Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has proposed a draft amendment to the House Appropriations Bill that would ban the U.S military from maintaining a presence on Twitch and similar live-streaming platforms. The purpose of this July 22nd amendment is to limit the recruiting of young gamers.
The U.S military currently has a variety of esports teams, ranging across a variety of games includingOverwatch,Call Of Duty,CS:GO,Fortnite,League of Legendsand more. The military was also active on streaming services such asTwitch prior its recent ‘break’, streaming games and using the platform to interact with viewers.
The concern is that streaming platforms are being used to target young gamers and direct them to military recruitment. While this concern may seem outrageous at first glance, there have been reports that the U.S army had offered free giveaways for Xbox Elite Series 2 controllers in its stream chat,only to direct those who clicked to recruitment forms. Twitch has since reportedly banned these giveaway offers.
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Because of how much the US Government puts into Military spending the foray into streaming has drawn raised eyebrows from more than just Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but she appears to be working the hardest to curb things from progressing. Swiftly making a large impact in her role as Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district andherself an avid gamer, Ocasio-Cortez stated, “War is not a game and the Marine Corps' decision not to engage in this recruiting tool should be a clear signal to the other branches of the military to cease this practice entirely.”
This opposition is further inflamed when Army-associated channels have banned viewers for mentioning U.S war crimes, resulting in a review by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLV) for censorship and the Knight First Amendment Instituterequesting these accounts stop censoring viewers in the future.
Twitch has historically been uneven when it comes to enforcing its rules. The community guidelines can often be interpreted differently, resulting in many streamers feeling that they may have been unjustifiably banned out of the blue. Some of the most prominent components of these guidelines include no violence, threats, or hateful conduct, no breaking the law, and no spams, scams, and other malicious conduct. With the previous case of military accounts promoting recruitment under the guise of giveaways, there wasno action from Twitch, something many viewers noticed.
While many may see these streams as merely an outlet for military personnel to enjoy themselves, there is no denying that there is a sense of organization by utilizing these military branches as teams. While it may be fun to promote competition between the Navy, Army, and Air Force, not unlike their traditional sports rivalries, the increased outreach to young adults and children is where things get murky.
Although AOC is wasting no time in her role, the proposed amendment will still need to be reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee on Rules along with the other proposed amendments. From there, the committee will determine which amendments make it through to be further reviewed by the Senate. The next meeting of the HACR is the week of July 27th.
