To Tag or Not To Tag: The Interplay of the Twitch Tag System and LGBTQIA+ Visibility in Live Streaming

Abstract

Video Game Live Streaming (VGLS) has become increasingly popular in recent years. Twitch, one of the largest streaming sites, has implemented measures to protect and promote marginalized groups, including the LGBTQIA+ community. One example is the “LGBTQIA+” tag a tag a streamer can attach to their steam. However, little is known regarding how the Twitch VGLS community actually reacts to this design feature and how such a feature affects LGBTQIA+ streamers’ online presence and experiences of visibility. By qualitatively analyzing 381 threads and comments from the Twitch subreddit (r/Twitch), in this paper we identify the impacts of the Twitch Tag system on the VGLS community’s perceptions of gender and sexuality in streaming, the streaming community’s ability to find LGBTQIA+ streamers, and harassment towards LGBTQIA+ streamers. We not only expand existing knowledge of LGBTQIA+ gamers’ unique experiences of online presence and visibility in streaming but also provide potential design recommendations for future live streaming platforms to better support LGBTQIA+ streamers and viewers.