Streamers' Last Words Before They Got Banned
Being a streamer isn't all unicorns and rainbows. Not only do you need talent and networking skills to acquire a viewer base big enough to pay the rent, you also have to watch what you say and do. There's no such thing as a purely public streaming platform — each streaming service, including Twitch, is a privately held business, and if you aren't always ready to censor yourself, you might be on the receiving end of the banhammer.
Even though Twitch provides all the tools needed to ensure streamers avoid bans — usually found within the bowels of the platform's terms of service — putting these tools into practice is another matter entirely since streaming is subject to human error. Streamers might become so angry they temporarily forget the rules. Or they might say something seemingly innocuous that is actually highly offensive. And sometimes streamers are the victims of happenstance and can only watch in horror as they are banned for factors beyond their control.
Regardless of the cause, streamers always have something to say. Here are some of the last words streamers said before they were banned.
Dr Disrespect
When you think of banned streamers, Dr Disrespect is probably the first name that comes to mind. His recent Twitch ban is as noteworthy as it is mysterious. We still don't know the whole story behind his ban, and the mystery only deepens when you examine his final stream.
The stream started off normally — well, as normal as things get for the guy — but as the stream went on, it became glaringly obvious something was off. Dr Disrespect broke character and started watching a Roblox video. For several minutes, the only sound came from Roblox as Dr Disrespect appeared lost in thought. Finally, he broke the silence, mentioned the controversial conspiracy theorist David Icke, and ended the stream with some somber words of encouragement:
"I appreciate everyone watching today. We'll get through this, Champion's club. I know it's tough. Life's weird right now. We'll get through this, ok, and ... f**k."
What was he talking about? What will he get through? The prevailing theory is he knew about his permanent ban ahead of time, but that has yet to be confirmed. Until Dr Disrespect explains what was going through his head, the reasons behind his actions will remain as mysterious as the reasons behind his ban.
Tfue
The biggest problem with slang words is their meanings differ with geography and times. Slag, for example, is a common steel industry term for the waste product in steel production, but in the UK, it's a derogatory word for promiscuous women. Coon is another example, as Tfue found out.
One fateful day in 2018, Tfue was streaming Fortnite when he encountered a particularly slippery enemy wearing a raccoon-like skin. In response, Tfue asked aloud, "Where did this coon go?" Coon supposedly being short for raccoon — so Tfue thought he was in the clear, right? Wrong.
Even though "coon" might be short for raccoon, it is also an extremely offensive (and old) anti-black caricature. According to Ferris State University, "coon" might be the most insulting anti-black caricature ever produced, portraying black people as lazy, cowardly, and buffoonish. Now, the player Tfue fought was not African American (the skin in question consists of a caucasian man covered in grey camo that gives off the impression of a raccoon's colors). In addition, Tfue has stated he did not know "coon" was a racial slur. Still, his words were truly disparaging, and he was banned for 30 days.
It's not easy to watch what you say, especially when you aren't aware of long-forgotten racial connotations.
Sodapoppin
Streaming video games that rely on user-made content is treacherous, shark-filled water. You are bound to bump into items and areas that aren't appropriate for all ages, and if you stream that content, you're essentially walking into a wolf den while wearing a suit made of raw meat.
VRChat is a popular online hangout where anyone can log on, don a variety of avatars and, as the name suggests, just chat with other people. These avatars cover every fanbase, pop culture group, and meme imaginable, but anime avatars are by far the most popular — including the lewd NSFW kind. Sodapoppin visited an area full of these avatars on July 17. He streamed his encounters there, and nothing seemed to go wrong. Sodapoppin even voluntarily ended his stream by logging off and saying:
"All right, I've streamed enough. You can suck a fat (unintelligible} c**k. F**k this. You can watch me on other streams. I'll hang out more, but I'm not streaming anymore."
Aside from the questionable nature of the content he witnessed, nothing seemed particularly offensive or even bannable. However, Twitch banned him several days later — along with his partner in crime Roflgator — for 24 hours. Many viewers assumed Sodapoppin had violated Twitch rules by streaming the NSFW area, but they didn't receive any confirmation until Sodapoppin released a satirical apology video.
Mang0
Actions speak louder than words, and nothing speaks louder than drinking yourself unconscious.
Early in 2019, C9's sole Super Smash Bros. Melee (yes, people still play that) player, Joseph "Mang0" Marquez, was watching a football game when his favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles, secured a last-minute victory over the Chicago Bears. Mang0 streamed his celebration of the win, and then he had a drink. Then another. And then another. Mang0 quickly became so intoxicated that he passed out on the floor. He remained asleep for so long that his stream automatically went offline due to inactivity.
