You Might Have to Change your Twitch Name
Twitch has always been an… expressive platform. The culture of Twitch chat is so different from anywhere else on the internet, with users vying for attention with only half-second windows of opportunity. Because of that, subtlety has been taken behind the shed – and in its place lies an excited, unforgettable energy that’s not afraid to push social boundaries if it means catching the streamer’s eye. Having an equally expressive name was always a part of that tradition. But, it’s a part that’s getting cut down in the coming days.
Twitch has decided to update their rules policy. There’s some names they just don’t want on the platform, and they hope that these changes will facilitate a more peaceful environment.
The rules update states the following:
“…we have additional, higher standards for usernames based on reducing harm across our services. Usernames and display names created on Twitch may not include:Â
- Â Breaking the Law, including Terrorism and Child ExploitationÂ
- Violence and Threats
- Hateful Conduct
- Harassment and Sexual Harassment
- Unauthorized Sharing of Private Information
- Impersonation
- Glorification of natural or violent tragedies
- Self-Destructive Behavior
- References to recreational drugs, hard drugs, and drug abuse, with exceptions for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana
- references to sexual acts, genital, or sexual fluids.”
To be fair, these seem pretty reasonable. It’s a fairly standard list of unwanted content. But normalized or not, it’s still new for Twitch – and some account names will need to change. Twitch has said that old accounts who violate these new rules will be given a free name change, and that the new name must go along with these new guidelines.
What do you think? Are the rules fine for a place like Twitch? Is a name change enough compensation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments down below!