Microsoft updated the code of conduct for using Xbox Live with a new Community Standards Page over on the official Xbox website. The updated page went live on May 1st, 2019, outlining the encouragement of safe “trash talk” and discouraging “problematic” content and behavior.
The outlines consist of topics such as: 1. Keep it Legal 2. Do Your Part To Keep Everyone Safe 3. Turn That Spam Into Substance 4. Keep Your Content Clean 5. Fraud Benefits No One 6. Where There Are Limits, There’s A Reason 7. Harmful Behavior Has No Place On Xbox 8. Respect The Rights Of Others 9. Always Respect The Privacy of Others 10. Be A Force For Good, Even When Others Aren’t
If some of those sound reasonable and others sound like “sensitivity training” ushered in by Social Justice Warriors, then you hit the nail on the head. For example, there’s a section telling gamers to be “welcoming and inclusive”. This is not a joke.
Whats wrong with a private American company, which users pay to be a part of, to regulate itself however it deems?
You want all your users to make turkey noises into the mic for 3 minutes or ban hammer your account, so be it. Dont like made up rules, dont play made up games
Hunter Thomas
What defines "clean"? What defines "limits" and "reasons" What defines "a force for good"? They are trying to push infantalizing controls on a very specific group of adults who are generally considered a "counter culture". They are trying to control free speech and alienate a major part of their customer base. Sure raging over mic can be annoying, but it's a part of gamer culture, to get in verbal shit flinging and dick swinging is a part of the fun that gamers enjoy. The only thing they are "accomplishing" with their shitty "code of conduct" is sucking up to the single mothers who let their little shits play xbox all day because they're "too busy" to actually be a parent. Once again, women and newfags have ruined a once happy and wonderful thing all because "das not noice :(" Fuck them. Women and children need to stay out of masculine spaces, they have their own spaces to project their femininity and childishness, they have NO reason to (((invade))) our spaces. GAMERS RISE UP
Kayden Stewart
Microsoft defines it. They run the servers. They license the games. You wanna play in their pool then you probably shouldn’t run or jump in the shallow end or they might uninvite you.
How is this so difficult to understand?
Nathan Watson
Xbox live does not run on microsoft servers. The connections are all p2p, which is why it's a scam that they charge money for people to play multiplayer games. The day MS spends money and host games on servers is the day they can tell me what I can and can't say over my own internet connection on the device I bought.
Oliver Peterson
At this point I'm just waiting for the civil war to ethnically cleanse away all these leftist vermin that have infected literally EVERY institution and company in our society. Because at this point that really is the ONLY way this is all going to stop. It's reached the point where mass political violence is the only real solution.
But one thing is really fucking confusing me here, how on earth did they manage to take over literally EVERY company at the same time? The censorship of the web is happening literally all at once and from literally every angle.
Can we have a place where we can yell at each other please? Like a shit talking network.
This forcing everyone to be nice thing isn't working.
Adrian Martin
Uhhhh mind control weapons.
Ian Cruz
The worst part about all this is that there are still retards who insist on giving microsuck money
Isaiah Baker
It’s called “the long march through the institutions”.
Anyway if the white race ever manages to wake up in time and save itself from its Jew intended genocide there will be statues of Senator Joe Mcarthy erected everywhere and ideally they’ll be standing not too far away from all the Dr. William Pierce statues.
Gabriel Bailey
...
Christian Jenkins
This is objectively wrong. Fraud often benefits the fraudster.
Nolan Stewart
I think you are oversimplifying the mechanics of network gaming.
The quickest way to keep a cluster of gaming clients in sync is to multicast udp, but the games are started and officiated by a central server controlled by MS. It’s a mix of both types of data. You also need centralized servers for sales of games and scorekeeping and making sure only paying customers are using your product. Some games don’t use p2p for anything but voice chat.
You’re effing crazy. The idea of authenticating users on a computer network and enforcing standards of conduct did not originate with the Jews. If anything, the Egyptians did it to them first.
I agree with this 100%. The Xbox Live “zones” should be A for “give me your best shot bitches”, B for “let’s have fun and be courteous,” and C for “hey this is my kid’s account, don’t be an asshole,” not based on how competitive you are. There’s nothing wrong with having an all adult lobby. That’s what PC gamers do.
But there should be no hate speech or political bullshit in a game server. You have discord for that bullshit. And before you call hate speech free speech refer back to the above distinction between what the government can do and what private corporations must do to protect their users (and their users monthly payments).
