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Being a Twitch streamer isn't always as easy as it looks. While it may seem difficult to get into trouble when one is playing video games for an audience, there have been some major controversies surrounding some of the most well-known Twitch streamers this year.
As we approach the halfway mark in 2022, we take a look at five of the biggest controversies on Twitch so far.
Twitch clamped down on these streamers and metas
1) Hot tub streamers mysteriously banned
The controversial hot tub streams that have risen to notoriety in the past couple of years seem to have been legitimized by Twitch. When the platform gave hot tubs and bikini streams their own category, that seemed to signal Twitch's acceptance of the trend.
However, hot tub streamers have faced a new wave of scrutiny as Twitch has hit certain channels with repeated bans in recent months. Streamers like Corinna Kopf, SpookyUnagi and SpoopyKitt have all received bans from Twitch for violating community guidelines. Furthermore, they claimed to have received no clarification from Twitch as to why they were banned.
2) Pokimane vs. JiDion and Ninja
Pokimane was the target of a hate raid earlier this year when JiDion sent his viewers to her Twitch chat to make sexist comments against her. She initially thought she was being spammed by bots, but was distraught after learning they were real people. Pokimane subsequently cut her stream short that day.
JiDion received punishment from Twitch for the raid, initially being handed a two-week suspension that was later raised to a permanent ban. Leading up to the ban, he called Ninja on stream to ask for advice on how to avoid punishment. The latter offered to help and said he would speak to his Twitch representative on JiDion's behalf.
A clip of this conversation incited a feud between Ninja and Pokimane, escalating to the point where his wife threatened the latter with legal action. However, nothing came of this as the beef died down once Pokimane and JiDion set aside their differences.
3) SkyDoesMinecraft allegations
YouTube rapper and streamer NetNobody, who previously ran a Minecraft channel called SkyDoesMinecraft, was accused of s*xual assault and drug abuse by their former partner Elizabeth on Twitter.
In an iCloud document posted by Elizabeth, she accused them of stealing their company's money to support drug addiction as well as pay off women they had s*xually harassed or assaulted.
SkyDoesMinecraft or NetNobody's internet presence had completely vanished following the allegations, until listings for both of their YouTube channels were found online. The main channel, which boasts a subscriber count of 11 million, is being listed for $900,000.
4) Sponsored gambling streams accused of targeting children
Gambling on Twitch has been a hot issue for some time now, with streamers like Trainwreckstv playing slots on stream for hours in a row. The debate on whether gambling should be allowed on Twitch was reignited when xQc, one of the biggest names on the platform, returned to his home country of Canada in May.
It was claimed that the reason for the move was due to the repeated swatting and doxxing of the former Overwatch pro. While that may be the reason, it also seems that he returned to Canada to facilitate sponsorship deals from gambling sites and promote them on his stream.
He has talked about his struggles with gambling addiction in the past, even deciding to no longer gamble on stream in 2021. It looks like xQc has since changed his tune.
5) TV Meta results in DMCA strikes for big streamers
While watching TV shows on stream has been a trend for a long time, it reached its peak at the beginning of 2022. Big name streamers spent countless hours watching anime and reality television shows on stream.
Twitch didn't act at first, but eventually gave bans to some of their biggest streamers, including Pokimane and Disguised Toast. Neither ban was particularly harsh, but it was enough to suppress the TV Meta.
