Popular streaming platform Twitch, recently faced criticism for a tweet that celebrated the success of VTubers in 2022. VTubing, which involves people creating and streaming as virtual avatars, has become popular on Twitch, with the VTuber tag becoming one of the top five tags on the platform. In the tweet, Twitch compared the creators behind the avatars to artificial intelligence (AI), which many VTubers found offensive and inaccurate. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the controversy and how VTubers are reacting.
 |
| Veibae is a female English VTuber based in the UK. |
To celebrate the success of VTubers on the platform, Twitch released a video highlighting some of the top creators and their work. The video included clips of Nyanners, Silvervale, Streamy winner CodeMiko, Uguubear. However, the caption attached to the tweet sparked controversy as it compared the real people behind the avatars to AI, stating that VTubers "grew and created AI like never before."
The Vtuber tag brought both avatars and viewers together in one great space, with Vtubers growing and creating AI like never before... oh, and some amazing characters and personalities came along with it. pic.twitter.com/9RhICpLVNU
— Twitch (@Twitch) December 22, 2022
Many VTubers on Twitch were unhappy with this comparison, with some saying that it was offensive and misrepresentative of the medium as a whole. They argued that the VTubers were real people with their own personalities and creativity, rather than AI. Some even accused Twitch of showing ignorance about the VTuber community and the work that goes into creating and streaming as a virtual avatar.
Overall, the controversy highlights the importance of understanding and respecting the medium of VTubing, as well as the people behind the avatars. It's important to recognize the hard work and talent that goes into creating and streaming as a VTuber, and not to diminish their achievements by comparing them to AI.
