Twitch bans "simp" and "virgin" as derogatory words

Twitch is under fire once again after the company's Town Hall stream. In the broadcast, high profile members of the streaming platform publicly discussed issues such as the DMCA controversy, ads, and updates to their Hateful Conduct and Harassment policy, with Twitch's COO revealing the news that words such as "Simp," "Incel," and "Virgin" will be treated as derogatory insults moving forward.

Simp, a word that's become notoriously used in the gaming community throughout 2020 usually refers to people, specifically men, who are seen as too attentive and submissive to women, to a point where it can be considered an obsession.

(Picture: Twitch)

The original meaning of the word has been somewhat lost, as users constantly utilize simp to describe men that show an ounce of respect towards women. 

Sara Clemens, Twitch's Chief Operating Officer, revealed that the new harassment policies include guidelines regarding derogatory statements "about another person's perceived sexual practices," with the word simp classified as a "sexually focused term."

"Using terms like simp, incel, or virgin is an insult. To negatively refer to another person's sexual activity is not allowed under this new policy," Clemens stated.

The term incel is another word that the online community has been using with a negative connotation. The original meaning refers to an "involuntary celibate" or the inability to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one. In the gaming/streaming landscape, this term is often attributed to men who routinely show sexist behaviour towards women.

On top of this, Clemens added that channels using emotes related to the word simp will be forced to remove them. "We are proactively denying emotes that include the term simp and will remove them when reported."

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It seems the gaming community has reacted with confusion and disappointment. Esports consultant Rod "Slasher" Breslau remarked that Twitch missed the mark by banning these terms.

people online are absolutely overusing these terms that they're meaningless, and losers constantly misuse terms like simp to attack anyone who says anything nice about women. however this likely won't address either of these problems. so perfectly on brand for Twitch rules

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) December 16, 2020

"People online are absolutely overusing these terms that they're meaningless, and losers constantly misuse terms like simp to attack anyone who says anything nice about women. however this likely won't address either of these problems. so perfectly on-brand for Twitch rules."

We'll keep you updated as the story develops.