Titillating, it might be for some
Be carefull of the sticky controller, it's probably not coconut milk though...
Twitch, the streaming site where users show off their gaming prowess to the public, has altered its terms and conditions to ban users from being cheeky by playing in the buff. "Nerds are sexy, and you're all magnificent, beautiful creatures, but let's try and keep this about the games, shall we?" the firm's updated rules of …
"Where are the ground floors in US buildings then?"In office buildings, the ground floor is wherever the lobby is.
In one building I worked in, the ground floor was on the 3rd floor, the 1st floor was underground, and the parking garage was beneath the 2 basements (no sub-basement, but there was a mezzanine). ...The IT department was located in the back of the lower basement.
Especially if you're there to watch one team of Mechs tear through the other lot, or watch as GassyMexican and friends do things as per usual. (although his drunk-casts might be getting trimmed as a result)
There are already plenty of other sites devoted to streaming all the hues of flesh, Twitch need not be one of them being a gaming-devoted site. :-)
"It's possible that Twitch is being told to be a bit more family friendly by its new owners, Amazon. But what's more likely is that some people have been engaging in anti-social behavior online and Twitch wants to put a stop to it."
No, no - it's the first one.
Independent service gets bought by big company; big company changes the terms of use to get rid of anything that doesn't fit their brand. So much for keeping their 'independence'.
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To the person who down-voted this post - why?
(Unless it was for the poster's nickname . . .)
This is exactly the point here - whether you think it's a good move or not. Independent sites and services can gain good followings by catering to niches (even if they are large ones!) and often part of their selling-point is exactly that they are independent and therefore don't have to be so stuffy; they can be irreverent - crude even, if that the vibe.
When such services are bought be big, mainstream companies, that irreverence is almost always lost and what starts as a site by gamers for gamers, sharing gamer humour turns in to a site for gamers by gamers and overseen by mum. (Or, more accurately, overseen by a board of directors who look only to profit.)
Whether you want to watch naked gaming or not, this is a gaming site that rejoiced in gaming and gamers - in all their nerdy, quirky glory.
Naked gaming events are certainly not my cup of tea* but the concept is excellent. Why? Because gamers have long been on the outer, socially, but they (we) have always been happy with what we are and who we are. Maybe I am reading too much into this but masses of people getting naked together has frequently been used to promote the idea of accepting who you are so it seems a perfect fit for a group who have long been deemed "uncool".
It's a "here I am and I don't care what you think". I don't believe it's supposed to be sexy and, in the words of an Australian punk band of my youth: "genitals are funny".
And d'you know what? If an adolescent (because the site is aimed at 13 and up, really) sees a bunch of people with the same interests as him/her who look normal, just as he/she does - not models from Victoria's Secret shows or Calvin Klein ads; not athletes or actors paid to be in perfect shape - and sees those people comfortable with who they are; comfortable with their interests, comfortable in their bodies, comfortable in the fact that what they're worth and how happy they are shouldn't - and needn't - depend on how they look or whether someone else approves of their (harmless) hobby, well, I don't think that'd be the worst of society's problems.
Oh, but, penises and public hair and boobs. Right, sorry, we should all be ashamed. Think of the children - what kind of a horrible world would it become if they all grew up thinking that people of all shapes and sizes are perfectly normal and shouldn't be worried about when they look like without a shirt.
(Sorry - that got away from me a bit . . .)
* - And were I to attend one they would quickly cease being anyone's cup of tea.
Great post especially this bit...
And d'you know what? If an adolescent (because the site is aimed at 13 and up, really) sees a bunch of people with the same interests as him/her who look normal, just as he/she does - not models from Victoria's Secret shows or Calvin Klein ads; not athletes or actors paid to be in perfect shape - and sees those people comfortable with who they are; comfortable with their interests, comfortable in their bodies, comfortable in the fact that what they're worth and how happy they are shouldn't - and needn't - depend on how they look or whether someone else approves of their (harmless) hobby, well, I don't think that'd be the worst of society's problems.
You'd never catch me doing it, as you mention, I would soon clear the room.
But, but, but.. If all these adolescents became comfortable with their body image, they would stop buying stuff to change it. Do you know how many industries would just die?! Won't somebody think of the diet pill spammers? This could single-handedly kill the snake-oil exercise gurus! And the therapists! If adolescents don't have emotional trauma and body image issues, who is going to pay the therapists' college loans?
