Discord Wants You to Know It's Not Just for Gamers

When Discord launched in 2015, the service was created with gamers specifically in mind. Chat [...]

By Marc Deschamps

When Discord launched in 2015, the service was created with gamers specifically in mind. Chat options in online games were fairly limited, prompting the creation of a tool that has proven quite invaluable. Over the last five years, the service has evolved beyond that initial concept, as users have found several other ways of taking advantage of Discord. With that in mind, Discord has announced that the company will be shifting focus, a bit. While Discord will still serve the needs of gamers, the company's focus is heading in a more general direction to reflect the various ways that that users enjoy the service.

As a result of the change, Discord has unveiled a new slogan: "Your Place to Talk." It certainly summarizes the company's new direction! At this time, it's not clear how the change will impact the service as a whole. For many users, it should be business as usual, and the company has been quick to point out that it will continue to serve the needs of gamers. However, it seems that Discord will add a number of quality of life features to make the service friendlier to casual audiences.

In a blog post detailing the directional shift, founder Jason Citron said that many users had expressed that their friends and family saw the service as "only for gaming." Citron hopes to break away from that stereotype, and make the service a welcoming place for all. To that end, Citron also reiterated that the company will "take decisive action against white supremacists, racists, and others who seek to use Discord for evil."

With social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter struggling to deal with racism at the moment, it's good to see Discord taking a firm stance on the subject. The directional shift also seems quite timely with the coronavirus pandemic making it difficult for friends and family to spend time with one another. The internet has provided people with a number of options to keep in touch, and Discord has been doing just that for five years now. With the company's new shift in focus, hopefully more users will discover the service.

Are you a Discord user? What do you think of the company's directional shift? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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