This was the first live TwitchCon event in the US since 2019. Robin L Marshall/Getty Images TwitchCon, hosted by live-streaming platform Twitch, ran from October 7 to October 9. Since Friday, attendees at TwitchCon have claimed that the event was poorly organized.
#BoycottTwitch began trending on Twitter on Sunday, the final day of TwitchCon. Amazon-owned streaming platform Twitch is facing calls for a boycott after its annual convention TwitchCon was criticized on Twitter by people who said they witnessed injuries, poor organization, and accessibility issues while attending the event, which ran from Friday October 7 to Sunday October 9 in San Diego. Hundreds of creators and fans have used the hashtag #boycottTwitch, leading to it trending on Twitter on Sunday.
Many described the safety issues as “gross misconduct” and said the event was mismanaged. It has led to some debate as other users question whether boycotting the platform would harm creators rather than help them. One of the most high-profile controversies to befall the convention involved a giant foam pit which various attendees said they were injured in.
On Sunday October 9, Twitch streamer Adriana Chechik, who posts gaming and ASMR content, tweeted that she broke her back in two places and had to undergo surgery after she jumped into the foam pit the day before. —Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) October 9, 2022 Two other streamers, known as EdyBot and LochVaness, tweeted that they were also injured when they fell in the foam pit, which NBC reported was one foot deep, despite USA Gymnastics stating foam pits should be between four and eight feet deep. —Rachel Zader ⚖️❣️ (@RachelZader) October 10, 2022 The foam pit was part of an interactive booth hosted by Lenovo and Intel, according to a tweet from one of Lenovo’s accounts.
Intel did not respond to Insider’s request for comment while Twitch referred Insider’s inquiries regarding the foam pit to Lenovo. A spokesperson for Lenovo told Insider the company is “aware of the incidents of TwitchCon visitors who sustained injuries” in the foam pit, adding, “Safety remains our top priority and we are working with event organizers to look into the incidents. “A Twitch spokesperson told Insider, “All working Twitch staff and vendors are trained in our protocols to ensure all attendees have a safe, enjoyable experience.
“Other people who attended the event reported further safety concerns. One user who goes by @fentysimp tweeted that two people fainted near her while she was queuing for a panel featuring the cast of Dream SMP, a private server featuring popular streamers known for their Minecraft videos. She told Insider, “When the door opened, everyone just ran in and I could hear staff shouting about a ‘medical emergency.
‘ My friend also had a panic attack while waiting. I wish things were organized and that the lines were directed the right way. “Streamer Mousey_May told Insider, “The security guard for the Dream SMP panel wouldn’t let me through.
I couldn’t get to the accessibility line which caused people to start surrounding me and pushing my dad and me in my wheelchair around. “Others said that TwitchCon closed down its “accessibility lines” and said that security didn’t do anything to aid wheelchair users. According to Dexterto, the Dream SMP panel was held in a room that seated only 400 people but the number of people wanting to attend greatly exceeded this, leading to crowds outside the event space.
“In response to larger-than-expected attendance at a panel on Friday, we reconfigured our line-up process and moved select panels to larger spaces as needed,” a spokesperson from Twitch told Insider. —meghost 👻 | TWITCHCON (@quackstoria) October 7, 2022 Others also criticized the platform for stating that a Twitch streamer known as cuptoast used she/her pronouns in a purported photo of a panel listing that was shared online. According to their Twitter account, cuptoast uses she/they pronouns.
In the image, streamer Aimsey was also listed as using she/her pronouns. According to their Twitter profile, they use “any pronoun (they/she/he). ” Some people argued that stating Aimsey’s pronouns as only being she/her constituted “misgendering.
“Twitch did not respond to Insider’s request for comment on this issue. —mel! Leaving Twitchcon 🙁 (@Shroombies) October 9, 2022The controversy follows intense backlash against Twitch leading up to the event for booking Megan Thee Stallion despite recently announcing a new revenue split with creators, as well as for how it has handled gambling and child safety concerns. For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider’s Digital Culture team here.
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From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/boycott-twitch-twitter-twitchcon-injuries-social-media-2022-10
