It's no secret that, over the last decade, gaming has become more and more of a social hobby. It's not like it wasn't one before, but things have certainly shifted even more in that direction.

Of course, there are friends lists across all platforms, as well as parties and voice chat. Then, there's the ability to gameshare with friends, along with playing traditional multiplayer titles online together. There are streamers actively playing video games and conversing with fans on Twitch.

And then there's Discord, the communication app that brings everyone together, regardless of platform.

That said, while all these features are well and good, it seems that Discord might be giving up a little too much information about your gaming habits. Those habits are now almost entirely visible via a new client update.

So what are you playing, eh?
As first spotted by PC Gamer, the activity tracking option on Discord got a major update. Whereas before it would display the game you're currently playing, via the new update, it now showcases your gaming history.

That history will display a timer with how long you've been playing a certain title, as well as other neat features, such as whether a game is brand-new or trending. In other words, how many hours you've sunk into Final Fantasy XIV is now totally visible to your friends.

It's worth noting that this new feature will only showcase the past 30 days, so anything beyond that won't show. However, if you happen to return to a game, the activity card can display how long it's been since you last played that particular title.

Of course, it's also worth noting that this feature is completely optional. If you don't want your gaming habits to be displayed to your friends and other people, then you can absolutely turn it off.

Per TechSpot, "The activity log appears in each profile on a tab next to the "About Me" section. To hide the log, navigate to User Settings > Activity Settings > Activity Privacy > Activity Status, and toggle off the selection called "Share your detected activities with others."

Regardless of how you feel, it's a pretty neat way to track playtime. And it's great that there is a way to turn it off for the privacy-minded individual.

Posted: Sep 05, 2024 12:27 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/discord-now-shows-your-friends-your-game-playtime-online-communication-app-updates/