Published 15:41 IST, January 8th 2021
Why was PogChamp removed from Twitch? Will it return to the streaming site?
The PogChamp emote has been one of the highly used emotes on Twitch; however, it has now been removed. Why did PogChamp get removed from Twitch? Find out.
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Earlier this week, a huge number of pro-Trump protesters swarmed the US Capitol building, invading chambers and various other places. The events ultimately led to live streaming service Twitch removing Pogchamp, which happened to be one of the most prominent emotes on the platform. It became one of the hottest global emotes on Twitch when it was first added in 2012. It has since been used by viewers to express surprise in chats or when they saw something particularly hyped. The emote also went on to become a big part of the Twitch culture, where different variations of the 'word' were used by Twitch streamers and even YouTube content creators to convey an expression.
Why did PogChamp get removed from Twitch?
The PogChamp emote was pulled off by Twitch after popular gamer Ryan Gutierrez, better known as Gootecks (the face behind the emote), posted a controversial tweet on his Twitter handle following the riot at the US Capitol. Gootecks questioned on his Twitter if there will be civil unrest for the woman who was executed inside the Capitol. Following the PogChamp tweet, Twitch decided to remove the PogChamp emote and explained its decision through a series of tweets. Here's what it had to say:
We've made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today.
— Twitch (@Twitch) January 7, 2021
We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on – its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself– and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can't in good conscience continue to enable use of the image.
— Twitch (@Twitch) January 7, 2021
We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch.
— Twitch (@Twitch) January 7, 2021
PogChamp emote removed from Twitch: Will it return on the platform?
With the emote now removed from the platform, it is obvious that Twitch users will no longer be able to use it on the platform. However, the last tweet from the streaming service confirms that the company will be working to develop a new emote which can be used by people to express the most hype moments on the platform. This also means that the streaming site has no plans to bringing back the PogChamp emote in the future.
Twitch has been constantly revising and updating its policies to ensure that its users and all communities can create together safely on the service. The company has recently updated its Hateful Conduct and Harassment Policy which is set to go into effect starting January 22, 2021.
For those unaware, Gooteks is one of the popular internet personalities who is mostly recognised as a professional Street Fighter player in the world of gaming.
Image credits: Cross Counter TV | YouTube
15:41 IST, January 8th 2021