Given how often I’ve had to pick up shop and move to another social media site, you’d think I’d be used to online spaces sunsetting or changing so completely that they’re unrecognizable. But here I am, anxiously waiting to see how Discord’s upcoming worldwide implementation of age-verification might affect the platform and whether or not that means having to move again. It’s entirely possible that nothing changes. But even if it doesn’t, the loss (or at least the splintering) of Discord would be terrible, as it’s the primary means by which I and so many others in the tabletop space stay glued to one another. If anything, the situation has been a stark reminder that you shouldn’t be entirely relying on Discord for your main hobby.
If you haven’t been keeping up with it, Discord’s decision to roll out new age-verification policies worldwide was not well-received. Discord attempted to downplay concerns, but a disclaimer on the FAQ about Discord’s age-verification policies pointed to the app testing a relationship with Persona–that disclaimer was quickly and quietly deleted, though an archived version still exists. Persona’s shady associations with ICE and other deportation efforts in the United States further raised people’s eyebrows.
In a statement to Kotaku, Discord said that its work with Persona was part of a “limited test” that is no longer happening. But for some users, even a brief association with Persona was enough for them to start looking elsewhere. Discord’s delay of its age-verification policy, detailed in a blog post on February 24, doesn’t seem to have slowed down people wanting to find a Discord alternative.
