Blizzard Forcing Twitch Users To Connect To Blizzard.Net

Blizzard is looking to control disruptive Twitch users chats on official Overwatch streams. They will be requiring that chat participants link their Twitch and Battle.net accounts together before sending messages during a stream.

To send a message in a Twitch chat during the live-streamed events, viewers will have to log into Twitch first and then link their Battle.net accounts. Currently, it is only in a testing phase, but disciplinary action will be taken if the test is successful to curb toxicity & abuse in official channels.

Blizzard explains the move as a new moderation program, that will run during the upcoming Overwatch Contenders quarterfinals from now through January 12, 2019.

In a blog post, Blizzard says that the change hopes “to improve the viewer experience for the Overwatch Path to Pro ecosystem” and that the team will evaluate how, if at all, the requirement led to a “more positive viewing experience.”

The move should trickle down to even more games and services if the test is successfully as one of the big issues with gaming today, is how bad communication is in most games.

For games to truly be taken seriously not only at a professional sports level but also as a serious contender for viewership in mainstream media, they have to figure out how to curb how people perceive games as a whole.

They first start is by eliminating the people that could hurt the brand negatively.

Do you think, anonymity should be removed from online games? or does the gaming scene need the same media platform professional sports players have with public scrutiny?