Since Mang0 consumed enough alcohol to fall asleep mid-stream, Twitch issued him a seven-day ban for "dangerous consumption of drugs and alcohol." Mang0 is a living demonstration that you shouldn't drink and stream. At least he took his ban in stride.
Ice Poseidon
When you're a streamer or even a publicly-known professional gamer, you tend to attract enemies. The reasons vary from person to person, but there is no such thing as a stunt they are unwilling to pull, just so long as they hurt their nemesis. And what happens when innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire? Nothing good.
Ice Poseidon is a streamer who switches between Runescape and real life. He relies on shock content and is the victim of constant swattings. While ice Poseidon is usually the sole victim, in 2017, he was swatted while on a plane. Ice Poseidon was streaming his location, so his fans — and enemies — knew where to find him. Someone called in a bomb threat under Ice Poseidon's name, which got the plane delayed and the streamer escorted off the flight. Ice Poseidon later tore into the troll and ended his rant with:
"I probably will stream tomorrow, I'm gonna be super scared, dude. I dunno. I am gonna be super scared, dude. I can't just like stop streaming. It's f*****g how I make money and s***, dude. And, like, I wanna make you guys happy, but, it's like, super hard on me to deal with this s*** sometimes, especially when I'm f*****g sick."
However, he never got the chance since Twitch indefinitely banned Ice Poseidon. While Twitch never provided an official statement, the general consensus is he was banned over the drama caused by the unusually public bomb threat/swatting.
xQc
Taking requests is a great way for streamers to interact with their fans. However, if a troll sneaks in with a seemingly innocuous request that violates the platform's terms of service, problems crop up like weeds.
You might know xQc. He streams whatever he wants, but he also professionally plays Overwatch. In addition, xQc streams viewer requests. In 2019, an audience member sent him a link to a video labeled "SFW Porn," and xQc trusted it. The result was, well, xQc streaming NSFW porn with crude images superimposed over the actors. Since the images censored everything, xQc didn't violate any anti-nudity rules, right? Not exactly.
As soon as xQc realized what he was watching, he paused the video and said, "Dude, what is wrong with you guys? I can't watch this, dude!" He then went back to watching the video, finished it, and proclaimed, "I didn't know!" in an attempt to defend himself. His pleas fell on deaf ears, especially since eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the cartoons didn't cover up as much as xQc hoped. Twitch banned xQc for three days.
Sononoldschool
Even when you don't drink enough alcohol to pass out, beer and Twitch do not mix, especially if you are crass when sober.
Sononoldschool is known for three things: playing Runescape, getting drunk, and running his mouth, not necessarily in that order but necessarily together. In 2015, he got into a particularly heated argument with some fellow Runescape players. Everyone was insulting one another, and as time went on, the argument graduated to a yelling match.
Nobody tried to deescalate the situation, and the insults became worse, personal, and then racist — especially those coming from Sononoldschool. Suddenly, someone started slinging the n-word with reckless abandon (which is barely audible above Sononoldschool's ravings), so Sononoldschool decided to shut down the teamspeak.
"You look at where this teamspeak is going. It's all going racist," he said, stating that he was trying to talk, but all he could hear was the n-word being repeated.
Sononoldschool ran into trouble with Twitch's moderators because he uttered the n-word himself while his stream was still live. After that, Twitch banned him, and he remains banned to this day.
ZilianOP
Never underestimate the power of sympathy. You might feel obligated to help someone if you believe they are worse off than you. Unfortunately, some people are more than willing to abuse the kindness of strangers for a quick buck. Or are they?
Angel Hamilton, better known as ZilianOP, was once an entertaining streamer. He would broadcast live for up to 12 hours at a time and developed a dedicated audience. However, his fanbase didn't truly take off until audiences noticed he used a wheelchair, which drew countless viewers to his channel. ZilianOP was cagey about why he needed the wheelchair, but people supported him anyway. That all came crashing down when ZilianOP streamed World of Warcraft and told viewers, "I'll be back." He forgot to turn off the camera and performed a "miracle" by standing up and walking away.
The backlash was immediate, and Twitch quickly banned ZilianOP's account for defrauding viewers. However, in 2020, ZilianOP started streaming on YouTube under a new name, ItsBlooish, and revealed in an interview that he never deceived anyone. ZilianOP claimed he needed the wheelchair because he had been in a car accident. He was undergoing physical therapy and could only stand for short periods — such as when he walked off camera. ZilianOP also provided pictures that showed he required a wheelchair long before his streaming career.
Despite producing evidence to potentially support his innocence, ZilianOP remains permabanned from Twitch.