Popular League of Legends content creator Joedat “Voyboy” Esfahani has received a ban from Twitch, however it currently remains unknown as to just why the streamer was hit with such action. The American was in fact part way through one of his regular streams when Twitch issued the ban, with Voyboy having taken to Twitter to proclaim his innocence.
The event took place on Thursday, with Voyboy having posted on Twitter that “ Uhm. Was just streaming League 5 minutes ago when looks like my @Twitch account got banned…”
Why the Ban for BoyBoy is a Major Surprise
Voyboy is not a streamer who regularly finds himself at the heart of controversy, making his ban all the more surprising. Esfahani creates content in the hope of improving the overall League of Legends scene, with many being attracted because of his unrivalled positivity.
However, Voyboy did upload an uncharacteristic rant regarding the solo queue in North American earlier this year, where he commented on the lack of discipline handed out by developer Riot Games for toxicity. Clearly passionate about the subject, Voyboy said “You can ask almost anyone and you will get a resounding agreement that the playerbase has gotten more toxic, there’s a lot more griefers, a lot more people inting games, going AFK because someone annoyed them, or just for no reason.”
His message was taken on board by Riot though, who promised that they would be taking steps to prevent poor in-game behavior. With no clear signs as to why he received a ban from Twitch, some have suggested that it could have been as a result of the Digital Millennium Copywright Act (DMCA). The DMCA means that videos can be taken down if they break music or other copywrighted work.
Is VoyBoy the Only Streamer to Be Impacted?
Some of the biggest personalities in Esports have been impacted by such changes, with many streamers having lost large amounts of work at the hands of Twitch. The leading streaming platform is now encouraging all users to familiarise themselves with copywright law, however there is currently no guidance available.
It remains to be seen as to how the situation with Voyboy will play out, however a DMCA ban would appear likely at this point. This would be a major blow to the popular League of Legends streamer, who has amassed a significant following on Twitch.