DreamHack bans Kick streamers for harassing guest at Melbourne event

After being disrupted by several Kick streamers during its Melbourne event in April 2024, DreamHack has taken action by permanently banning those responsible for the ordeal.

DreamHack is a renowned gaming and esports organization that hosts events across the world, uniting cosplayers, professional esports players, and gaming aficionados for a weekend filled with camaraderie and intense competition.

At present, Kick has formed a partnership with DreamHack for a four-city tour featuring the brand in Melbourne, Australia, Dallas, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, and Stockholm, Sweden. However, it seems that this international journey has encountered some initial difficulties.

In April 2024, complaints were raised by attendees at DreamHack Melbourne, the first stop on Kick’s tour, regarding disruptive behavior from a group of Kick streamers. The streamers were accused of harassing guests and fellow broadcasters during the event.

dreamhack-melbourne-kick-drama — DreamHack

DreamHack Melbourne 2024 was disrupted by Kick streamers harassing attendees and causing a disturbance.

On April 29, DreamHack released a statement on Twitter/X addressing the situation and stating that individuals responsible for such misconduct had been permanently banned from participating in any future events hosted by the organization.

“We do not tolerate individuals who attend our festival with the intention of causing disruption, harassment, or negative experiences,”the organizers stated. “We have taken action to address any incidents that occurred during the weekend and want to make it clear that these individuals will not be allowed to attend any of our future events.”

Some of the attendees at the event expressed their negative encounters with Kick streamers in the comments section of DreamHack’s post. According to Maddy Milkberry, a Twitch partner, in her response to a tweet (https://x.com/milllkberry/status/1785306977851363532), two content creators were behaving inappropriately in her meet and greet queue.

“She claimed that these were grown men who got up in her friends’ faces while they were simply trying to meet viewers. She also stated that they were complete strangers to them.”

At DreamHack Melbourne, a streamer known as ‘BabyMaddy’ posted a clip from her own live stream. In the clip, she was approached by another content creator who seemed to make inappropriate advances towards her, causing her to feel uncomfortable and leave the vicinity.

“As Maddy got up to leave, she expressed her discomfort while the other streamer’s text-to-speech read out a viewer’s message saying, “I’d do it.”

Upon receiving Maddy’s concerns, DreamHack provided reassurance that the streamer had been banned from their events and had also been suspended from his broadcasting platform for his inappropriate behavior.

Kick Employee Responds to DreamHack Melbourne’s Ban on Streamers

Andrew Santamaria, an employee at Kick, went live on the platform later that evening to address the situation and defend the company. He argued that critics unfairly generalize the platform based on isolated incidents like this one, and emphasized that the trend of in-real-life streaming is not going away.

According to him, some individuals who were not familiar with proper behavior during IRL streaming were asked to leave the venue. These individuals had purchased tickets and were not specifically invited by Kick to participate in the IRL stream.

“A few individuals behaved foolishly, but ultimately they were removed and banned from our platform. Additionally, we would like to offer our apologies to anyone who may have been made uncomfortable. However, we want to emphasize that IRL streaming will continue to be a part of our platform.”

Santamaria then proposed the idea of collaborating with DreamHack to develop an “IRL streaming policy,”which could include designated zones for IRL streaming or establishing guidelines for proper etiquette among IRL streamers at the event.

“He emphasized, “Our goal is not to let one individual dictate the entire IRL genre. Kick, much like IRL streaming, will continue to thrive.”