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Twitch on Thursday introduced extensive changes to its policies on sexual content, allowing streaming of content that depict female body parts, which earlier were kept largely at bay through a verbal gauze of the firm's dos and don'ts.
Twitch now permits content – with label -- that deliberately highlights areas like breasts, buttocks, or pelvic regions.
The top gaming streaming service acknowledged the confusion that stemmed from the previous guidelines, which made it challenging for streamers to discern what was acceptable, leading to subjective evaluations and, at times, disproportionate penalties, especially for female-presenting streamers.
The company also allowed fictionalised depictions, such as drawn, animated, or sculpted fully exposed female-presenting body parts, irrespective of gender, purportedly in support of "artist community" and in a bid to "rectify what was perceived as an overly punitive stance in the previous policy."
The company modified its policy to permit body writing on female-presenting breasts and/or buttocks, aligning with Twitch's existing 'Attire Policy,' which already allows body art on these areas.
It also now allows "erotic dances" involving disrobing or disrobing gestures, like strip tease.
It's important to note that the changes involve labelling of such content to provide more clarity to both streamers and viewers and help them make more informed choices about the content they engage with on the platform.
The firm, however, clarified that "games featuring nudity, pornography, sex, or sexual violence as a core focus or feature are entirely prohibited" as well as any "simulated sexual activity or erotic roleplay."
Twitch is a widely-used online streaming service primarily designed for the live broadcast and viewing of video content, especially video games. Established in 2011, Twitch has expanded its scope to encompass various content genres, including music, creative arts, and talk shows.
Twitch allows "streamers" to broadcast their live content to an audience, engaging with viewers through a chat feature.
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