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.
Twitch staff has completely lost it
— Haci (@DonHaci) May 14, 2020
>Remove voice chat from the highest level for giving unfair advantage, VOICE CHAT IS UNFAIR pic.twitter.com/sxjlB7PU1m
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.
It seems like a big mistake for them to have her on the council
— Zack (@Asmongold) May 15, 2020
From the clips and content I've seen, it will only serve to discredit the entire effort
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:
Oooo yeah whole lot of people with cis-white-male voices thinking voice chat is critical to competitive games being competitive.
— FerociouslySteph (@FerociouslyS) May 14, 2020
Tell me more about how we'll solve systemic misogyny and everything will be fine~ lol.
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.
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