A Japanese YouTuber known for streaming his pet minnows playing games on a Nintendo Switch recently experienced some unexpected charges to his credit card.
The Mutekimaru Channel has gained nearly 93,000 subscribers with an innovative setup that allows fish to engage in video gaming. A webcam monitors a fish tank connected to a PC, where specialized software tracks the movements of the fish. The tank is divided into a grid, with each square corresponding to a specific input on the Nintendo Switch controller. When a fish swims over a square, the related input is activated.
The fish have demonstrated quite a bit of skill; in 2020, they completed Pokémon Sapphire, but it took them more than 3,000 hours to do so. However, when the game recently crashed, the fish surprisingly managed to navigate to the Nintendo eShop, where the owner’s login and credit card information were stored.
This incident not only revealed the credit card details to the live stream’s viewers but also resulted in charges of 500 Yen (less than $4) through the Nintendo Store. It took the owner several hours to realize the unauthorized purchases and reach out to Nintendo for a refund, which was successfully processed.