Twitch Ban Reportedly Includes Words Like Simp

Twitch has reportedly banned words like simp, incel, and virgin in an effort to curb harassment on the platform. The move has inspired a lot of conversations on social media about how the company is handling this topic and whether it will be effective. For now, people seem to be ambivalent or upset that additions keep being made to Twitch's hotly contested Terms of Service. As with most big social media companies, the platform has had a problem policing its values equally. Some streamers don't get banned for things that other performers get exiled from the platform for. Hopefully, with some tweaks, Twitch can become a place where the kind of yelling that is commonplace right now won't be a constant topic of conversation. For now, viewers and gamers are just waiting for the dust to settle after the latest admission from the Town Hall.

Slasher covered these events on Twitter, and it wasn't long before the grievances led to Simp becoming a trending topic on the platform. It's been a year of companies trying to get a handle on their users, and also making efforts to make their spaces more accessible to wider ranges of people. This kind of clumsiness is going to be a part of the solution going forward.

a Twitch spokesperson has provided a statement on using terms such as simp and incel, stating that "using these terms on their own wouldn’t lead to an enforcement but we would take action if they were used repeatedly in a harassing manner" https://t.co/ty1YRgEvIg pic.twitter.com/yAbdT7xiao

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) December 16, 2020

Twitch's policy release read, "Our updated policy takes a clearer and more consistent stance against hate and harassment, and gives you greater insight on what is and isn't acceptable on Twitch. Hateful conduct and harassment have always been prohibited, but we've added more details and specific examples to help you understand how the policy is applied in practice."

"We're sharing the policy well before it goes into effect to ensure you have enough time to read it, ask questions, and give feedback," they continued, "Learn more about our Creator Camp livestream on Dec. 11th at 10am PT. We'll go over the policy and answer questions from chat. All are welcome!"

So, it isn't so much that there won't be any simping on the platform anymore. Rather, users can't use those words as a derogatory remark against each other. The same for incel and the like. But, it remains to be seen how the punishments will be given out and enforced as time goes on.

Do you think this is a good decision by Twitch? Let us know down in the comments!