Following a rash of truly bizarre (and possibly illegal) broadcasts on Twitch.tv using the PlayStation 4’s “Playroom” app, the streaming platform will no longer host Playroom content, according to a statement given to Polygon.
It really was just a matter of time, one of those things we should have all seen coming. The PS4’s ability to livestream content simply by pressing a button (and having both a PS4 camera and Twitch or Ustream account) was bound to be abused. Often and early. It’s just human nature. So when reports of people using the Playroom app to show nudity, bad behavior, and, in one instance, a guy in a horse head mask motorboating a woman, we really shouldn’t have been surprised. Nor should we be surprised that Twitch has confirmed that broadcasts like those described above run counter to its Terms of Service and are henceforth verboten.
Most PS4 streams prominently display the game being played and allow for just a thumbnail of the actual user. The Playroom app, however, is an augmented reality game, which means the camera would broadcast the user’s real surroundings. One game in the Playroom allows you to interact with small, adorable robots. You can move them around, or you can use the controller to suck them up like a vacuum cleaner, leaving the screen free to broadcast whatever it sees.
One of the more disturbing instances of a Playroom stream came when a man and a woman proceeded to drink alcohol until the woman presumably passed out. The man then undressed her on camera, leaving her completely nude on air.
In response, Twitch has pulled any channels streaming the Playroom app.
“We removed Playroom content from the directory because a majority of it was non-gaming related,” a rep for Twitch told Polygon. “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.”
Update: The article has been updated to correct an error that originally misidentified the name of the show in question.
