Even if you’re a casual gamer, you at the very least have a Steam account. The game distribution service is a great place to download, play games and chat with friends. That last one however, is kind of a double edged sword. Given how abusive the internet can be when it comes to flaming other gamers for being noobs or well, just existing in general.
Video game publishers have been trying for years to combat flaming and abusive behaviour on their platform. While some have resorted to just outright banning certain words, Steam is taking a different approach. The Valve owned platform will now let you create a custom list of words that you want filtered out from all your chats.
That’s right, not only does Steam already filter out profanities and slurs, but it will now also allow its users to add words to that list. The words added will then appear as symbols instead. The new feature isn’t yet fully available and is only accessible via the Steam Labs beta program but we’re pretty sure there will be a universal rollout soon.
The whole idea behind it according to Steam developers is to empower users to be able to choose what they see from others. Their rationale is that “language is constantly evolving and is used differently among various communities around the world.”
The whole theory behind it makes sense and even though there are some who are worried that it enables people who are easily offended, at the end of the day you should be in control of your gaming experience and if you don’t want to see certain words on your chat, that’s your choice.
If you’re on Steam, they’re actually encouraging feedback, so give the new feature a try when you can!
