Dearest Blizzard Support and Community at large…
I would like to request a feature that allows players to voluntarily lock themselves out of in-game chat for a set period (e.g., two weeks), similar to the “Stay Offline” prompt.
Reasons this would be beneficial:
- It helps players resist the urge to re-enable chat in the heat of frustration, reducing unnecessary conflict.
- It prevents situations where emotions lead to regrettable messages that could result in penalties.
- It could reduce the number of reports and enforcement actions, as fewer players would engage in heated exchanges.
- A tool like this would give players more control over their experience, leading to a healthier gaming environment.
- Ban-worthy offenses should be reserved for actions with actual harmful intent, not just heated words exchanged with random players. Issues like hacking, which actually damage the integrity of the game, are what deserve strict enforcement. Many major games proactively address these problems—meanwhile, Blizzard seems to be falling behind.
- Implementing a simple “turn off chat” function would be an easy and effective way to help players manage their interactions and avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Additionally, I have to ask—has Blizzard given up on fostering a positive community? It has been months since I’ve seen a single “Thank You for Your Report” message, and players openly say, “Blizzard won’t do anything,” because, frankly, they’re right. The game’s toxicity is at an all-time high. Racial and homophobic slurs are thrown around freely, while mild criticisms like “bad tank awareness” or “you suck” are enough to trigger bans. What kind of snowflake policy is being enforced here?
At the same time, it seems Blizzard is more focused on pushing overpriced $50 skin packs every few weeks rather than addressing real community concerns. After 20+ years of loyalty, it’s disheartening to watch players get banned over trivial complaints while actual toxicity, terrible match up systems or game ruining events runs unchecked.
Perhaps, not a turn off chat for long duration feature. Maybe a instead of a ban, just ban their chat for long periods of time. Simple thought, but lack of appropriate actions against players. Yes, for the record, I did get a ding for telling a bad tank to stop sucking and get better at tank awareness.
I hope this request is taken seriously, not just for me, but for the betterment of the entire community.