Xbox Live trash talk can get pretty heated, given opponents are often separated by thousands of miles and multiple generations (and home planets, if you’ve seen Avengers: Endgame), but Microsoft wants you to keep it clean and avoid saying despicable things about other people’s mothers.
Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it’s easy to get carried away and cross the line when engaging in a brutal online battle. However, Microsoft is hoping you’ll keep those instincts in check and is explicitly pointing out exactly where the line is, so you can avoid a ban.
The company has recently updated its community standards document outlining – and you’ll love this – what classes as ‘acceptable’ trash talk and what crosses over into personal abuse or harassment. Here’s what the company has to say on the matter (via Kotaku):
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.
Microsoft also advises users to keep everything light hearted and avoid behaving in a manner that could “harm someone’s experience.” We really hope none of our readers have ever used <racial slur> during in-game chat!
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The firm adds: “Trash talk includes any lighthearted banter or bragging that focuses on the game at hand and encourages healthy competition. 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.”
Have you ever crossed the line with your Xbox Live trash talk and had to apologise? Or have you fallen victim to mean-spirited banter and left the platform? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
