Twitch Made the Decision Following Criticism from Gamers with Disabilities
After a stream of constructive criticism from individuals with disabilities within the gaming community, Twitch has removed the “blind playthrough” tag from the site. Streamers are encouraged to use the tags “First playthrough” or “No spoilers” instead.
Aureylian, who works with Community and Creator Marketing at @Twitch tweeted about the streaming service’s decision yesterday afternoon, stating:
“Happy to see Twitch has listened to everyone who shared feedback and removed the “Blind Playthrough” tag to encourage more inclusive language for our community. You can still use “First Playthrough” or opt to use it in combination with “No Spoilers” for the same sentiment.”
Happy to see Twitch has listened to everyone who shared feedback and removed the “Blind Playthrough” tag to encourage more inclusive language for our community.
You can still use “First Playthrough” or opt to use it in combination with "No Spoilers" for the same sentiment. ?
— Aureylian △⃒⃘ (@aureylian) December 4, 2020
The decision has received some backlash, but for the most part, people our understanding of the decision and for accessibility in gaming advocates, this is a big win. Blind Gamer and Accessibility Consultant, Steve Saylor had the following to say on the subject:
“Changing the term “blind playthrough” is not SJW’s being super sensitive. I’ve said this before, “first playthrough” is a better description anyway. I personally am not offended by it, but I do think it’s a term that can go away. Language changes over time, so let it.”
Changing the term "blind playthrough" is not SJW's being super sensitive. I've said this before, "first playthrough" is a better description anyway. I personally am not offended by it, but I do think it's a term that can go away. Language changes over time, so let it.
— Steve Saylor (@stevesaylor) December 5, 2020
This year has seen many efforts in the advocacy of accessibility in gaming, from the 2020 Video Game Accessibility Awards to the introduction of accessibility features at this year’s Game Awards, to the plethora of accessibility features introduced in The Last of Us Part II. Take a look at some of the industry’s accomplishments in this article we posted earlier today.
What do you think about the removal of the term blind playthrough? Has the term ever rubbed you the wrong way? Or do you maybe only realize the negative connotation of the term now that it’s been addressed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, on Twitter, or on Facebook.