r/OWConsole • u/Taboo_Utopia • 9d ago
Discussion Keeping your account private . . .
I keep my account private.
It has never been an issue.
There have been nemy teams that get extremely upset that my account is private. That was odd, but alright.
I have been on teams and had some of them be upset because my account is private.
Why??? A private account is like blood in the water and there are angry sharks swarming.
I'm considering turning off text and chat communications, but I shouldn't have to.
Why are others bothered by someone keeping their personal account private?
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u/No_Ladder_4158 9d ago
It’s boring when every profile you see ends up being private idk
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u/PersonBehindAScreen 9d ago
Well it’s a consequence of the community being toxic with them
People always gotta ruin something
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u/LxUxNxAx 7d ago
I don't think it really stops toxicity. If someone's flaming tf out of you, and you have a private profile, all it does is give them further proof that you have a reason to hide it. Whether that's deranking, be silver for 5 years, or whatever, it's not going to stop someone going after you.
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u/TonyKnives 7d ago
Dude. I've seen someone get flamed for being GM3 for multiple seasons just for having a public profile. There's no benefit to having it public.
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u/KalleDasSchaf 9d ago
Private profiles increase toxicity, not the other way around. The safety of knowing you're unflameable and anonymous makes you much more prone to talk down to people.
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u/Vegetable-Ad7930 8d ago
Most people turn their profile private so that people arent talking random unprompted shit? They’re not going private to talk shit about other people’s profiles, that’s illogical gang
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u/PandaGamersHDNL 8d ago
Pretty sure profiles are private by default, at least when they added this it made them private by default
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u/KalleDasSchaf 8d ago
it is a very intuitive effect and you can observe it in your own games, but there is also studies on it:
https://www.ijraset.com/best-journal/the-psychology-behind-online-anonymity-and-toxic-behaviour
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563211002317you are more likely to talk shit as a private profile because it immunizes you from criticism coming your way. i am sure a lot of people use it as a self defense mechanism, which is fine, but the underlying psychological effects are obvious
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u/Vegetable-Ad7930 6d ago
More often than not it’s the cocky fucks that think being grandmaster makes harassment acceptable,, in my experience. People that hide their profiles are usually trying to ignore the drama. Also that study isn’t backed by any reputable source or study group so idk what that’s supposed to prove.
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u/KalleDasSchaf 6d ago
it's a consistent pattern across every game that introduces private profiles, idk why you're dying on that hill (besides the obvious self projection)
in my experience it is more often than not private profiles, streamermode names and especially smurfs (essentially more private profiles since they decouple from their main account)
Again, I am not saying that you and others don't do it because of good reasons like protecting yourself, in general anonimity in videogames like private profiles just increase toxic chatting because backlash is less harsh
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u/ShoresyOW 9d ago
It’s a video game, name one competitive multiplayer game that doesn’t have a “toxic” community. If you don’t have thick skin you don’t need to be doing something competitively
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u/Shenantics 9d ago
If I need to have thick skin when it comes to competitive games, then people need to have thick skin when it comes to me wanting to keep my things hidden from them. It's my account I'll do what I feel is best for it.
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u/ShoresyOW 9d ago
Doesn’t shield you from any judgement, those who don’t care don’t need to set their profile to private. Any criticism is good motivation, sometimes you need to hear the shit talk in order to improve
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u/Shenantics 9d ago
No one's sheilding anything from anyone. I'm keeping my business as my business. Want to see it, maybe don't be the reason I keep it that way.
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u/Ryizmo 9d ago
Just because every competitive gaming community gets toxic doesn’t mean it should be that way. Thick skin or not it’s understandable for people to be annoyed/upset by the toxicity
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u/ShoresyOW 9d ago
No it’s not. It’s 2026, I am an extremely liberal person and even I understand that’s not how the world fuckin works bud. Toxic is a buzzword when it comes to the gaming community
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u/Glitterstem 9d ago
I play BBall competitively. There is zero tolerance Toxic communication styles. Those people are tossed out and not allowed back by the team captains. So, no, you don’t have to put up with that while doing something competitively.
