The accusation from two former Twitch employees, as posted on Twitter, was:
He got banned because got caught sexting a minor in the then existing Twitch whispers product. He was trying to meet up with her at TwitchCon. The powers that be could read in plain text.
Beahm’s direct response to that specific allegation is:
Were there twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes. Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more.
So the detail of “sexting” is “in dispute” in the sense that the predator denies the allegations, but predators always deny allegations. And the fact that his formal denial still included details like “sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate” is really sus.
So to me, saying “we don’t know if it was sexting, all we know for sure is that inappropriate messages were sent” has the same energy as saying “no criminal charges have ever been brought against me”. We don’t need photo evidence to know he was a creep.
If you’re just catching up on this news now: Twitch dropped him because they found Twitch DMs where he was sexting a minor and discussing plans to meet up with said minor at TwitchCon.
it’s the car manufacturers that piss me off on this. Why is the license timed? Why isn’t it licensed on a “per game release” basis? What does Toyota lose if the 94 Celica is still driveable in a dead racing game from 10 years ago? It’s clearly a case of game devs having to acquiesce to the demands of stakeholders that don’t understand video games.
Great write up, thank you for sharing and I can’t wait for Part 2! I’ve never heard of X4, but now you’ve got me curious to check it out. I appreciated your thoughts on Stellaris. I played Stellaris after Crusader Kings and found myself wishing it had a little more of Crusader Kings in it, so it’s interesting to hear you describe it as having “a high focus on randomized events, narrative events, and overarching story lines.” Maybe I need to give that another chance, too.
I think the author (Brendan Sinclair) probably agrees with exactly what you’re saying - the piece is a discussion of the question, and Brendan discusses some of his more open-ended thoughts in the section that comes after the paywall cut. His central focus seems to be on the question of why the execs at the top never face accountability for these exposed failures of leadership. It isn’t to say that no good comes from these investigative pieces, but just exploring this specific aspect of it.
That said, I also agree with you that this particular article struck me as rambly.
It expires when they ink a new contract, as far as I can tell. I think they hold off on the strike for as long as negotiations are ongoing. I think jumping to a strike can poison the well in negotiations like this, so they try to get as far as they can amicably before going scorched earth.
A strike authorization is a powerful tool that gives your Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee added leverage at the bargaining table by demonstrating to the video game companies that SAG-AFTRA members support their committee and are willing to fight for a fair deal. It does not automatically mean there will be a strike. If 75% or more of eligible members casting ballots vote YES, a strike authorization passes and gives your National Board the authority to call a strike after the contract expires. In the case of SAG-AFTRA’s Interactive Media Agreement, assuming a strike authorization is approved by members, that means the National Board can call a strike anytime after September 26, 2023.
With all the exclusives that Sony has ported to PC, it’s so mind-boggling that this is the one they’ve kept on ice. Maybe they feel like a remaster is their ace-in-the-hole for PS6, a la Demon’s Souls?