PogChamp emote banned for links to Capitol violence

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The PogChamp emote on Twitch is one of the oldest on the platform and was commonly used by gamers to signify joy and surprise. But the face featured in the emote, professional gamer and street fighter entrepreneur Ryan Gutierrez, drew attention after he posted a call for “civil unrest” on Twitter on Wednesday.

Gutierrez, who tweets under the gootecks, called the woman who died after being shot on Capitol Hill a martyr #MakeAmericaGreatAgain and has pushed for civil unrest in response to her death. He followed up with another tweet claiming he was censored, saying “PS Big Brother Twitter wouldn’t let me post the url, so if you don’t think big tech censorship is real, you go.”

Gutierrez did not tweet about the Twitch emoticon ban and did not respond to requests for comment.
Players usually say “PogChamp” or variations like “Poggers” and “Pog” when celebrating a surprise win in a game or sharing something they consider particularly awesome. Emoticons, similar to emojis, are often spammed ad nauseum while streamers are playing games or chatting with fans.

The PogChamp emote comes from a 2010 video blooper by Gutierrez where he gave an exaggerated look of surprise, with eyes wide open and a gaping mouth.

Twitch acknowledged on Wednesday that “we want the feeling and use of Pog to continue to live on – its meaning is much greater than the person portrayed or the image itself – and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we cannot in good conscience continue to allow the use of the image. ”The platform said it would work on creating a replacement emote.

Wednesday’s ban resulted in fans naming someone new to become the face of the PogChamp emote to replace Gutierrez, with many offering their likeness or that of their favorite Twitch streamers.

Facebook and Twitter have also taken action in response to Wednesday’s unrest, suspending President Donald Trump’s accounts to limit the reach of his social media posts targeting his supporters, including those who stormed the Capitol.

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