Twitch decided to pull the plug on the PogChamp emote a few days ago following comments made by Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez about the protests in Washington D.C. Twitch admittedly has a controversial history with how it handles emote modifications, although today, Twitch announced its plans to revive the iconic emote following a suggestion from a Twitter user.
The comments made by Gootecks involved the death of a protestor during the events that took place on January 6th. Twitch, taking issue with Gootecks allegedly inciting further violence, decided to remove the "PogChamp" emote, among several other decisions regarding the situation. Recognizing the sentiment and importance of the emote, the platform promised to work with the community to design a newer, more suitable emote to represent the high energy moments on Twitch.
Following up on a suggestion made by esports commentator and Twitter user Sean Plott, Twitch decided to roll with the idea of a new PogChamp every 24 hours, starting today. Plott's idea supposedly suggested a new, random PogChamp whenever someone types it in chat, so it appears that Twitch is going with a less frequent version that still encapsulates the immense hype behind the term "pog." In any case, the streaming platform is wholeheartedly leaning into the spirit of "figuring out 2021 together."
In support of Twitch's decision, many fans and smaller streamers have posted images of themselves or their favorites, supplying Twitch with plenty of material for future use. That said, the streaming giant may likely create an official submission form within the next few days, giving a more direct approach to fans and streamers wanting to become a "PogChamp."
Alongside Twitch's decision to remove the emote came its decision to suspend President Trump's channel, seeking to minimize any further damage he may cause. Trump's Twitch channel was largely used to broadcast his rallies, unlike other politicians who used the platform more traditionally. Twitch made this decision along with Facebook and Instagram, which both noted the potential for Trump to further incite violence if given a platform.
In the past, Twitch has shown far less leniency in how it manages bans according to ToS or its harassment policy. With this move, it's great to see that Twitch understands the significance the emote has to the greater Twitch community, as well as making the effort to improve it rather than deleting it indefinitely. With the outpouring of support from streamers and fans alike, it's clear that Twitch is taking a step in the right direction.