Overwatch 2developers should consider banning the word “diff,” especially if they truly want to combat toxicity in the hero-shooter.Overwatchhas struggled with toxicitysince its inception, as the game’s highly competitive nature mixed with the need for strong teamwork to succeed naturally lends itself to some frustration.Overwatchdevelopers have experimented with ways to curb toxicity in the game, with varying degrees of success.
WithOverwatch 2’s early access launch, Blizzard has introduced the Defense Matrix initiative, which it says is its way of defending the community from toxic players and cheaters. This includes some controversial decisions, likerequiring newOverwatch 2players to register their phone numberin order to play the game, as well as recording and transcribing game chat audio. It’s unclear if theOverwatch 2Defense Matrix initiative has had any impact on the game’s toxicity, but anyone that plays the game regularly will be well aware that toxicity is still a major problem in the game regardless.
What Does Diff Mean in Overwatch 2?
One word in particular has been weaponized by players to spread toxicity, and that’s the word “diff.” For those unfamiliar with the term, it is basically used to criticize players' performance as specific characters or roles. For example, ifOverwatch 2players think their Damage players are not pulling their weight compared to the enemy team, they might say “DPS diff” in the chat. Or if both teams have a Reinhardt and one is outperforming the other, they might say “Reinhardt diff” to point this out. WithOverwatch 2’s switch to a 5v5 setup, it seems that “diff” comes up most often to complain about healers or Tank players.
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“Diff” serves no purpose inOverwatch 2beyond trying to make other players feel bad about how they’re playing, which is exactly the reason why people use it to begin with. This breeds toxicity, and it may make poorly-performing players even less interested in trying in the match. And then there are times when “diff” is thrown around in cases where the people using it are the real weak links in the match, and since they perceive someone else as the problem, necessary character switches or play adjustments aren’t going to be made.
Blizzard has established a precedent for banning certain phrases inOverwatch 2text chat, so it only makes sense for diff to get the same treatment. For years,Overwatchplayers that type “gg ez” in chat have had their message automatically changed to a positive phrase. The same should be done with the word “diff” assuming Blizzard is truly interested in rooting outOverwatch 2toxicity.
It’s likely that the community will think of a new way to be toxic to theirOverwatch 2opponents and teammates, even if “diff” was removed from the game. Even so, getting rid of the word may provide some short-term relief for the community and lead to somewhat less toxic game chats in matches where things aren’t going one’s way.
Overwatch 2is out now in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
