Artists keep getting banned from Twitch and they aren't sure why

Olivia Richman Published 19/09/2019

It’s not only female streamers getting banned for lewd content on Twitch these days.

Artist Saejin was suspended for a second timethis week for showing a sexually suggestive drawing on stream. One more infraction and Saejin would face a permanent ban from Twitch.

Saejin took to Twitter to show the photo that got him suspended from the streaming platform. The drawing depicts bathing-suit clad female figures posing suggestively. It resulted in a three-day ban.

“The Twitch staff was kind enough to let me know in DM hours prior to the ban so I could back up the vids and prepare. TOS seems to be getting restrictive so the future of art on Twitch seems wack,” Saejin tweeted along with the art in question.

Saejin told his followers that if he ever were to receive a permanent ban he would be moving to Mixer, the streaming platform that Fortnite phenomenon Tyler “Ninja” Blevins now calls home. The South Korean streamer also noted that he wasn’t sure if it was worth even finishing his other latest art piece on Twitch since there was a high probability he’d get banned for showing them.

Twitch continues to ban suggestive art

Saejin is just the latest Twitch streamer to be banned from Twitch for “sexually suggestive content.” Just a few days ago, artist Sareui was also suspended for drawing revealing female characters.

The French pin-up artist had intentionally drawn the characters “exactly as they are in the game” Fate/Grand Order, which is often streamed on Twitch, she noted. Despite Sareui’s observation, Twitch stated that her drawings were “not in adequacy with the rules of the platform, including subjective/sexualized poses. The angle of the drawings focus on the butt in particular.”

This outraged Sareui, who stated that some IRL female streamers are “squatting in front of the webcam, showing off their ass.”

She also noted that she had asked Twitch for specifics, since she wasn’t sure if it was the clothing or the pose that broke Twitch’s rules. Part of her confusion was due to her having created similar drawings on the platform for over a year without receiving a single warning.

Sareui admitted that the ban may have been in response to the “slight shape of a cameltoe,” but she still was not sure. She told her followers that she plans to be more careful in the future to “avoid going against the Terms of Service again.”

As Sareui brought up, it’s not only video games that show similar content without any problem on Twitch. It’s the actual people that stream on Twitch as well. Many IRL streamers rely on sexy cosplay and suggestive angles to capture an audience’s attention, which doesn’t seem to garner as much backlash from the streaming platform. At least, until they show a bit more than they intend.

Other IRL streamers have gone so far as to appear wearing nothing but body paint, another art form that is seemingly fine by Twitch’s standards.

What has been the main focus for all of the artists responding to these recent bans is the inconsistency. It’s unclear why some things are banned, while other similar subjects are left alone. It also seems like the focus on lewd art is something new, since many of the artists haven’t had any such issues until recently. Twitch’s art community is fearful of the future of art on the platform, since it’s seemingly becoming so much more restrictive.

One Reddit user suggested that Twitch create an 18+ section or filter.

“They’re banning artists drawing art but they aren’t banning the titty streamers painting on their naked bodies. This person received a longer ban than the chick that flashed herself last week. They need to decide if all of this content is okay or none of it is. I personally think it has a place on Twitch in the right category but I’m sick of the discrimination,” they said.

Still, others on the forum feel the artists are purposely creating lewd art and should be held accountable.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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