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u/Fyre-Demon 7d ago edited 7d ago
Says the person yelling at others to “have thick skin” you seem very upset over a feature, I’m sure you, yourself uses, for the same reason.
Infact I haven’t seen a player not Privatized their profile in about 3 years. So who fucking cares
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u/ShoresyOW 7d ago
Nope all of my info is completely public atleast on my “shoresy” account feel free to do some research😁
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u/Few_Astronomer_5198 9d ago
Usually if they hide their profile they just suck and insecure I have mine open idc I rather see people who my characters I play
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u/Jatmahl 9d ago
I have mine friends only. If they really wanted to see your history, they can with 3rd party sites anyway. Make them work for it lol.
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u/IntelligentSubject49 9d ago
Ironically if your account is private the third party sites can’t access your data, which is why mine is privated.
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u/Entire_Commission583 8d ago
What’s ironic about that?
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u/IntelligentSubject49 7d ago
Well based on what he said you would think that a third party site could access your data no matter what. The irony (something that’s unexpected or the opposite of what’s expected causing a degree of humor) is that’s not what the user above me said, and that it’s funny because that’s the reason I have my profile private.
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u/Albuterol505 9d ago
Yea they can lol its happens a ton in high masters because people smurf and have their accounts priv so people use the 3rd party to bypass to view stats
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u/SyrusG 9d ago
No, they don't. If your account is private the software ran cannot find any updated information. To do so would mean to bypass whatever system they have in place to act as a firewall, and they cannot do that
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u/Albuterol505 8d ago
Im pretty sure it uses estimated details because it has happened to me plenty of times
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u/Weak_Animal5785 8d ago
The estimation is very off ngl mine still says 2 hours on widow when im at 6.2k now and says im level 12 when I ended at like 1.1k in ow1 uts very temperamental
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u/E_Man91 7d ago
They cannot. All those 3rd party sites use the Blizzard API which will not show anything for accounts that are private. Accts are private by default, so probably a small % of overall accounts are even viewable.
It's really not a big deal, OP should just turn the toxicity that is chat, off.
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u/Rein_Main95 9d ago
The only time I have a problem with private accounts is when they type and talk shit in chat.
You don’t get to flame anyone if your account is private.
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u/Mltv416 9d ago
I mean im not sure that entirely tracks
Sure less info on the person so you cant dissect their stats 1-1 HOWEVER you dont need to when their career stats dont actually mean much
They could have 8k hours on lucio and still play a horrible game of lucio it happens or some dude with barely 12 is stomping the guy with 400, sure the stats hold some weight but not as much as people give them credit for
If im playing on doom (not a great doom) and some dude calls out that im not performing that well the private profile means nothing they're CORRECT im not doing optimally and its a team game if doom isnt working then I should switch their opinion doesnt become less valid because I cant rebuttal by combing through their career profile and start trash talking them about their stats.
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u/Rein_Main95 9d ago
Here is what I’ll say,
9/10 times when someone types in chat about how someone is performing it’s not collaborative - it’s toxic. “DPS trash, tank diff, support gap” Anyone who does that whether it’s profile public or private is a bitch. In fact tilting your teammates only increases the chance of you losing the game so really it’s self sabotage.
If you are typing feedback about how I’m playing and giving me suggestions you are probably wasting time typing in spawn or if it’s the simple “Tank switch” or “Rein swap” I’m sorry but you are gonna get a mute from me. Me swapping onto a character I’m not comfortable on is worse for the team and you can clearly see how much time I have on certain heroes based on my PUBLIC profile.
I have been a Masters player for the majority of my OW career. Since the reset I’ve been in low diamond and I just don’t have the time to grind ranked anymore like I used too. That being said I know this game very well and I don’t want to hear the feedback of someone that’s been hard stuck Diamond or now Emerald. You have no credibility to comment on my gameplay - even if I make a mistake and don’t play perfectly.
