Twitch Has Already Made More New Hot Tub Rules
Hot tubs are taking over Twitch. Well, discussion of the "hot tub meta" is taking over Twitch. The popular streaming platform recently made the decision to create a new category called "Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches" after a lengthy debate surrounding women who choose to stream from hot tubs. Even though the category is still fresh, Twitch is already creating more rules about how streamers can stream in the water on its platform.
For those wondering if they might have missed some big cultural shift on Twitch, no fear. The debate over the hot tub meta developed rapidly, and much of it has centered around Amouranth, a streamer who has frequently taken advantage of streaming in hot tubs. Recently, Amouranth spoke out about the hot tub meta, suggesting that there is already plenty of inappropriate content on Twitch for those that want to find it. Twitch decided to demonetize Amouranth, taking away one of the biggest money makers on her channel. The damage done to Amouranth's revenue may take time to heal, if she can recover at all.
Meanwhile, Twitch continues to add rules to its fledgling category. A May 21 blog post from the Twitch team titled "Let's Talk About Hot Tubs" discussed the new content category and emphasized that Twitch wants to allow hot tub streaming to continue without violating its nudity policies.
New rules and better communication
Twitch's blog post elaborated, "being found to be sexy by others is not against our rules, and Twitch will not take enforcement action against women, or anyone on our service, for their perceived attractiveness." However, the blog did not mention the fact that many of the demonetization efforts had been made on women's accounts, like Amouranth, who streamer xQc said may have been a scapegoat for the cause.
Twitch also acknowledged an argument that some fans have made online, by stating that "prohibiting every form of content that could be interpreted as suggestive would also result in far more restrictions on the video games and premium content that we currently allow." Strict rules on sexually suggestive content would almost certainly prohibit games like "Grand Theft Auto," which remains one of the most popular games online. In other words, it may not be a realistic proposition to try to police any and all potentially offensive content.
The blog post said that Twitch will continue to add rules to its policy soon, and that the hot tub category is just beginning and will naturally need work in its early days. Twitch also said it will be reaching out to creators to explain any updates to its nudity guidelines, opening up the lines of communication in the future.