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CultureTwitchTwitch Launches Subscriber-Only Streaming Feature
On Twitch, fans can subscribe to their favorite streamers, typically for $4.99 per month. Usually, that comes with minor perks like subscriber-only emotes, subscriber badges, and access to subscriber-only chat, if streamers decide to enable it. But now, streamers are getting a big addition to their arsenals: subscriber-only streams. Previously, no matter how many subscribers…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 26, 2019 -
CultureTwitchAnother Popular Twitch Streamer Is Trying To Leave FaZe Clan
Last month, popular Fortnite streamer Turner “Tfue” Tenney sued FaZe Clan, the esports organization whose banner he plays under, over a supposedly restrictive contract. The lawsuit sent shockwaves in all directions, resulting in, among other things, FaZe player H1ghSky1 getting banned from Twitch after it came to light in Tenney’s legal complaint that he was…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 24, 2019 -
CultureTwitchLeague Of Legends‘ Version Of Auto Chess Has Taken Over Twitch
We have a habit, in the gaming industry, of declaring things “The Year Of ___.” 2013 was The Year Of Luigi. 2014 was The Year Of Luigi’s Death Stare. 2019 is The Year Of Gooigi. However, if Gooigi had not transformed into an unassailable, medium-defining phenomenon, we might also be tempted to call this The…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 19, 2019 -
CultureTwitchDr Disrespect Doesn’t Seem To Be Taking His Twitch Ban Very Seriously
Last week, Dr Disrespect, a popular streamer who parodies toxic gamers by just straight up being one (except in a wig), got banned from Twitch and booted from E3 for streaming from inside a public bathroom, an act that’s illegal in the state of California. Immediately after, he went radio silent. But not for long.…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 17, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTwitch Sues Trolls Who Turned Artifact‘s Page Into A Porn-Riddled Disaster
Late last month, the Twitch game category section dedicated to embattled Valve card game Artifact briefly rocketed back into relevance. That was almost entirely thanks to the concerted efforts of trolls, who created dummy channels and violated the heck out of Twitch’s terms of service with broadcasts that included anime, porn, and anime porn. Twitch…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 17, 2019 -
CultureTwitchPopular Streamers React To Dr Disrespect’s Twitch Ban
Yesterday, popular Twitch streamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm walked into an E3 bathroom and walked out without a Twitch channel. This action likely violated the platform’s terms of service. His E3 badge got revoked shortly after. It’s incredibly rare for a streamer of Dr Disrespect’s popularity to get banned, and already, it’s creating ripples. Streamers…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 12, 2019 -
CultureTwitchWoW Classic Fans Brace For The Arrival Of Something That Didn’t Exist In 2004: Twitch Streamers
World Of Warcraft Classic is kinda wild when you think about it. It’s a time capsule from 2004 that you can live inside, a swirling portal to a place many people thought they’d never get to visit again. There’s no denying, however, that times have changed since “Vanilla” WoW’s rosily-remembered heyday. One recent development that’s…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 7, 2019 -
CultureTwitchBanned Fortnite Streamer Admits He’s 12, Streams On YouTube With His Mom Supervising [UPDATED]
A pro Fortnite player signed to the esports organization FaZe Clan, who was recently banned from Twitch for being under the age of 13, has admitted that he is, in fact, 12 years old. The streamer, named Patrick, aka “H1ghSky1,” has now moved his stream to YouTube, with his mom occasionally supervising on camera. The…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 6, 2019 -
CultureTwitchPro Fortnite Player Banned From Twitch After Claims He Was Only 12
Most of the details in Turner “Tfue” Tenney’s recent lawsuit against FaZe Clan focused on the ills of his since-leaked contract with the esports organization. But the suit also alleged that FaZe lied about the age of another player it signed, saying he was 13 when, at the time, he was only 11. This would…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 5, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTwitch Still Hasn’t Fixed Its Racist Emote Problem
During a recent stream hosted by prominent leftist streamer Hasan Piker, a familiar scene unfolded. He was talking about a 1985 trip Bernie Sanders took to Nicaragua when his Twitch chat started spamming the “Cmonbruh” emote, an image of a skeptical-looking man. The reason they did it? Because the man in the emote is black,…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 4, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTop Fortnite Streamers Aren’t Happy Epic Scheduled Two Big Events On The Same Day [Update]
