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Twitch council member faces backlash after calling for voice chat to be removed

New Twitch council member FerociouslySteph thinks voice chat is unfair and has called for the removal of the feature.
Twitch council member faces backlash after calling for voice chat to be removed

UPDATE: FerociouslySteph has since responded to her critics claiming she "won't be going anywhere".

 

Original story:

Twitch established a safety advisory council with eight members, including four long-time streamers, to help draft new policies for the platform, amongst other things. In this council is FerociouslySteph, who isn't wasting any time to share her opinions.

One of these opinions has caused some backlash from the community, as FerociouslySteph called for multiplayer games to remove voice chat.

 

FerociouslySteph on voice chat in games

Voice chat is something nearly every professional esports team or player uses. It is the best way to communicate with your team, in tournaments, ranked matches, or even just casually with friends.

FerociouslySteph, however, thinks in-game voice chat should be removed, as it is unfair. 

 

 

FerociouslySteph explained: "the only way to have a level playing field for the highest level of play is to not have voice chat... to not have people give up their linguistic profiles."

The streaming community reacted quickly to her stance on voice chat. For example, World of Warcraft star Asmongold said it was a big mistake to have FerociouslySteph on the council.

 

 

This isn't the first time FerociouslySteph has been calling for the removal of voice chat in games. In fact, she has been opposing "non-inclusive" mechanics such as voice chat for a long time. 

Her logic behind wanting to remove voice chat from games, as per a Tweet back in 2018, is as follows:

  • Voice chat is a competitive advantage.
  • Muting someone is a competitive disadvantage.
  • People who are harassed are likely (and encouraged) to mute their harassers. This is also the only way to stop the harassment, as leaving the game incurs penalties.
  • Therefore: people who are harassed must give up a competitive advantage in order to no longer subject themselves to abuse. Women and minorities should not be forced to choose between a competitive advantage or freedom from harassment.

FerociousSteph was quick to respond to opposition:

 

 

Keep in mind she is a Twitch safety advisory council member, and she has a say in the streaming platform policy creation...

If you are a bit tense after reading this article, check out our latest episode of Lockdown below to relax.

 

Lockdown: Ghost of Tsushima and Fnatic's Valorant tournament (14.05.2020)