s1mple banned from Twitch again, says it's for homophobic slurs

Steven Rondina Published 31/10/2020

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is in trouble with Twitch moderators. Again.

The Natus Vincere star has been banned from the streaming platform. Again. This is his fourth time being banned from Twitch. Twitch hasn’t issued a statement on the matter, but s1mple suggested that the ban came from his using homophobic language. Again.

He touched on the matter on Twitter shortly after it was announced:

It’s funny that I get banned for aggression towards a person that says the word “Pidor” and specifically tries to ban me on the platform and I try to condemn him for this and say the forbidden word because I have a negative attitude towards it (because of rules)
— Sasha (@s1mpleO) October 30, 2020

According to s1mple, another player began using homophobic slurs in an attempt to get him into trouble with Twitch moderators. This led to a dispute in which s1mple referred to the word. s1mple believes that this argument is what led to the ban, even his use of the word wasn’t directed towards anyone this time around.

Regardless of the cause, Twitch moderators may have good cause to be on a hair trigger when it comes to s1mple and homophobic language.

The many bans of s1mple:

s1mple has not taken Twitch bans seriously

s1mple has faced bans on numerous occasions now for conduct that is in clear violation of Twitch’s rules. To this point, s1mple has shown no signs of learning from the experience.

s1mple’s first ban came in August 2019 when he called Natus Vincere teammate Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov a homophobic slur during a game. His response to the ban was blasting Twitch on Twitter and suggesting that using homophobic slurs is fine so long as it isn’t done out of malice.

The same exact thing happened the following November. s1mple was once again banned from Twitch for using a homophobic slur, and he again criticized Twitch, saying that the context of his words wasn’t being accounted for.

Champions Club,

Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision… Firm handshakes to all for the support during this difficult time.
While I’m enjoying my ban we can all enjoy my other streams with “great” giveaways that everyone can “easily” win
-s1mple
— Sasha (@s1mpleO) July 29, 2020

His most recent ban came in July. Though it isn’t clear what led to that ban, s1mple joked about the matter and made reference to the then recent ban of Dr Disrespect. This was despite the fact that a third ban from Twitch can often prove to be permanent.

To this point, all of s1mple’s bans have just been for one week. Early indications suggest that s1mple is not permanently banned, but it is unclear whether he will be facing serious time away from streaming or another relative slap on the wrist.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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