Trash talk has been an unfortunate part of gaming ever since it came into existence many years ago. There’s nothing wrong with a little friendly chatter here and there because quite honestly, some games are very competitive in nature. However, time and time again, select gamers cross the line and ruin the fun for everyone.
It can get so bad that cursing and threats start being thrown around like they’re nothing. This shouldn’t be part of the gaming culture. Thankfully, Microsoft is looking to do something about this negative trash talk on their platform.
On Tuesday, they announced a new set of community standards regarding trash talk. In these guidelines, some examples are provided for what type of banter is and isn’t acceptable. When the talk becomes about the player and not the game, that’s when a user has crossed the line on Xbox Live.
They will be punished accordingly. Harassment on Microsoft’s Xbox Live platform will not be tolerable, not even for a second. These new trash-talk guidelines should give users a break from verbal abuse. If a user feels like these guidelines are broken by a particular gamer, they can follow up by reporting the abuse.
All they have to do is submit the user’s gamertag and a brief explanation of what type of harassment unfolded. Some other examples of trash talk that are out of line include physical threats, racial slurs, insulting someone’s religion or native country, etc. Having these examples should make it clear to all users what’s acceptable in the heat of a gaming match. It should make online sessions more joyous for all, really.
That’s worth celebrating because Xbox Live is such a great platform to use. You can connect with your closest friends and make new ones relatively easy. Being able to go into sessions without the fear of constantly being attacked should let everyone breathe a bit easier.
Like with any new policy change, though, there probably will be those looking to push the boundaries as far as they can. They better be careful, however. Microsoft is cracking down on abuse, whether it’s from texts, chats, or social groups. You can read the full list of guideline changes by visiting Microsoft’s main page.
If you don’t really engage in trash talk via Xbox Live, then you have nothing to worry about. You can go about your days gaming online without the looming threat of verbal abuse coming through your headset.
