The U.S. Navy VS Twitch

The Twitch streaming platform has undoubtedly become a very popular platform throughout the whole world. It has also become a way for some people to promote things not connected to streaming, similar to what AOC did recently. The Navy implemented new policies following a series of controversial user bans on Twitch that caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Because of this, it led to AOC filing an amendment to House appropriations bill H.R. 7617 on July 22nd that would have prohibited the military from streaming on platforms like Twitch. But the amendment was defeated. Additionally, Commander Lara Bollinger, Public Affairs Officer, Navy Recruiting Command, told The Esports Observer that the training material is a way to help streamers better engage the Twitch community.

“The slides were part of a training given to the Navy Esports team to teach them how to better engage fellow gamers as well as facilitate positive discussions based around their personal experiences in the navy”, Commander Lara Bollinger stated. U.S. Armed Forces have a presence in Esports through sponsorships and partnerships, and some through Esports teams composed of active-duty personnel.