It’s time for another roundup of the most important streaming news from the previous week. While there hasn’t been much drama, there have been some major esports announcements, refund issues, and some awkward air-guitaring to compensate.
The International Casters
The English broadcasting team for Dota 2 The International 10 has been revealed by Valve. Fogged, Sunsfan, Sumichu, and Lyrical will be among the artists performing. Streamer Ephey was perhaps the most well-known name on the list. They tweeted, “I just want to thank my community, my friends, and all the awesome and talented people I’ve worked with recently for believing in me when I didn’t.” The International 10 has a $40 million prize pool, which is the largest in the tournament’s history. The group stages will take place from October 7 to 10, followed by the main stage finals from October 12 to 17. Prepare for some intense MOBA action.
PGL Believes in Complete Vaccination
In-person events, particularly those involving large crowds in an enclosed space, may take some time to return. Keeping this in mind, PGL Esports, a company that hosts major tournaments for games like FIFA, Dota 2, and CS:GO, will now require all participants and attendees to show proof of vaccination. “I am convinced that the only way to bring massive LAN events back is to require complete vaccination of all attendees, talent, and spectators. “All upcoming PGL 2022 events will require this,” CEO Silviu Stroie explained.
Women in Gaming
BrookeAB, Ninjayla, and Ava.GG spoke on a recent women in gaming panel about how they rose through the ranks despite the odds being stacked against them. JBL hosted the panel, and the company partnered with 1,000 Dreams Fund to launch the Quantum Grant, a program that aims to help women break into the gaming industry. Ava.GG discussed how far things have progressed, saying, “Now I can solo queue in a game and not get a reaction.” “In Call of Duty, you’d either get the sexist, rude guy or the guy who was like, ‘Oh my God, a girl!’ It was exhausting.”
Life is Awkward
Since its debut last week, Life is Strange: True Colors has impacted a large number of people. Unfortunately, thanks to the streamer mode, what was supposed to be a bonding moment between Alex and Gabe Chen over some music, dance, and air-guitaring turned into an awkward scene. To avoid copyright infringements and DMCA takedowns on Twitch, games now include a “streamer mode” that removes any copyrighted content. Unfortunately for Alex and Gabe, this meant that they were dancing to silence while their footsteps could be heard clearly. Awkward!
No Refunds for Trolls
Due to an increase in illegitimate chargebacks from users looking to troll streamers, Twitch has changed its refund policy. “To better prevent misuse, we’ve revamped our refund process. This will help us protect your revenue while also allowing legitimate refunds to be processed quickly for those in your community who require them,” the streaming platform stated on Twitter.
