xQc explains why Twitch streamer’s viral viewbotting stunt was “harmful”

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Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, the popular streaming star, expressed his concern over an alleged instance of view-botting on Twitch, stating that such actions are damaging since they seemed hard to accept for him.

Over the past several years, Twitch has encountered multiple instances of viewbotting. This practice involves creating artificial viewers for a channel, which can be done maliciously (with trolls attempting to get someone banned since it violates Twitch’s rules) or benevolently by streamers who believe it will lead to instant fame.

On March 19th, I found myself rather perplexed as I watched streamer QueenGloriaRP seemingly switch to a viewbotting tool during their live stream.

It appears that the live stream’s interface was used by the broadcaster to fabricate both viewers and comments on her channel. Shortly after showcasing the content, she abruptly ended the stream and subsequently was prohibited from using the streaming service owned by Amazon.

xQc can’t believe Twitch viewbotting

In a surprising turn of events, the video of her notable incident caught xQc’s attention, leaving him somewhat astonished by the sight.

Hey there! I’m flabbergasted by what I just saw on the screen. Regardless if it was a joke or not, it crosses a line and could potentially cause harm. If it was indeed a skit, it’s still inappropriate to broadcast such content. But if it’s real, showing something like that should be considered unacceptable, warranting a ban.

You could create a skit using text similar to ‘Enable Viewbot’ (or something similar), which was a method I used in the past, and I did it using the painting tool called Paint.

The individual streaming on Twitch and KICK argued that if the event was staged, it would be equally disappointing, likening it to somebody becoming enraged while playing a game such as Counter-Strike, since it’s possible to purchase victory in this context.

Friends, I’ve got an interesting live segment coming up for you all. I’ll be demonstrating a genuine software product you can purchase, and then I’ll be using a cheat program to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive! But let me tell you, that’s not cool at all,” he emphasized.

Over the course of time, Twitch has become more stringent towards viewbotters. In early March, they introduced a new method for users to flag channels that they suspect are artificially inflating their viewership with false accounts.

While some users express concerns about potential misuse, it’s evident that if such software becomes commonplace, it would undoubtedly serve a purpose on Twitch.

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2025-03-21 18:51