Twitch streamers address, mock new community guidelines

Some of Twitch’s most popular streamers wasted no time in mocking the company’s new community guidelines that went into effect yesterday.

Tyler1, Summit1g and Forsen all chimed in when asked by their supporters how the new community guidelines will impact them. Tyler1 and Forsen, most notably, have built up reputations for either being rowdy streamers or playing host to rumbustious fans.

Forsen has become one of the more outspoken critics about Twitch’s new community guidelines because of the company’s ruling on how viewer behavior can impact streamers. Forsen said he’s confident his audience and his channel will survive, although the new rules could impact him directly.

“My stream has been through worse times for sure,” Forsen says in the clip below. “This TOS is nothing compared to when I purged my community through Overwatch. This is nothing, man. This is like a fucking party for them. New memes, new friends; it’s all good, dude. It’s all fucking good. They’re like cockroaches; they can outlive the nuclear war. They’ll be fine.

“I’m the one that has to worry about shit.”

Forsen first took issue with Twitch’s new community guidelines when it was suggested that the actions of his community could lead to a suspension for himself. Forsen said it’s not fair to ask streamers with sizable audiences to worry about what their fans are doing if the casters themselves aren’t involved. Forsen’s concerns, along with dozens of other streamers, led to Twitch delaying the roll out of its new rules. On March 2, Twitch updated its blog to address those frustrations, saying:

Creators are role models and leaders of the communities they create or foster around them. Creators should consider the consequences of their statements and actions of their audiences; we ask that you make a good faith effort to quell any efforts from those in your community to harass others. Twitch should not be used to incite, encourage, promote, facilitate, or organize hateful conduct or harassment, whether on or off Twitch.

We will suspend communities, organizations, and individuals that do so.

Tyler1, League of Legends’ most notorious player, echoed sentiments similar to Forsen’s. Tyler1 reiterated that he’s not going to get banned even with the stricter set of rules.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not going to get banned for doing this or doing that,” he says in the clip below. “Fuck Twitch, and fuck you guys. Fuck you all. That’s what I think about the new TOS; fuck everybody! That’s what I think about the new TOS.”

Even Summit1g, Twitch’s biggest streamer, brought his own set of questions. One of Twitch’s new rules includes a dress code of sorts. Creators are now expected to wear attire that would be “publicly appropriate for the context, location, and activity they are broadcasting.” That means if streamers are working out, than they can wear workout clothes; if they’re on a beach, a swimsuit can be worn.

Summit1 broached the possible loopholes in Twitch’s new rules, pointing out some flaws.

“What if you have a green screen and you put yourself on the beach?” he asks in the clip below. “I’m getting a green screen; I should be on the beach in a Speedo.”

There haven’t been any notable suspensions or bans issued since the new rules went into effect, but it’s clear that the platform’s most influential streamers aren’t too worried about what happens next.