Wednesday, 05 May 2021 18:26

Twitch Puts 'Let's Chat' Series on Pause After First Episode

Written by Brittni Finley
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After Twitch's first episode of its Let's Chat series faces backlash relating to transparency issues, Twitch will hold off on a second episode.

After just one episode, Twitch has put a hold on future episodes of its Let's Chat series due to negative feedback relating to the platform's transparency and lack of addressing community concerns.

Many folks are still unaware of what Twitch's Let's Chat series is. Essentially, it's a weekly Q&A show where users get a chance to ask questions and raise concerns, and Twitch's Director of Creator Development Marcus Graham, also know as djWHEAT, will respond to as many as possible to provide more transparency between the company's decisions and the viewers. One of the main complaints towards Twitch's platform that resurfaces from time to time is its ambiguous guidelines, such as with Dr Disrespect's mysterious ban but especially with bans as a whole.

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Graham spent the majority of the first episode of Let's Chat answering questions relating to what Let's Chat is and what the goal of the show is before broaching heated discussions within the Twitch community. However, viewers felt that djWHEAT was "tone deaf" during the stream, not grasping the concerns within the community. Others felt that he spent much time "rambling" instead of answering questions head-on as well as being "defensive," as one user in the chat accused on-stream. In light of these many complaints, Twitch will hold off on a second episode to change Let's Chat's direction.

One of the main concerns many users brought up in the chat was the ongoing hot tub controversy. While some people have hoisted the "who cares" attitude, others are upset by Twitch's lack of clear guidelines relating to sexually explicit and suggestive content. Graham promoted the use of the "Not Interested" button in regards to hot tub streams, but users want a clear-cut answer as to whether or not suggestive and mature content is allowed on Twitch in general. Viewers were upset that Twitch avoided this question during the Let's Chat episode, resulting in backlash. On the other hand, some others simply want to see an end to the hot tub meta completely and are upset to see Twitch not supporting that agenda currently.

Another example is that Twitch viewers want to see more transparency in the reason why content creators get banned, as sometimes, it's unclear even to the creator themselves why the ban took place. Graham's simple answer was, "No."

When it comes to Q&A sessions with large corporations, it's normal to see a community lashing out in dissatisfaction that their questions weren't answered. During the Twitch stream, the Creative Development Director made clear that Twitch wouldn't be answering "everything" on viewer's minds. So some pose the question: what was the point of the stream? Many people hope to see more transparency from Twitch, but following the stream, some wonder if Twitch is prepared to be more honest with the community in the way the Let's Chat show aims at.

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