Twitch streamer risks ban after literally setting hands on fire for cosplay

A Twitch streamer risked getting banned — or more pertinently, seriously hurt — by literally setting their hands on fire for a cosplay on stream. The act could fall under the platform’s self-harm rules.

Cosplayers love to commit their all to creating the most accurate version of fictional characters. And in order to do so, these cosplayers often learn and master artistic crafts, ranging from sewing, designing, and even blacksmithing.

But Twitch streamer ‘rostislav_999’ attempted a shortcut, opting to set fire to their own hands and risking getting banned on the streaming platform instead of meticulously planning their cosplay.

The Twitch streamer is shown wearing a long sleeve red shirt and black gloves. In the background is DOTA 2’s Ember Spirit’s 3D model, which is likely the character the Twitch streamer was attempting to cosplay.

They apply what appears to be lighter fluid onto their gloves, and then proceed to set their hands ablaze. The flames continue burning, and the streamer quickly attempts to reach for the sword props, only to drop them like hot potatoes.

Clearly, the gloves weren’t fireproof. The heat from the flames may have very realistically caused harm to the streamer. Rather than putting in genuine effort and creating props, the streamer attempted a shortcut by literally setting their hands on fire.

But how is this a potentially bannable offense? According to Twitch’s official guidelines, the platform “does not allow content that glorifies, promotes, or encourages self-harm.”

They also “prohibit activity that may endanger your life, lead to your physical harm, or encourage others to engage in physically harmful behavior.“

The act of setting your own hands on stream can easily be constituted as intentional self harm and thereby goes against Twitch’s community guidelines. And as the community knows, Twitch has banned people for far less in the past.

For now, rostislav is safe on both accounts. Their hands are fine for the most part, and their account is still on Twitch. But it’s a lesson in fire safety for all, taught the hard way.