back to article No nudity, please, we're GAMING: Twitch asks players to cover up

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 …

  1. Khaptain Silver badge

    Titillating, it might be for some

    Be carefull of the sticky controller, it's probably not coconut milk though...

  2. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

    NO FUN ALLOWED!

  3. Cosmo
    Joke

    Pasties

    Who knew that wearing Cornish pasties could get you banned!

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: Pasties

      Sidewalk, pavement

      soccer, football

      elevator, lift

      chips, crisps,

      fries, chips

      pasties, nipple tassels

      trash, rubbish

      1st floor, ground floor

      etc, etc

      1. Sir Runcible Spoon
        Coat

        Re: Pasties

        "pasties, nipple tassels

        trash, rubbish

        1st floor, ground floor"

        Ok, I'll bite...

        Where are the ground floors in US buildings then?

        1. Swarthy

          Re: Pasties

          "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.

      2. fishman

        Re: Pasties

        "soccer, football"

        You realize soccer is a British term?

    2. Nya
      Coat

      Re: Pasties

      If it's something like a steak bake that you are wearing that gravy could be a bit on the warm side when you run into A&E wearing it!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Pasties

        Certainly going to make my next visit to Cornwall a bit more interesting.

    3. Simon Harris

      Re: Pasties @ Cosmo.

      "wearing Cornish pasties could get you banned!"

      Damn - I can't dress up as a Klingon any more?

    4. Hellcat

      Re: Pasties

      The first thing that sprung to mind was...

      Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps - Jonny's Cornish Pasty Surprise. It's family friendly according to youtube!

  4. enerider

    Makes sense to me

    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. :-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Makes sense to me

      Strange thing is, I haven't seen anyone playing video games on any video on YouPorn.xxx. Or have I not watched enough videos there yet?

      1. stucs201

        Re: Strange thing is...

        You've just not found it yet - remember Rule 34...

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Makes sense to me

        I've seen it on xtube years ago.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    no more streaming just dance then

    some people could consider dancing risky (a risk of getting hurt by banging into things/knocking things over)

  6. frank ly

    Comfort

    If I'm sitting down for any length of time, I want good supportive underwear.

  7. dan1980

    "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'.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bought by a big american corporation

    Now it's streamlining and family safe which is the order of the day.

    It's the "borifying" of former indy websites.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. dan1980

      Re: Bought by a big american corporation

      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.

      1. Ragarath

        Re: Bought by a big american corporation @Dan1980

        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.

        1. Swarthy
          Trollface

          Re: Bought by a big american corporation @Dan1980

          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!

      2. Jedit Silver badge
        Mushroom

        "If an adolescent sees a bunch of people comfortable in their bodies..."

        You realise you just openly supported adults displaying their genitals to children?

        1. dan1980

          Re: "If an adolescent sees a bunch of people comfortable in their bodies..."

          @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.

        2. kmac499

          Re: "If an adolescent sees a bunch of people comfortable in their bodies..."

          Possibly; but the general rule is restricting

          "adolescents seeing a bunch of people comfortable in other peoples bodies..."

        3. Cynic_999

          Re: "If an adolescent sees a bunch of people comfortable in their bodies..."

          And ... ? Name one reputable research that found that children are in any way harmed by the sight of exposed genitals.

  9. Valeyard

    Emulators

    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

  10. Raumkraut
    Thumb Down

    Humdrum Entertainment Inc.

    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.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Obitim
      Coat

      Re: Humdrum Entertainment Inc.

      Sounds like there's already been a lot of truncheon waving...hence the new t's and c's?

  11. Arctic fox
    Happy

    I rather suspect that.............

    "But what's more likely is that some people have been engaging in anti-social behaviour online and Twitch wants to put a stop to it."

    ..........Twitch is worried about people exhibiting all too "social" behaviour!

    1. dan1980

      Re: I rather suspect that.............

      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.

  12. ukgnome
    Trollface

    But....

    What about my right to bare arms?

    Shirley this is against some basic right?

    etc etc

  13. Haku
    Coat

    "No sex please, we're Twitch-ish"

  14. Gene Cash Silver badge
    Go

    Thanks Twitch...

    Given the "physique" (or complete blubbery lack thereof) of the average gamer, I certainly applaud this move. Not to mention I really don't want to see their tiny "thumb in the bush"

    1. dan1980

      Re: Thanks Twitch...

      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.

  15. wikkity

    Why?

    Maybe I'm getting old and missing the point, but why do people want to watch people playing computer games? I can vaguely understand why someone would want to watch the actual gameplay but watching the player completely stumps me.

    1. Haku

      Re: Why?

      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.

    2. JaimieV

      Re: Why?

      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.

  16. unitron
    Coat

    So that's what they're calling it now?

    "There are even regular events where gamers get naked and twiddle their controllers..."

    Mine's the grimy one with the tissues in the pocket.

  17. E_Nigma

    Not Sure

    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.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Not Sure

      Well, Share already!

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And the uncensored version is where ?

    That is all

  19. BigFire

    Just the other day I was browsing through twitch.tv and came accross this 400lb guy, naked in the insert video playing a game. I cannot unsee what I saw.

  20. mtp

    Pasties - serious

    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.

    1. Gavin King

      Re: Pasties - serious

      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.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like