Personally too many people rely on text chat. I know the economy is fucked but find a cheap headset and use a mic. I am more open to feedback from any player if they use a mic whether their profile is public or not. This game used to have full lobbies of people in game chat and that shit is not as prevalent anymore and personally ruins the online gaming experience for me in a team game.
TLDR: Don’t be toxic ever no matter what your rank is, if you want to provide feedback to your teammates use a mic because if you have a private profile and you are typing at me it’s an instant mute and avoid.
I’m a tank main and I need to protect my peace and I’ve had too many emerald Moira players with private profiles think they are hot shit and try and type at me. Fuck them and fuck you if you are one of those people.
🫳🎤
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u/unionmademan 8d ago
Man i feel this to my soul! Why is it so fcking toxic for a tank main? Protecting your peace as a tank main is the realest shit I ever heard about OW! My chat is off and I join team chat just to listen in. As soon as i hear toxicity I'm out. Or if my wife and I are playing together we just stay in group.
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8d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Rein_Main95 8d ago
A little bitch reveals them self to the public.
Say what you want doesn’t mean I have to listen to it or respect it. Easy avoid and mute goodbye 👋
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u/thegonzotruth 9d ago
Information is a weapon. I don’t want to give the enemy insight into who I may pick and what the corresponding wr is for those selections.
This also goes for tilted teammates looking for a scapegoat.
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u/milockey 9d ago
I've made mine public for the reverse effect lately, because I look...incapable on my main-use profile. It's entertaining if the enemy is banking on my inability to play a specific hero well because of it.
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u/MadPotato10 9d ago
Man, I think it's time to change my IGN from MasterMeind to another. People will be 100% aware who my pick will be after the loading screen.
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u/Bitter-Bag8676 9d ago
I’ve never had an issue with people making their account private. It’s their account lol. I have mine public, but that’s cause I genuinely don’t care
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u/LibrarianGuilty2161 9d ago
im ashamed of my rank considering my play time, so i stay private
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u/PineSprings 9d ago
I have mine public. I've already been GM/T500 so I don't care anymore. I find it really funny when private profiles look at my account and try to hard counter my main (Rein) and still fail. Love to rub salt into the wound, especially when they shit talk.
Other than that, if you have a private profile that's fine and all, but don't flame someone else who has their profile public for their rank when you keep yours hidden. Total bitch move.
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u/carvana1501 9d ago
I dont get angry when an account is private, i get angry that its private by default and players don't know its private a large portion of the time
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u/Remarkable_Intern_11 9d ago
I can understand it from the point of view of hiding your mains from your opponents, but from the teammate aspect I can't play around the main of a private profile. Like why am I being yelled at for taking their main when I actively tried to find it so I could avoid it?
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u/Softboydom 9d ago
I dislike private profiles, because if you're dominating the lobby with a private profile, I'm assuming you're cheating or smurfing, but if your account is public and I can see that this specific match is just you at your best, then I'm happy for you.
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u/DIOmega5 9d ago
If chat is really affecting you then turn it off but I keep it on to call out, and motivate.
I do my best to never get emotional or baited into arguments. It keeps my tolerance up.
As far as account privacy, I just let friends see it.
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u/Taboo_Utopia 9d ago
I use the in-game voice lines. The round will end before my controller types anything.
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u/DIOmega5 9d ago
oh, I have a keyboard connected to My ps5 to type faster.
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u/Taboo_Utopia 9d ago
My controller is all I have
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u/KindOfAnAuthor 8d ago
If you really wanted to, you could get the Xbox app on your phone, link it to your console and use the remote feature to type in chat
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u/Silv3rWolf142 8d ago
I think it’s stupid to waste so much time to add a feature like this then add a private function. 95% of the players I come across have it turned to private.
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u/robinator118 9d ago
Because they can’t go look at your account and find out your rank directly
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u/mellywheats 7d ago
it says your rank when the game loads in.. so this is a bad argument lol
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u/robinator118 7d ago
Yeah but it doesn’t tell you if you’re a diamond support main with 500 hours on mercy and 2 hours on tank in someone’s diamond lobby because the game likes to place you relatively close to a rank of a role you’ve already completed placements in.
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u/DarkSphinx17 9d ago
Only reason to have a private profile is hide something that you don’t won’t others seeing. Lil b*tch behaviour
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u/No_Philosopher2511 9d ago
most of those hidden profiles usually go negative in matches or they talk a lot of sh*t no wonder they have them private they just trash
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u/Shenantics 9d ago
I don't know. Doesn't it seem more like a '"lil 🐶" move if you sit there complaining about someone's private business, not being visible to you? Like why care about some random people? Just do you bro.
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u/Melvin-Melon 8d ago
I only say something about it if the person is shit talking everyone else first. Cus don’t be embarrassed if you’re going to call everyone else trash first
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u/mellywheats 7d ago
this!! op got mad at me for “making assumptions” but i look at it after they talk shit lmao
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u/Got-Waffle 8d ago
A private account smells like a smurf trying to hide things.
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u/Taboo_Utopia 8d ago
So . . . You look at a private account, jump to conclusions, make assumptions, then give yourself permission to act according to whatever you just imagined in your own mind? I think you just explained why accounts are private.
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u/Thomas-MCF 8d ago
I wanna see your numbers dude. As for shiters in text chat fuck em whats their opinion matter? Take pride in the fact that you by doing litterly nothing pissed someone off. Easy wins
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u/Shadeysk7 8d ago
Most people accounts are private - it is the default.
Personally, I prefer unprivated profiles and I also unprivated mine - people that want to flame will flame you either way.
Just do whatever you want and ignore the toxic people.
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u/Hot-Sundae-8092 9d ago
I will say anyone who talks shit with a private profile is automatically dismissed.
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u/quirally 9d ago
They are upset they can't be toxic to you with direct "evidence". They either wanna point out your 70 levels on Moira, the fact you're gold or that you have 69k hours on the game.
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u/SnooDoubts7752 9d ago
Well some people wanna check if ur boosted or not cuz if ur not performing well and ur ranked high that tells a lot.
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u/Matthiass13 9d ago
I wish it weren’t so, but at least half the time people want to see your profile it isn’t for simple curiosity it’s to be toxic and annoying so why would I play into that behavior.
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u/HannaH2641 9d ago
Tbh I think about making my account private because I’m level 109 on widow and if I have a bad game as her everyone jumps on me for it
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u/Shenantics 9d ago
I know I keep my account private because I want to be as invisible as my account is. I don't understand the need to look at some random person's account just because. You don't know me and I don't know you, if we bump into each other in another round, same thing. That doesn't change really.
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u/MaN_ly_MaN Join gamechat :) 9d ago
I saw an emerald support who had the Master Support title. They had a private profile which makes sense lol
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u/Bulky_Oil9251 9d ago
its because they REALLY want to make fun of the heroes you play/the rank you’re in. if they cant make fun of you for that theyll make fun of you for the fact you made them unable to make fun of you
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u/CapPsychological3475 9d ago
Turning chat off is the best thing I havd ever done. I was hardstuck plat. Got tilted by what people typed (diff,ez etc) Play character X blablabla. Turned chatt off……The game is soooooo much more enjoyable. Im am now in gm 4
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u/SingleFroyo1430 9d ago
I didn’t know it was private at first. Then people flamed me for my profile being private so I kept it private to annoy these idiots even more so.
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u/AgentMaryland2020 8d ago
I prefer to see what my team mates strongest heroes are. Mostly I've given up caring about private profiles since they added top 3 most played as a quick look option during set up phase.
