Rinse and Repeat dev displeased over Twitch's policy on nudity in games
Rinse and Repeat, a shower simulation game created by independent developer Robert Yang, has been banned from being broadcast on Twitch due to the firm's policy on nudity in games.
Released last week, Rise and Repeat is a simulation game where players give "a hunk a helping hand" by soaping him up in the shower.
The fella won't always be in the mood for being soaped up, though: the player will have to pay attention to the weekly schedule posted on a bulletin board. This provides a bit of frustration to the player, as they will need to adhere to the schedule, thus delaying their own gratification so to speak.
According to GI.biz, Rinse and Repeat is the second title of Yang's to be placed on Twitch's list of 17 titles users aren't allowed to stream. The other is Cobra Club, which is Yang's take on the subject of "dick pics" sent by males in text messages and through services such as Snapchat.
Yang says there's specific point to Rinse and Repeat, as it's not just about titillation. But if you want to find out why it's not and learn more on the game, you should head over to Yang's blog, because the subject matter isn't the reason Twitch banned his game from being broadcast.
Bboth games feature full-frontal nudity, which is what Twitch has taken issue with, adding both to its list of 17 games which cannot be broadcast such as RapeLay, Battle Rape and even Second Life.
"On one hand, it is extremely validating as an artist to be acknowledged as 'dangerous' -- thanks, Twitch," said Yang. "On the other hand, the Twitch policy about sex and nudity is shitty and I'm going to complain about why I hate it and feel it's unfair, and also really unhealthy for video games as an art form."
Twitch states that nudity cannot be the core focus or "feature of the game in question." Occurrences in-game are fine as long as it's not the "primary focus of the stream."
"That means Twitch treats my games exactly the same as the disgusting RapeLay," he said. "This equivocation is offensive to me, when I focus heavily on ideas of consent, boundaries, bodies, and respect in my games.
"Gamers want so desperately for games to function as art, to witness games about the depth of human experience -- and here is Twitch, a crucial platform in games culture that had 44% livestreaming market share in 2014, insisting 'NO' -- games should only ever snicker about sex and nudity.
"The idea that nudity and sex are allowed on Twitch, only when it's tangential and exploitative, is a rather regrettable policy. It sends conservative messages for what is allowed to be a 'real game,' and discourages artistic experimentation from developers for fear of being banned from Twitch."
Yang feels this rule ignores context and instead focuses on the quantity of nudity included in games.