Twitch’s changing guidelines could have a real economic impact on Vtubers
Vtubers may appear on screen as digital avatars, but now these streamers face the same rules as in real life. Earlier this month, Twitch added: “Enforcement Notes‘ to the terms of service that say the anime characters must adhere to the platform’s clothing and apparel guidelines – and it’s causing a lot of problems for some Vtubers.
“The dress policy applies to VTubers in the same way it applies to other streamers,” Twitch said. community guidelines are now listed. The guidelines say that genitals, buttocks, hips, “female presented nipples” and underbreast “must be covered at all times during general flows.” Twitch also explicitly points out that these rules often forget about hip coverage and that Vtubers should ensure their models have this area covered.
Immediately a few Vtubers protested the change And claimed that Twitch is imposing stricter moderation on its virtual characters. Unlike real creators, who can simply put on a different outfit, changing the look of a Vtuber involves a lot more work. The character models can vary in complexity, but they require original art, animations, and a rigger to ensure a streamer can pop the avatar correctly.
“If you want to permanently change your design, you MUST go back to your original artist/rigger as most do not allow edits to their work,” a Vtuber known as LithiaVeyTuber told Polygon via email. “And many of these artists/riggers have high prices and wait times that can last several months. The result is that you end up spending so much extra time and money on what feels like a ridiculous rule.”
LithiaVeyTuber, a Vtuber and artist who creates character models for Vtubers, responded to the change by jokingly creating a “Vtuber chastity belt” so streamers with visible hips can stay within Twitch guidelines. The thick metal belt has a 2D art style and can be worn over a character model.
“I wanted to poke fun at Twitch and give Vtubers something to laugh about, so I thought a chastity belt would be both funny and potentially useful,” she told Polygon.
While this giant metal patch may allow someone to continue streaming in the short term, it is a temporary solution while Vtubers get new models made.
Twitch expanding its dress code to Vtubers is just another knot in an ever-expanding and complicated web of guidelines Twitch has around moderating sexual content on the platform. Real-life streamers have flirted with Twitch’s guidelines by starting trends like the “hot tub meta” or hosting ASMR yoga streams. Vtubers can create NSFW content outside of Twitch, but an exposed hip doesn’t mean a Vtuber is trying to create explicit content — it could just be part of a character’s design.
Additionally, Twitch also has rules around streaming sexual content in video games. According to Twitch’s guidelines, the platform bans any content that depicts “real or fictional nudity.” But the specific rules around clothing “apply to Vtuber models, but not to video game characters, including those uploaded to games like VRChat.” In other words, sexualized characters from a game like Zenless Zone Zerofor example, may not be moderated in the same way as a Vtuber.
“Going forward, I will make sure that any designs I create or draw for Vtubers are safe to stream,” said LithiaVeyTuber. “The only bad thing is that it’s hard to predict what else Twitch might ban in the future, especially the hips thing feels like it came out of left field.”
Polygon has reached out to Twitch for a statement and will update this article if we hear back.