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News

Twitch Removes PlayStation 4 Playroom Content From Directory

by Mike Futter on Nov 26, 2013 at 12:45 PM

Earlier this week, we reported on some users abusing the PlayStation 4’s Twitch streaming capabilities. While some, like The Spartan Show, have done great things with it, attracting thousands of viewers and even Sony representatives, others have chosen a different route.

This has led Twitch to remove take streams using Playroom out of rotation. “We removed Playroom content from the directory because a majority of it was non-gaming related,” a Twitch representative told Game Informer via email. “We will look into adding it back as PS4 owners become more familiar with the games-only focus of Twitch content. In the meantime, you can view all of the amazing gameplay from PS4 broadcasters in this directory page on Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/directory/all/ps4.”

With both consoles having cameras and the ability to share live or recorded images, platform holders and the service providers will have to step up monitoring. There has been a lot of good that has come out of making streaming more egalitarian, but clearly some are pushing the boundaries of taste.

 

Our Take
As we saw with Nintendo and SwapNote, these services are privileges and not guaranteed rights. I expect suspensions and bans to start flowing more easily, as Twitch and platform holders choose firmness early on to set the tone. 

If that doesn’t work, we may see these services go away entirely. If you value the technology and the opportunity to share your play with the world, don’t mess it up. You will likely ruin it for yourself, if not everyone else.