If you think the world needs a game server where you can call people kikes and niggers then rent your own server on a steam platform and let in all your racist homophobic anti Semitic friends.
Mason Brown
Microsoft sales rep go home
Jackson Hughes
Please cite a specific legal reference with this EXACT language
David Gonzalez
It’s not the law dumbass. It’s what keeps the majority of your customers from saying “fuck this shit I’m buying a Switch.” Just because 1% of them want the right to be assholes does not warrant alienating the other 99%. It’s a matter of offering a quality product.
I don’t work for them. I just go through life with my eyes open.
I switched from Xbox to PC because XBL is too expensive. But I do remember it being less of a cesspool and more reliable. I’ve spent everything I saved in membership fees on upgrades and replacement graphics cards.
Luke Morgan
In my experience 99% of Xbox customers want to be assholes. If you stop them being assholes on mic they might say 'fuck it Ill buy a switch'.
Samuel Rogers
Because those private companies lobby and bully competition into the ground leaving the only alternative as another AAA or a separate hobby.
Anthony Price
Well you may be correct but I am making the typical assumptions that corporate eggheads will make predictable statements to satisfy shareholders.
Usually none of those people are actual gamers.
But… it’s been my experience that Nintendo is less tolerant of “bad behavior” than MS so I don’t know that it would be their first move.
Jacob Clark
They’re not doing it to be dicks. It’s called rational self-interest and it’s a fairly well understood economic principle. If a company doesn’t take the actions that best ensure its success, a competitor is free to take those actions and gain an advantage.
Aaron Morales
Also, Microsoft didn’t lobby anyone to make hate speech illegal so they could eliminate it from their servers without penalty; that’s the same paranoid mindset as
Parents will spend more money on a console if they feel their kids are less likely to be bullied or molested thru that console. You might be 23 and living on your own and fully based and not threatened by abusive speech, but your dollars are put against all those parents’ dollars when making decisions like this. If you really want to make it your community then start encouraging your friends to buy Xboxes and drop $70 on every new title that comes out, and you’ll be better represented in the market.
Or…. just throwing this out here… quit worrying about what MS is doing on XBL and rent a private server on PC. Maybe you’ll become the next Gabe Newell, reincarnated as a politically-incorrect down to earth skinny person.
Grayson Williams
Having such a subjective set of rules on how you people can express themselves is hardly rational. To be rational it would have to actualy help fix the problem.
Instead of a kneejerk reaction, they should have looked back at games that dont have a trashtalk problem and see what they are doing differently. Back in the days of dedicated servers there was still trash talk, but it wasnt a big problem because people would regularly play on servers that had people with similar attitudes to them. Trash talking squeakers would be on servers with other trash talking squeakers. Where they felt at home and were not offended. And more adult people tended to group together on servers with other adults.
With the new self hosting and matchmaking its just a massive cluster fuck of people being forced together even though they dont enjoy eachothers company.
Part of it is console developers latest wonderful idea to capitalize on the fame of game streamers. Anyone can be a streamer by pushing a button on the controller, and players are encouraged to put more social effort into gaming. It’s hard enough just to get half your team into voice chat, but people who have never experienced online gaming are pushing that button and expecting to be warmly welcomed by their fellow players. It rarely goes well.
I feel like your illustration is at odds with your use of the term “subjective,” though. Do you think a sequestered community that allows people to use racist or homophobic speech is okay? Cuz that stuff is actually pretty solidly illegal in much of the world now and I don’t think it’s any more appropriate than a lobby where it’s okay to talk dirty with little kids or discuss bomb-making. Again, cuz this is not a free speech issue but a standard of conduct issue. People need to learn that there are some things you just don’t say in public; and sitting in your room playing an Xbox game in voice chat is not a private setting.
The biggest objection to splitting up the player base from the developer side is that it hurts matchmaking, and lowers the quality of gameplay for the shittalking squeakers and polite gamers alike… and no it’s not a given that the assholes are better players cuz I know someone here is thinking that… so in general they’re not going to favor any solution that excludes anyone from matchmaking.
Another problem is that some players may be perfectly alright with others’ critique of their play in the most foul, vulgar language… but say one obliquely negative thing about their mother and they just lose it. It’s hard to put a box around good natured shittalking in the name of sport. The only real metric MS has to measure what’s offensive is the number of complaints that come in, and some people make reports just because another player bested them in one or two games. Or for bullshit reasons, like GM overwatch players that one-tricked torbjorn or symmetra getting reported for gameplay sabotage.
