As you may know already there are some banned games on Twitch. Streaming service has long been associated with censorship in the eyes of the public.
Moderators ban literally everything: careless statements, lack of tolerance, obscene language.
However, the account can also be blocked for streaming the “wrong” video game.
Banned games on Twitch: general situation
So, what banned games on Twitch are for streaming which you can get banned by platform?
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The official rules of the service state the following: the gamers are not allowed to stream projects with an age rating of 18+ and those games that violate the rules of the community.
The fact is that in North America, an organization named the ESRB is responsible for age ratings. Representatives of this agency sort all conventionally “adult” releases into two categories: M and AO.
If the game is assigned an M rating, then people over 17 years old can play it. The AO label is awarded to projects that, in the opinion of the committee, can only be viewed by adults.
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And at this point, confusion arises. In Europe, after all, there is no analogue to the M rating – there all “age” releases are marked with a strict 18+.
Does this mean that a conventional European streamer under 17 cannot stream God of War with M rating? Fortunately, he can.
Maybe it’s simply because the PS 4 exclusive is rated M in the US only. The 17+ age group itself is an artificially created invention of the American marketing machine.
The second part of the rules is even weirder. The fact is that Twitch reserves the right to block accounts that broadcast games that viewers are complaining about and that allegedly do not comply with community guidelines.
So it turns out that de jure any adult project can fall into disgrace – for example, like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with its famous intimate scenes.
The rules of Twitch seem to be aimed at creating a comfortable, non-toxic community, but at the same time they allow the administration of the service to always turn the situation in their favor.
Finally, the Twitch administration provides a short list of banned games that did not receive an AO ESRB rating, but their stream is prohibited.
We have compiled for you the TOP 5 games that are definitely not worth streaming on Twitch.
The list of top 5 Banned games on Twitch
Manhunt 2
Today, Rockstar Games releases one game every few years. In the mid-2000s, the situation was completely different.
Under the brand of “rock stars” some indecent number of hits came out. At the same time one game stood out, which, even by the standards of the brand, turned out to be too bloody, cruel, limitless.
Of course, we are talking about Manhunt. The plot of this stealth action told the story of a prisoner sentenced to death named James Cash, who, by the will of fate, received a “reprieve” of the sentence. He turned out to be a participant in a grandiose snuff show, the main stake of which was the very life of the hero.
Cash found himself in a location full of bastards. The former suicide bomber reciprocated the enemies and cut them out in bundles: using a plastic bag, a baseball bat, bricks and other improvised means.
Of course, a game with a concept like Manhunt could not go unnoticed among moralists. In some countries the Rockstar North project was banned, but the game still didn’t receive AO rating – only the standard “M”. Therefore, streaming the original on Twitch is theoretically possible.
Formally, Manhunt 2 retained the concept of the original: we still played as an outright bastard and quietly destroyed packs of opponents.
Only the second part was awarded an AO rating, which automatically turned the game into persona non grata for Twitch.
However, there is life hacking: the “Adults Only” label refers exclusively to the PC -Version of the project – console versions escaped with the standard M.
Therefore, if you want to show the audience Manhunt-2, you will have to connect the old console to the capture card.
For the computer version, a ban will almost certainly come. However, in such a scenario, it is better to forget about the project – to keep away from possible problems.
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Hatred
Today few people remember this, but the original Postal was an isometric shooter, the main character of which destroyed the people around him.
Even then, the game aroused many questions from opponents of interactive entertainment, but still managed to stay within the M rating.
Hatred is working on similar ideas. At the center of the story is an aggressive sociopath who not only hates people – he is ready to ruthlessly kill them.
Whether a passer-by, a policeman or a military man, it’s all the same.
So, the product of Destructive Creations is based on exactly the same ideas as the original Postal. Again, an isometric camera, a hero and liters of blood, lawlessness and cruelty.
But the game was even removed from Steam for a while – shortly after it was restored and Steam even apologized to the authors.
For streaming Hatred, you can get a warning from the Twitch.
Biko 3
Did you know that there is a whole class of Japanese games that almost never hit consoles? No, we’re not talking about visual novels and other dating simulators. Not sure what this is about? Here is one of the samples – Biko 3 , which is a Japanese rape simulator.
Biko is a completely legal game series that was released in Japan in the middle of the 2000s. The concept is as simple as possible: you play as a young man who must follow the victim and have sexual intercourse with her – of course, against the will of the lady.
Gameplay – pure stealth action. The player’s task is not to let himself to be noticed. Of course, Biko 3 has never officially left its homeland.
But streaming this simulator on Twitch is highly discouraged. Formally, the game does not have an ESRB age rating – therefore, Biko does not violate the first paragraph of the rules.
Porno studio tycoon
There is even economic strategy in the list of banned games on Twitch. And here is an example of a game that is available for purchase on Steam , but is strictly prohibited by the Twitch administration. It was not given an ESRB rating. The Porno Studio Tycoon is an economic strategy.
Actually, most of the time the player must solve economic problems. Which actress should you hire and how much should she be paid to? Which genre should you choose? Which country should you focus on when filming?
These and many other problems have to be solved by the gamer.
But the game is officially banned on Twitch.
Fahrenheit
Well, one more project, which is controversial in the rating sense and entered the list of the banned games on Twitch. The fact is that Fahrenheit itself, in its canon version, does not pose a threat to the streamer.
This is an interactive movie about how one guy ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Namely: in the toilet of a cheap eatery with a knife in hand and a corpse in the middle of the toilet. A couple of detectives follow the trail of the protagonist, and he himself tries to find answers.
The basic version of Fahrenheit received an M rating from the ESRB and was released without problems on PlayStation 2, Xbox Original , PC and became the forerunner of blockbusters such as Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human. However, it’s not worth streaming this product of Quantic Dream on Twitch. More precisely, it is about the so-called “director’s PC- version” of the game.
Why? The answer is simple – rating. Yes, interactive movie has been branded with the AO. And all because of the scenes of sex between main hero and his ex. In the extended edition it is somewhat different from the “ordinary” version. Streaming Director’s Cut is highly discouraged.
