History has proven time and again that temporary bans to popular Twitch streamers are never effective punishments. In fact, they almost categorically do the opposite: upon returning from a highly publicized suspension, Twitch streamers are showered in new subs and gift donations from their adoring fans. The current ban on Dr Disrespect will be no exception.
Popular streamer and podcast host JP brought up this issue in a recent tweet, saying "More often than not, that period is seen as a vacation and then when the ban is up you’re welcomed back with a huge first stream and a ton of subs/tips/whatever." It's true, and if Twitch really intends to deter bad behavior on their platform, they're going to have to figure out a different way to handle these rule breakers.
There Is No Such Thing As Bad Publicity
The expression "there is no such thing as bad publicity" comes to mind when considering how these bans actually impact streamers. Dr Disrespect's recent antics were reported by game media first, but eventually caught headlines in mainstream media as well. The ban has been written about everywhere, from Variety to Business Insider. It wouldn't be hard to believe that he is right now being introduced to brand new audiences, nor would it be strange to think that that audience might find their way to Twitch when The Doc makes his triumphant return.
The comeback will inevitably mean big money for a streamer with an already established audience. Dr Disrespect knows this from experience: last year he caught headlines when he revealed on stream that he had been cheating on his wife. Dr D took more than a month off from streaming and when he returned, his first stream back was record-breaking. 388,000 concurrent viewers, 17,000 new subscribers, people were donating $500 a pop, it was without a doubt Dr Disrespect's most profitable stream of all time. And who's record did he break? Tyler1, a League of Legends streamer that set the previous viewer record during his own return stream after being temporarily banned.
What Is The Point Of These Suspensions?
This isn't to say that Dr Disrespect planned to get banned or that it necessarily was a publicity stunt. Twitch has a three strike policy on suspensions, until your account is permanently banned, so it is not as if someone can consistently stage bans in order to profit off of the press. The fact remains, however, the suspension almost certainly will not punish Dr Disrespect or any other big-time streamer that breaks the rules. This begs the question, then, is it even meant to?
These suspensions serve as a warning to streamers when they do something that violates the Twitch terms of service. This being Dr Disrespect's first strike, one might argue that he will now be more careful when streaming and follow the rules so as not to risk losing his channel. If that is the case, then the temporary ban has served its purpose: not as a punishment per se, but as a warning and deterrent from future misbehaving.
Who Is Really Suffering Then?
To this, I would say that Dr Disrespect and other streamers at his level of popularity are still very much above the law under the current system. Not only does Doc stand to earn an incredible financial gain from the ban, but anyone who is NOT at his level would, in fact, be severely punished by a temporary ban.
Take for example Pink Ward, an up-and-coming streamer who was banned for 30 days last month for using a racial slur (Pink Ward denies that he used the slur). His ban means that he is ineligible to become partner for four months. That means at least five months without the possibility of an income from streaming on Twitch. Dr Disrespect will not lose five months of income for being banned, not by a long shot.
There Must Be A Better Way
If the function of bans, whether by design or not, is to punish the little guys and reward the big names then something is horribly wrong. What alternatives might constitute legitimate consequences for someone like Dr Disrespect when they break the rules? Perhaps a lock on his subscriber button for a period of time would financially impact him in a way that would serve as a legitimate deterrent. Maybe there is a strong PR move here where for a period of time Twitch takes a higher than usual percentage of earnings from bits, subs, and donations and gives it to a relevant charity.
Whatever the solution may be, it is clear that something needs to change. At this point we don't know when Dr Disrespect will be allowed to stream again. What we can say with certainty is that the day he comes back will be extremely profitable for him, and that is a big issue.