Carson Perry
What a time to be alive. nigger
John Morgan
Hey write a letter to Bill Gates, seal it with your tears, and throw it off the observation deck of the space needle while thinking happy thoughts.
I didn’t make the laws. I’m just explaining their existence to some people who apparently have not seen the news or gone outside in the last thirty years.
From the same author as "I have nothing to hide, so what if some FBI agent in a dark room wants to read my emails for shits n giggles", and "Free market, if you don't like it, make your own cpu manufacturer", and "I bought my first house in cash with 2 weeks' wages, why don't you". Kill yourself, cancerous fucking dogshit.
Mason Cook
All these game/software companies etc have only grown to their current size because of the faggy little nerd basement dwelling virgins that you despise, parasite.
Ryan Cruz
Just only buy multiplayer games with no drm that have a dedicated server function. Games never used to require a 'platform'. If it doesn't have direct ip multiplayer or dedicated server, throw it into the bin.
Sebastian Wilson
Another vg company turns out to be no better than any other western Hollywood-tier company? Color me surprised.
And WB with MK.
You're nuts and fucknuts like you are why no media consuming mongols ever take the threats of what these big name companies are doing seriously.
Samuel Lopez
this would be fine except that they are retroactively changing the rules for anyone who already has invested in an xbox, which is like going to a restaurant and having them change the menu after you've already ordered
Dominic Flores
No they're not. MS may keep data about your game (achievements) on their servers, other companies may keep your stats (k/d in black ops) but all the gaming happens on the gamer's xbox. MS doesn't host shit. If they did, they could eliminate cheating, but they don't, because they're cheap fucking assholes who don't care about their idiot user base that hands them money for a useless service.
John Watson
Why would you use Xbox live on PC?
Thomas Allen
Those same companies utilize american roads, plumbing and electrical infrastructure in order to function. Then these same companies turn around and demand to americans that they follow the rules of companies that hold no answering to higher powers. The only thing they say is “if you don’t like it go elsewhere” however there is no elsewhere. Everything is owned by one of five companies in America or subsidiaries of those companies.
Ethan Powell
Ive never bought a game on the ps store
Elijah Wilson
In other words, we would not be able to hear the words of wisdom from this talented musician.
On a more serious note, unless an actual crime in accordance to US law is being committed, it is a bad idea for Microsoft to be doing this. They are relying on public infrastructure as already mentioned so they have very little merit in making such restrictions.
David Torres
back to reddit you go, nigger
Ryan Moore
As soon as gaming became profitable, the women became interested and the safespaceification of gaming became inevitable. There's only one solution, leave, leave them with their arena of mediocrity and watch the money drain out. But know this: they will follow you. There is no escape. >men leave and form something new forming isn't just the coding, but the very social actions which create a community - in the face of ostracism and ridicule while it's 'uncool' or 'nerdy' Same as "STEM" Same as Space shit Same as coding Same as extreme sports Same as "wage gap". All you can do with withdraw or make your space so "toxic" that women and the unworthy derive no enjoyment from being there (the state intervenes if you become important enough, e.g gaming.) Oh, there will always be a segment of traitor-men, beta males who will try to be "nice" and "inclusive" in the hope of pussy. Good luck, the chase never ends.
Carter Foster
Or you could just kill your local cultural marxists and make the world a better place quicker.
Justin Lopez
As soon as they step over the line and start censoring protected speech then they are liable to being sued. They are only acting like this because they have the protection of this law: law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230 Section C of the law needs to be repealed to protect the first amendment.
Cooper Fisher
Ironically, according to the rules making constant Turkey noises would be fine as long as you dont misgender the turkeys and use the wrong pronouns.
Camden Butler
found the virgin
Nathaniel Lewis
Tits or gtfo you fucking sod. This man isnt wrong, im married (citation needed) to a gamer that is also a girl (non-trap, i know, this just keeps getting less believable) and even she hates the whiney bitches that invade our games and wont shut the fuck up and dont know map callouts ect. Skype has plenty of ronerys for these women to line their pockets and fufill their attention whoring, they CHOOSE to come to my lobby and therefore CHOOSE to get called out for being useless earcandy(is that a thing? Asmr?). Feeding enemy teams or wont fucking hold shift to walk silently, they are worse than 9 year olds. The 9/yo players can actually win.
Mason Johnson
Cool made up story.
Imagine being married to a man so pathetic he whines continously about video games and female players.
Imagine being married to a man whose idea of being a man is being good at playing video games.
Imagine being such an incel that video games become your "safe space".