If this gets out of hand, and (goodness forbid) girls start to think that their looks don't need changing, we could lose plastic surgery, cosmetics, and about 80% of the fashion industry! This MUST be stopped!
@Jedit
I am going to make a sweeping statement but one I feel is probably justified - no one doing this is trying to "display their genitals to children".
I suppose the Surma people of Ethiopia or the Koma people of Nigeria should have their children taken away by us responsible folk forthwith - they are displaying their genitals to children don't you know!
Yes, that's a little facetious but my point is that genitals are not "bad" and children seeing genitals is not, objectively, "bad" either. Hell - children often are washed together; at least we were when we were young.
How young are these "children" you are letting on the Internet unsupervised, anyway? If parents are supervising their children and talking to them - LIKE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO - then the conversation can be had about nudity and body image in a non-sexual context. If they aren't supervising them then I assure you that they will see nakedness in far less wholesome a context before long.
or if they are playing an obviously hacked or stolen game.
well considering most of their publicity comes from stuff like the pokemon stunts which are obviously on an emulator, which Nintendo has always* been aggressive against, this could seem a little self-destructive in the free press coverage stakes
*got my c64 copy of the great gianna sisters :D
What exactly was the problem with hosting these videos? Unless such content is highlighted by Twitch on the main page or something, people have to actively go out and seek these streams. So surely the sensible answer would be for Twitch not to highlight such streams, and have people who want to see them go find them specifically.
But instead we get the moral police waving their truncheons.
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Anti-social behaviour is one thing and, in a site dedicated to a community, that should be monitored.
I am yet to be convinced in what way that naked gaming is 'anti-social'.
As you say - this is SOCIAL behaviour. I know you were being funny (appreciated) but it's also true.
Hear, hear!
If you're not an international underwear model or cut/buff/trim athlete then for god's sake put it away. Yes, you were created in his/her image but he/she is a self-loathing and self-conscious god so cover up and hide your eyes and your shame.
Or, you know, stop listening to people who try to convince you that you have less worth because you don't fit the ideal that is currently in fashion.
But humour accepted - I am just on a mission tonight. At least I was; I am tired now.
Some of the big YouTube gamers have literally millions of subscribers and can generate enough money to live from, those are the ones that often attract many realtime viewers on Twitch.
But I'm with you on why would anyone want to watch the actual person playing the game rather than the game itself, especially as the YT gamers are known more for their voice (game commentary) than what they look like.
I do enjoy the ramblings of Nerd³ on YouTube, he's even got his dad into playing games and uploading game-play vids! As well as many colaboration vids where they fight each other to the death, with plenty of laughter.
For all the same reasons as people watch sports commentator shows?
Game videos only tend to have the player in a corner anyway, it's not like you're only watching their reactions. So it's more like watching sports, which are also being commentated.
Except with games there's a lot more personal interest. Unlike vegging out on the sofa watching the footie and shouting occasionally, you may be deciding whether to buy the game and play it yourself, or learning tips and tricks to get better at a game you already play, or you've finished the game and don't want to go back and play for another 40 hours to discover all the secrets and hidden things and alternate endings.
In relation to this news, the lads on another forum were discussing channels with large number of subscribers ran by girls with absolutely no gaming skill, but deep cleavages (I can supply the profiles, if anyone cares), one of which was described as "hopping on the chair all the time to make her boobs jiggle". In my opinion, it's ok if Twitch doesn't want them. Twitch is supposed to be about gaming, whereas those members are satisfying the form by holding gamepads, but are offering content of a different character.
I am with everyone else in having crazy visions of people wearing pasties ( I am sure there is a internet site dedicated to this but I refuse to look for it).
There are 2 obvious possibilities and I am curious as to which is relevant:
1) A El Reg hack made a very strange typo - inconceivable (unless Iocaine powder is involved).
2) Pasties is American for some item of clothing but this cannot include lingerie, swimsuits, or undergarments so I am at a loss as to what it could be.
It isn't a typo; may I refer you to this above post.
I only recently discovered this, and now can't stop giggling every time I go to the bakery.