Nadia Amine - a professional video gamer who boasts of being one of the best Call of Duty players globally - has alleged that she's been "completely blacklisted" from tournaments over swimsuit photos.
In a post on Wednesday, 23-year-old Amine - who has a substantial following with 1.2 million on Twitch and 449,000 on YouTube - revealed that she believes Activision Blizzard is penalizing her for sharing risqué bikini photos on her Passes account.
Passes is an exclusive content platform where fans can subscribe to creators through memberships and does not permit "explicit adult content, nudity, or pornography."
Writing in a tweet on X, Amine claimed: "Completely black listed from playing call of duty tournaments all for posting bikini pictures, never posted nudity one in my life. but again, the guys in the cod community can post their bare ass on social media. ggs."
Her claims have resurfaced prior allegations of cheating while playing Call of Duty. Some users criticized Amine, suggesting that such actions are typically associated with cheaters, while genuine female gamers who excel are easily recognizable.
One critic wrote: "I know so many females that are so much better than me at video games. It has nothing to do with the fact that you’re a girl. You’re just a cheater that wants to keep using the ‘I’m a female’ excuse to deflect the problem."
In response, Amine fired back at her critics, alleging that they are envious of her skills and resort to baseless cheating accusations.
"It’s sad to see instead of boys accepting a woman is better at them in a video game, they have to perpetuate the idea they cheated in order to sleep at night. it’s a hard reality to accept [you're] dog s**t," she wrote.
Cheating allegations against Amine first arose in 2022, with claims that she used Aimbot software, which automatically targets opponents in first-person shooter games, raising doubts about her gameplay legitimacy. In an attempt to clear her name, Amine streamed her gameplay on a "clean PC" provided by Full Squad Gaming.
When fans suggested she host her Call of Duty tournament, Amine revealed that Activision's approval is required for major tournaments.
Activision Blizzard, a California-based gaming company, has not publicly commented on the alleged ban. The New York Post reported that it had reached out to the company for a response.
Despite her purported ban, Amine announced on Wednesday that she would be hosting a $6,900 buy-in tournament on Twitch, emphasizing that being banned wouldn't deter her from continuing her gaming pursuits.
In December 2022, Twitch banned Amine for 14 days over "sharing personal information," an issue unrelated to the cheating allegations.
Twitch has recently been in the headlines itself, after the platform announced updates to its content policies, allowing for artistic adult content and relaxed rules on streaming videos highlighting specific body regions.
Under the new guidelines, creators on Twitch can share adult content, such as nude drawings and sculptures, as long as it is considered artistic and does not cross into pornographic territory. Additionally, streamers can now showcase content featuring their "breasts, buttocks, or pelvic region", per BBC News.
Angela Hession, the Vice President of Customer Trust at Twitch, stated in a blog post, "We have received consistent feedback from streamers... that it can be difficult to know how their content will be interpreted."
Twitch has historically maintained strict rules against explicit content, but the platform has evolved beyond its gaming roots to encompass various forms of creative expression. As a result, the platform recognized the need to adapt its policies to cater to a wider range of content while maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all users.
These policy changes come as Twitch aims to address the perceived ambiguity and complexity of its previous rules regarding sexual content. The platform aims to provide streamers with clearer guidelines, ensuring they understand what content is permitted and viewers can anticipate the content they will encounter.