Trash talk is a bit of a tricky one for game developers and publishers. Although there are ways to try and censor people who try and talk down their competitors, it’s not exactly a smooth process.
However, Microsoft has gone ahead and issued a series of guidelines detailing what you can – and can’t – say during trash talk when playing on the Xbox One.
In the guidelines, which you can read in full here [via Kotaku], Microsoft is pretty clear about what it believes trash talk to be.
“Trash talk includes any lighthearted banter or bragging that focuses on the game at hand and encourages healthy competition,” says the guidelines.
“Harassment includes any negative behavior that’s personalized, disruptive, or likely to make someone feel unwelcome or unsafe. To qualify as harassment, the behavior doesn’t have to be drawn-out or persistent. Even a single abusive message could harm someone’s experience. Know when to draw the line, when to back off. Know and respect the other player.”
Hilariously, Microsoft has gone ahead and issued some (brilliant) examples of what does and doesn’t constitute as trash talk.
For example, Microsoft says that saying this is completely unacceptable: “Cheap win. Totally expected from a <racial slur>.”
However, you can instead say: “Cheap win. Come at me when you can actually drive without running cars off the road.”
Another big no-no from Microsoft’s list says: “Get <sexual threat>. Can’t believe you thought you were on my level.”
Instead you can try: “Get destroyed. Can’t believe you thought you were on my level.”
Here’s the list of examples in full:
“Acceptable trash talk includes
“Get destroyed. Can’t believe you thought you were on my level.
“That was some serious potato aim. Get wrecked.
“Only reason you went positive was you spent all game camping. Try again, kid.
“Cheap win. Come at me when you can actually drive without running cars off the road.
“That sucked. Get good and then come back when your k/d’s over 1.
“Going too far looks like
“Get <sexual threat>. Can’t believe you thought you were on my level.
“Hey <profanity>, that was some serious potato aim. Get wrecked, trash.
“Only reason you went positive was you spent all game camping. KYS, kid.
“Cheap win. Totally expected from a <racial slur>.
“You suck. Get out of my country—maybe they’ll let you back in when your k/d’s over 1.”
All joking aside, the message is a good one.
“Xbox Live is your gaming network, but it’s everyone else’s too,” says Microsoft. “We encourage showing off what makes you unique and awesome, but it’s not cool to post something that keeps others from having positive experiences.
“We aspire to a community where gaming can be enjoyed by all. Problematic content just gets in the way. If you’re looking for a place on the internet to be overly edgy or get that rise out of people, Xbox isn’t the place for you.”
Thanks, Microsoft.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay