Twitch’s latest TwitchCon made the news quite a lot recently, but not all of it was positive, such as an interview with a security guard who worked the recent event who shared disturbing allegations about attendees' behaviors throughout the convention. The convention brings together viewers and streamers on the popular streaming site in an environment where fans can get the chance to meet some of their favorites. It also allows creatives to network and grow their own personal brands, attend many unique panels, and participate in events.A streamer even broke their back at one TwitchCon eventthat was supposed to be safe.
The first ever TwitchCon was hosted byTwitchin2015 at the Moscone Center, located in San Francisco, California. It attracted about 20,000 gamers and has grown ever since. For those who could not attend in person, panels were streamed online. The second-ever event the following year moved to its current venue, The San Diego Convention Center, where Comic-Con also takes place. Over 2 million viewers tuned in just for TwitchCon. With thousands attending, staff would no doubt encounter their fair share of issues.
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On the Livestream Fail Reddit, one user shared a video posted by Twitch streamer jaystreazy, depicting a brief interview with a security guard who worked TwitchCon this month. The unidentified employee expressed their feeling of relief that TwitchCon was over and that they were clearing the venue out. When asked why the security guard said that staff experienced verbal abuse throughout the convention and attendees not following rules. Besides Twitch having problems at its in-person events, it’s also experiencing many of them on the platform,such as disabling hosting mode.
The thread, which already has 4.5k upvotes and hundreds of comments, seems to have mixed reactions to this clip that has been viewed over 200,000 times. From some being disgusted to others not surprised thatTwitch viewerswould behave the same in person as they do online. The security guard also commented that many of them seemed extremely “entitled” and did not know how to behave in social settings, such as trying to use a crowded down elevator to go up.
Others who attended shared they experienced similar inappropriate interactions with fans from a guest perspective, such as being kissed on the cheek by a fan during a photo op. Also, according to the security guard, her co-workers dealt with similar and worse situations and were shocked by the level of disrespect. Rude behaviors are still a massive issue on Twitch, asover 4 million bot accounts were created last monthto just troll streamers online. Twitch has yet to respond to these recent allegations of verbal abuse against employees at TwitchCon 2022.
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