A new case in Overwatch is causing a stir among players. Using voicelines can lead to a ban!
For several months now, Blizzard has been trying to take stronger action against toxic players in Overwatch. Account penalties have been increased and the report feature has finally been introduced on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to directly report disruptive players.
However, not all players are happy with the new systems. The user ZeroSymbolic complained in the official forum that he had received a “Silence” ban for the third time – meaning he could no longer communicate with his team. He emphasized that he neither used chat nor voice chat, so a “Silence” ban was completely illogical.
Scott Mercer, the Principal Designer of Overwatch, directly addressed the player and explained that he was reported for other reasons, such as “poor teamwork,” “griefing,” “self-kills” – and spamming voicelines.
This immediately caught the community’s attention. Can spamming voicelines lead to a ban? After all, it is a feature of the game and should not be punishable. Or should it?
Mercer then clarified the confusion and explained in a second post:
“YES, if one spams the character quotes in a way that is considered intentionally disruptive or harassing, then one can be sanctioned for it.”
This now leaves many players with a sense of uncertainty. Where exactly does Blizzard draw the line? Is a Mei, who continuously spams “A-Mei-Zing!” while bouncing to lift the team’s spirits, already in danger of being banned? Or is it a Genji, who is spamming “I need healing” from the other side of the battlefield, that is meant?
The community is understandably a bit confused. Hopefully, Blizzard will clarify and elaborate on this in the future.
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