Since its inception as a basic chat service with voice chat, Discord has grown into a critical platform for gamers, developers, and various communities. Over the nearly ten years since its launch, Discord has rolled out numerous features, some of which have stirred controversy and dissatisfaction among users.
One such recent update might leave some gamers feeling uneasy: your Discord contacts list will now reveal not only what games your friends are playing but also detailed statistics, such as how long they’ve been playing and how often they’ve played over the past 30 days.
This new feature could, for example, show that a friend has been playing Call of Duty for 13 consecutive days or that another has accumulated over 100 hours in World of Warcraft, highlighted with a special marathon badge. You can even react to these in-game activities with emojis directly on their profile tiles.
What’s more troubling is that this feature allows users to inspect a contact’s gaming activities over the past 30 days, regardless of their online status. Not everyone may be comfortable with this level of transparency. For instance, if you skipped out on plans to have some alone time in a game, this feature might expose your activities, potentially leading to uncomfortable conversations or confrontations.
Additionally, there are scenarios where you might want to keep your gaming habits private—whether you’re participating in a closed beta for a new game or playing something you wouldn’t want others to know about. This added scrutiny can feel invasive.
Fortunately, Discord has made this feature optional, meaning you can opt out if you’d rather keep your gaming activity private. To disable it, go to your Settings, find the Privacy and security section, and switch off the Activity status feature.