Twitch has removed the blind playthrough tag in response to complaints received by several visually impaired users.
The platform encourages streamers to use alternative terms such as “first playthrough” or “no spoilers” from now on.
The company’s director of community marketing and creators, Erin “Aureylian” Wayne, has explained that “I’m glad to see that Twitch has listened to everyone who shared feedback and removed the “blind playthrough” tag to encourage the community to use more inclusive language” (via Comic Book). “You can continue to use “first playthrough” or choose to use it in combination with “no spoilers” to imply the same thing.”
I’m happy to see Twitch following through on promises to address and resolving issues and concerns from the disability community. It’s just the beginning.
For those who will ask what’s wrong with “blind playthrough” this the thread that started thishttps://t.co/c3uN9LtRQb https://t.co/1y7DGqcFZ0
— Steven Spohn (Spawn) (@stevenspohn) December 4, 2020
Steven Spohn, the COO of Able Gaming and one of the best-known voices in the accessibility defense, added that “I’m glad to see Twitch has fulfilled its promises in solving problems and concerns of the community with disabilities. This is just the beginning.”
Twitch’s initiative comes just hours after The Game Awards announced that this year’s edition will include an audio track with description for people with blindness and visual impairments when it airs this week on YouTube Gaming.
The event’s producer, Geoff Keighley, confirmed this weekend on Twitter that this will be the first time the live event has provided an audio description to users, adding that “accessibility is important.”