Fortnite has a big weekend coming up later this month. On June 15 and 16, Epic is hosting its second Fortnite Celebrity Pro-Am, a Los Angeles event where top players and celebrities team up and face off in a big, flashy tournament. Itsy-bitsy problem: The Pro-Am overlaps with the final week of online duos qualifiers…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 4, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTwitch Buckles Down On Security After Artifact Page Gets Spammed With Memes And Porn
Earlier this week, the Twitch category for Valve’s card game Artifact made a miraculous resurgence—but not for the right reasons. A horde of slavering meme lords were laying siege to Artifact’s abandoned e-fortress, flooding the Twitch category with streams of other games, jokes, porn, and in one especially ugly moment, a recording of the Christchurch…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 30, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTwitch’s Artifact Category Is Porn-Filled Anarchy
There are, as you are probably already aware, not many people playing Artifact, the digital card game that developer Valve recently decided to take back to the drawing board. Just a hundred or so people are playing it at any given moment, as of this writing. There are, however, over 10,000 people watching streamers play…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 28, 2019 -
CultureTwitchPopular Twitch Streamer Tfue’s Contract With FaZe Leaks As Public Dispute Rages On
Earlier this week, Turner “Tfue” Tenney, a 21-year-old Fortnite pro who is one of the most popular streamers on Twitch, sued FaZe, the esports organization to which he is currently signed. The suit says that the contract between Tenney and FaZe is “oppressive” and “illegal,” arguing that FaZe is in violation of California’s Talent Agency…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 23, 2019 -
CultureTwitchPopular Streamer Sues FaZe Clan Over ‘Illegal’ Contract, But The Organization Says The Contract Is Fine
With over six million followers, Fortnite pro Turner “Tfue” Tenney, 21, is far and away one of the most popular streamers on all of Twitch. Now he’s suing FaZe Clan, the esports organization that signed him, over a contract that he and his attorney feel is “oppressive” and, in some cases, “illegal.” Tenney’s main grievances…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 20, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTwitch App Lets Viewers Mess With People Playing Mario, Metroid, And More
The idea underlying Twitch extension Crowd Control is not wholly new. Since the dawn of time, people have messed with each others’ games for laughs. In the beginning, there was Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. These days, there are games like Choice Chamber, where users in Twitch chat can vote to change…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 14, 2019 -
CultureTwitchDrumming On Twitch Helps Successful Streamer Control His Tourette’s
Watching Gregory “Mrgregles” Storey stream, there’s a good chance you’d never even realize he has Tourette Syndrome, a rare neurological condition characterized by repeated involuntary vocalizations and movements, or “tics.” From behind his drum kit, Storey grooves, showboats, and interacts with viewers like he’s been doing it all his life. He regularly puts on rockstar…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 13, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTwitch Star Ninja Is Turning Off His Camera While Eating Throughout Ramadan
Streamers, like other humans who for some reason choose to not spend most of their day on camera, have to eat. Most streamers casually snack or have meals while streaming, which adds to the feeling that viewers are watching a regular person go about their daily routine. However, for Twitch’s headband-wearing money king Tyler “Ninja”…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 10, 2019 -
CultureTwitchThe GTA V Role-Playing Scene Has Lost Some Of Its Biggest Streamers
Stream long enough, and you become mercurial. Either that, or you watch the passion you once felt for your favorite game slowly fade into a hazy silhouette of duty. Over the past few weeks, big streamers who helped turn Grand Theft Auto V role-playing into a Twitch phenomenon have started to burn out even as…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 8, 2019 -
CultureTwitchTwitch Removes ‘Joy Of Sex’ Category, Popular Streamer Heartbroken
Twitch’s rules largely state that sexual content is not allowed, with some “educational, scientific, artistic, newsworthy, or academic” exceptions aside. And yet, for years, the platform had its own category called “The Joy Of Sex.” Now it’s gone, and one popular streamer and his fans are in mourning. “The Joy Of Sex” category’s existence is…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 22, 2019