... "It's really this amalgamation of pop culture, actual sports and classic entertainment."

Of course, some gamers are already pulling in the hefty checks ... Esports star FaZe Banks is reportedly worth around $3 MILLION, while gaming legend Ninja has said he makes roughly $500,000 A MONTH.

"I'm pretty good at sniping, so we're going to send it."

FaZe Jarvis is finally moving on after his permanent Fortnite ban ... telling TMZ Sports he's gunning to be the next big thing in "Call of Duty" now!!!

"That game's pretty fun," Jarvis says. "I'm gonna snipe in that game. We're gonna get cracked, and yeah, we're going to send it!"

Of course, Jarvis has to find a new game now after he was exiled from the "Fortnite" world for cheating earlier this year.

The British teenager used aimbots -- an in-game hack that helps players shoot better -- during a recreational match, and when Fortnite officials found out about it, they banned him.

Jarvis was pretty sad over it all ... but when we got him out in L.A. this weekend -- he told us he's doing much better!!!

Offset is calling for Fortnite to lift the ban on his teammate FaZe Jarvis -- telling TMZ Sports a lifetime punishment sends the WRONG message to the kids.

As we previously reported, 16-year-old Jarvis -- one of the top Fortnite players in the world -- was banned for life from all Fortnite events after admitting to using illegal software to get an advantage during non-tournament play.

Jarvis claims he was just using the software to goof around while streaming -- and would never do anything to break the rules during competitive play.

Epic Games -- the company behind Fortnite -- has refused to budge ... but now Offset, who recently joined the FaZe Clan is speaking out in hopes of getting Jarvis back in the game.

"Fortnite says the game is for the youth. The youth makes mistakes a lot of times. Let the kids play, that what they love to do," the Migos rapper told us.

"Give him a ban. Like, ban him for 30 days. Give him probation terms or something like that and then if he keeps doing the same violations then you do that [suspend him for life]."

"But, a couple times messing up?! They kids ... know what I mean?"

By the way, Offset's not just involved in the gaming side of FaZe Clan -- he just dropped a new fashion collab and debuted the merch Monday night at the FaZe Arcade on Melrose.

99.6 MILLION people watched the 2018 "League of Legends" championships ... just a few million shy of the 2018 Super Bowl numbers.

And, Rick Fox says it's only a matter of time before "LoL" eclipses the NFL.

Fox is an Esports pioneer who famously founded Team Echo Fox -- which competes in everything from "Fortnite" to "CS:GO" and even "Mortal Kombat."

Fox says he's been watching the sport explode ... so he wasn't shocked when fellow gaming titan FaZe Banks told TMZ Sports recently there will be an Esports event that will pull in a bigger audience than the Super Bowl.

"As much as we love football in North America, it's not international to the level of gaming," Fox says.

"'League of Legends' is a huge global event. It's already got numbers right below the Super Bowl so it's coming ... it grows every year."

"Everything is so online now, technology has unlocked the ability for those people in foreign countries, or regardless of where you are in the world, to connect."

Fox also says the sport is finally growing massive stars with global appeal -- like Faker, who Fox considers the Michael Jordan of gaming.

FYI, Faker is a 23-year-old "LoL" legend from South Korea who's already racked up more than $1.2 MILLION in prize money.

In fact, Fox says he recently had a chance to play with Faker to raise money for the Bahamas Relief Foundation ... so shout out to Faker for that!

How does someone with such talented thumbs BUTCHER a sandwich so badly?!?

That's the question we've got for Ninja whose attempt to make a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich was as pathetic as a 40-year-old trying to play "Fortnite" for the first time.

Ninja -- real name Tyler Blevins -- teamed up with Bon Appetit food director Carla Lalli Music for a YouTube segment about cooking without visual aids.

He tried hard ... but Tyler couldn't figure out how to properly slice the bread and then cut the avocado STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE THROUGH THE PIT LIKE A PSYCHOPATH!!!

The craziest part, Ninja actually has real restaurant experience ... he worked at Noodles & Company where he prepped noodles for 3 years!

In the end, Ninja managed to put together an edible sandwich ... and despite the avo mishap, it actually looked sorta delicious.

FaZe Banks tells TMZ Sports that Jarvis' Fortnite ban is real -- saying there's NO CHANCE the kid plays the game again ... but he says the 17-year-old is still in good spirits regardless!!

"Jarvis is doing really good, man," Banks says. "He's holding in there."

As we previously reported, Jarvis was hit with a perma-suspension after he was caught using Aimbots during a recreational game that he streamed on his ultra-popular YouTube channel.

Essentially, Jarvis was cheating by illegally hacking the game so his guns could auto-focus on his opponents.

Turns out, Fortnite officials were SUPER pissed over the incident ... and gave him the boot from the game FOR LIFE!!!

Banks -- the founder of the clan Jarvis is a part of -- had previously told us there was at least some hope Jarvis could eventually be "freed" from the punishment.

But, Banks changed his tune when we got him out in L.A. last week ... saying, "The chances of him playing Fortnite are zero."

Good news, though ... Banks says the door is open for Jarvis to at least make SOME kind of Fortnite content in the future -- despite not being able to play it anymore.

The Super Bowl is the most-watched TV event of the year ... but could Esports actually dethrone the NFL?!?

HELL YEAH -- so says one of the biggest names in the industry, FaZe Banks, who tells TMZ Sports it's just a matter of time before video games wreck all of entertainment!!!

"It's gonna get crazy," the FaZe Clan cofounder tells us. "I think its gonna get more crazy online than it is in the actual real world. But, it's gonna take everything over. It's gonna get big."

Banks points out the industry is already well on its way ... with the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals reportedly drawing in 2 million viewers.

Of course, it's gonna be a while before Esports can dethrone the Super Bowl -- which averages nearly 100 MILLION each year -- but Banks is up for the challenge.