Bruh, you're pathetic.
Benjamin Cook
hey you fucking cuck talking all this free speech shit while remaining one sided.
remember that it is as much your right to speak what you want as it is the service providers right to censor it. providers choosing what to keep on their platform is exercising the exact right you keep shilling.
fuck yourself
Isaac King
And yet you want a safe space for a bunch of excessively sensitive feminists who hate the idea of heterosexual men being fully functional and successful.
You are one of the reasons why the word "cuck" gets thrown around so often.
Nathaniel Watson
It’s offensive to a lot of gender-normative straight people too.
I don’t want someone starting a race war in my game while I’m trying to play. I can get all the hate speech I need right here.
I report people who use racial/homophobic/abusive language. If someone calls someone a retard for being in the wrong lane I let it slide, even if it’s me being the retard. I realize that retard is a mean thing to say too but I never said I’m not a hypocrite.
Seriously tho, you don’t need to hurt people’s feelings or distract your teammates just to flex your free speech muscles. And nobody plays better after being verbally abused. There’s just way too many dickheads out there and you don’t need to keep up appearances in an online game.
Elijah Smith
You illustrated part of the problem. It is all based upon arbitrary interpretation and you can get banned just for accidentally saying the word "retard" not to mention issues involving context and mishearing such as when a Twitch user got temporarily banned for using the word "coon" referring to a player's character that was dressed up as a hairy animal.
If someone is repulsive, just block that person. It is really that simple and I have done it before.
Ian Edwards
Well in this specific case I would argue that it isn’t really all that arbitrary. In light of recent cyber-bullying-related suicides, SWATting, sex offenses against minors, and shit like that, MS is taking reasonable action to prevent very specific behaviors from degrading the experiences of their paying customers.
If I ever got disciplined for using a word that I didn’t feel was all that offensive, I wouldn’t go cry to the internet about it. I’d just modify the way I act when I’m on that gaming service. There’s no reason I need to embrace whatever ideology is behind it.
I’d like to be able to shop for groceries with my dick out but the supermarket would probably kick me out. It doesn’t mean my rights are being infringed.
Again, Xbox live is on windows too now. One account for both consoles and pc.
Wyatt Martinez
Yeah I do :) ain’t I a stinker?
Luke Russell
lol@ you thinking banning women from playing video games isn't creating a "safe space" for you
Also, the word cuck gets thrown around so much because autists like you fixate on words and overuse them.
Why u projecting
Michael Lee
I never said that I support banning women from gaming.
You are acting like a fucking retard.
Jayden Martinez
No but giving them the choice to leave or put up with misogyny is not much different than banning them.
Josiah Scott
The users can just block each other. Problem solved.
Brody Diaz
It will be a pleasant day when people like you are consigned to the gas chamber, guillotine or gallows.
Hudson Ramirez
That’s great in many individual cases but not everyone is as emotionally tough as you are, and sometimes the behavior is rampant and contagious. Someone who pays for their xbl service might reasonably feel that they are entitled to play without being verbally attacked by their teammates game after game.
You have to realize that Microsoft isn’t doing this to turn players into pussies. They’re doing it to stop paying customers from quitting their accounts and giving their money to someone else. If MS is going to take action because one player is being an asshole, the other players around them shouldn’t bear the consequences of his behavior.
Andrew Taylor
Yeah we’ll keep smiling and thinking about that. Society has changed a little in the last thousand years and I don’t see it happening any time in my lifetime.
Aiden Green
There's an Xbox live for Windows??
Gavin Mitchell
In other words, MS is bowing down to pressure from pussy players.
Pussy players shouldn't even be playing online multiplayer or they shouldn't be using voicechat.
MS is catering to a small percentage and will be cutting its own wrist in the process since players who either made isolated mistakes or got wrongfully accused are going to get banned.
Jordan Fisher
Yeah. Crazy right?
It’s even cross platform on some games. At least that’s what they tell me; I don’t have an Xbox anymore.
Robert Cox
I dunno man, if it was a small percentage of players they probably wouldn’t have done anything. They know better than we do what percentage of customers are complaining.
I doubt it’s small tho given all the media coverage recently about toxic gaming culture. Blizzard also made similar changes to their policies.
I think if you ask most rational sane people they’d agree that the right to be rude and confrontational (ie, “free speech”) is trumped by the right to have fun in an online community made for gaming. This isn’t the first step on the road to totalitarianism. It’s just a minor improvement in a social environment that currently has a lot of ugly problems.
