The streaming platform Twitch has abolished a popular tag. “Blind playthrough” referred to the category term for playing a game for the first time without guides or information. However, “blind” should no longer be used in this case; they want an “inclusive language.”
What tag is it about? Twitch has been using official tags since 2018 to clearly mark what viewers can expect from a stream.
There are tags like “Bodypainting”, “Glitch Hunting”, “MMO”, “New Game”, and many dozens more. Among other things, languages are categorized this way, and each individual LoL champ has its own tag.
The tag “Blind Playthrough” meant: The streamer plays a game for the first time without informing themselves significantly about the game beforehand. The chat should not give the player any tips.
This designation is especially popular with games where the streamer has to puzzle things out, such as adventures or puzzle games.
Just like people used to say “That is gay”
What was wrong with the word? Over time, complaints about the tag arose on Twitter, especially from gamers with disabilities. For example, Steven Spohn explained on Twitter in June that words about people with disabilities are used to describe “bad or negative situations.”
He listed examples:
- Lame
- Blind to criticism
- Fall on deaf ears
- Don’t be a spastic
- Retarded
In the case of “blind playthrough,” there is a better and more accurate alternative with “Playing Through for the First Time.” “Blind playthrough” sounds more like you have to turn off the monitor and that is not what is meant.
Just like how people used to say “That is gay” to describe negative things, today one would say “That is lame” even though they meant “That is bad.”
This is what Twitch itself says: Twitch has removed the tag “Blind Playthrough.” A marketing employee at Twitch explicitly welcomes this. She says people could use “First Playthrough” and “No Spoiler” to achieve the same effect.
This is the background: Twitch reflects a discussion that is being held in society:
- Proponents of such language changes say: Language changes permanently. Terms that demean or offend marginalized parts of the population in some way must be changed. This is right. Language shapes consciousness.
- Critics of the language changes reject this. Terms like “blind” are not negatively connoted. It is the wrong approach to want to change language; one must change the injustices in society, and such debates only distract from that. Substitute expressions are often artificial and almost ridiculous.
In Germany, the debate particularly ignites over the “generic masculine” or terms that are perceived as racist, such as “Gypsy Schnitzel” or “Mohrenkopf.”
The streamer “BlindlyPlayingGames” is actually blind and a talented player in online shooters. We reported on his success in the online shooter Overwatch in 2019:
Overwatch: Twitch streamer is blind – Achieves Play of the Game 4 times in a row