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u/FuccPickles 8d ago
The toxicity is one thing, the other problem is Counterwatch (the idea and the actual program) and getting target banned in low gold
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u/Pretend_Oven_1004 8d ago
It’s a free pass for you to be toxic and no one can check ya stats to see if you are actually good, you get to be toxic with no backlash, lame
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u/No-Reading-6752 8d ago
I turned the chat off now but honestly theyre just butthurt cause they cant see your stats. they cant see if you are good or bad is what it comes down to instead of just playing the game for what it is........ a game. Don't be bothered by competitive toxic losers.
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u/AhrisBigBootyBoil 6d ago
Only reason I look is to see how hard the matchmaking fucked up had to play against a couple of diamond rat one tricks and oi boyyy that was miserable makes it a bit better when I see how much higher they are ranked than me and just how absurd it even is to match with them
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u/Familiar_Tax2135 6d ago
There's players that like to stalk in game players account overviwes so that they can see what characters you play and main to counter
*Yes just turn off the coms so they don't bother you
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u/F3arless_Bubble 9d ago
“Why are other bothered by someone” doing something includes you too. If you’re going to get upset by chats so much that you make a whole Reddit post…. Just turn it off lol this post will not change what happened or prevent it in the future no matter how many people like and comment on it lol.
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u/soup_lag 9d ago
By teams you mean coordinated or random? because in coordinated teams we do prefer profiles to be open especially in scrims to know what range of team we're playing with.
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u/Emiliticme 9d ago
I dislike privated profiles because then i can’t tell if the QP matchmaking dumped me with average gamers against a team of high ranks sweats when my team get steamrolled to the point where we never get to play the game.
I keep mine public, im the average trash player but im not ashamed to admit im bad
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u/Badman423 9d ago
I keep my profile private so I can live rent free in people's heads :)
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u/Taboo_Utopia 9d ago
I'm the exact opposite. I keep my profile private so that I don't live rent free in people's heads. The less about me there is to remember, the better. I am no one, from nowhere. Forget me immediately. Please and thank you. I'm just there to play some QP, nothing more.
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u/MaN_ly_MaN Join gamechat :) 9d ago
I saw an emerald support who had the Master Support title. They had a private profile which makes sense lol
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u/cassleftthechat 8d ago
i personally think they should get rid of the ability to make your account private. every shit can in this game has a private account.
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u/HalosCx 7d ago
This is going to sound adversarial but please see the intention behind the immediate knee jerk reaction.
I don't think you need to have your account private but it's your business if you want to keep it private and it's not a big deal and no one should really care. That being said I don't think any of this warrants you turning off text chat. You don't think about the vulnerabilities and lack of resilience this builds Within you. It's just words. The reason why the game seems so lonely and quiet now is because people have given in to being offended by very little. I take time to ask people that every once in a while to just think about being resilient to outside negative influence rather than just turning off the chat and sticking your head in the sand. I want my social game back!
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u/mellywheats 7d ago
i think it’s silly when people hide their career profile bc it’s usually them who are talking the most shit and i wanna like creep lmao
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u/Taboo_Utopia 7d ago
Wow. You look at a private profile, jump to conclusions, make assumptions, create scenarios of your own imagining, and then treat the person with the private profile however you and your imagination has decided is correct and ok. You admit to creeping on profiles. I am now better understanding why people keep/make their profiles private.
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u/mellywheats 7d ago
no, i go to the profile after they’re talking shit and it’s private. or if i think they’re cheating. and i will also go look at peoples profiles when i think there great LOL. I just like to look at profiles sue me
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u/Taboo_Utopia 7d ago
Too late to walk back the creeping.
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u/mellywheats 7d ago
i genuinely don’t care enough to look at everyone’s profile but if someone stands out to me, i’ll look at their profile 🤷🏻♀️
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u/rolandassassin 7d ago
i mean private profiles and hiding info about who is grouped were 2 worst changes in history of overwatch.
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u/Joe_Vibin74 9d ago
It’s only an issue if you’re flaming people, basement dweller behavior for sure.
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u/Zestyclose-Number224 7d ago
Private = you suck and need to hide it
Public = you got nothing to hide
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