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Established in 2015, Discord has quickly become one of the leading platforms for gamers to communicate. Whether it be through video calling, voice calling, screen sharing or texting, Discord has expanded its features to make it suitable for almost any gaming requirement. In 2023, Discord is set to further enhance its features and become even more popular than it already is.
But, with other platforms out there including Teamspeak and Skype, is Discord still the best choice? We’re here to analyse its features, as well as any potential drawbacks.
What is Discord?
Discord is an innovative platform used primarily by gamers to connect and communicate with fellow gamers. The platform was developed by Discord Inc. in 2015, and it has since turned into one of the most popular VoIP services for gamers to use.
Discord is designed with gamers in mind, and as such offers many features beneficial to gaming. And, with the added convenience of being available on desktop, mobile and web browsers, it has become a go-to choice for gamers.
Features of Discord for Gamers
The features offered by Discord are rarely beaten by any competitor. Because of how fast the platform gained popularity, the developers behind it were able to quickly invest in new features and create a unique overall experience. Here are a few of Discord’s features worth mentioning and how they compare to the features offered by other platforms:
- Voice calling: In today’s digital world, voice calling abilities are the bare minimum for most platforms. However, Discord stands out in this category as it offers crystal clear audio with low-latency technology. This makes it perfect for gamers who need to have fast conversations without interruptions. When compared to Teamspeak and Skype, Discord generally offers a better voice calling experience because the call will be made through a server instead of a peer-to-peer connection.
- Screen sharing: Need to show a friend a new game trick, how to solve a puzzle, or just to show them something cool you found? No problem. Discord allows screen sharing at the click of a button without any additional software needed. And, while Skype offers similar screen-sharing abilities, it’s considered to be a bit more difficult to use when compared to Discord which is why the platform is making all kinds of gaming news headlines.
- Threads: Messages can easily get lost and buried by newer messages, especially in active groups with lots of members. However, Discord has found a way to make it easier to keep track of important discussions. Threads allow users to post messages within a single thread, and other users can comment on the thread without interrupting the original conversation. This makes it much easier for gamers to communicate without missing out on important information or discussions.
The Downsides of Discord for Gamers
Despite its many features, there are some potential drawbacks when using Discord that should be considered before signing up for the platform or moving your gamer group to the platform. These include:
- Limited userbase: Compared to other platforms like Skype, Discord has a much smaller userbase. This can make it difficult for gamers who want to communicate with friends or family members that don’t use the platform, although with 150 million registered users, the number of people using Discord is growing rapidly and has been doing so for years.
- Data privacy: Discord collects a lot of data from its users, which has raised some concerns among gamers. This includes user IP addresses and other personal information that is used to improve the overall experience for everyone. While this data is not shared with any third parties, it’s still something to keep in mind when using the platform. Of course, if you want to see what information is being kept about you, Discord does offer the opportunity to request a data dump where you will be sent a report of all the data it has on file.
Who Can Use Discord?
Although we have targeted this review towards gamers, Discord can be used by anyone regardless of age or profession. Whether it’s for personal use to stay in touch with family and friends, a business team needing to communicate with one another, or a streamer wanting to interact with their audience, Discord has the features needed for just about any situation.
Even for workplace use, Discord’s features such as reacting, voice calling, private chatting, and screen sharing make it a great option. So, essentially the platform is worth considering for any sort of group that requires frequent collaboration regardless of the industry or purpose.
What is Discord Nitro?
The great news is that Discord itself is free and the platform can be used just fine without spending a dime. However, for users who want to take their experience to the next level, Discord Nitro is the platform’s premium subscription service, which offers additional features and benefits.
These include access to a library of custom-made emotes and avatars, more expansive file uploads (up to 50MB files instead of 8MB), larger image sizes for profile photos, higher audio bitrate for voice channels, customizable tags for users’ names in server chatrooms, GIF avatars, and much more.
The subscription costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 for a full year, with additional benefits being added from time to time.
Is Discord Nitro Worth it?
Deciding whether it is worth spending the extra ten bucks a month on Nitro depends entirely on your intended use of the service. For instance, if you and your group can work efficiently simply through text and voice chats, the extra features offered by Nitro will be of little use to you.
However, if you are a streamer or content creator who uses Discord regularly for their work, then it might be worth considering getting Nitro. It can ultimately save time and resources in the long run due to its upgraded file size uploads and image sizes, which can be a huge asset for any content creator.
Overall, however, it’s up to the individual user to decide whether or not the Nitro subscription is worth it and if they will actually get enough out of the extra features for it to really be helpful.
Final Thoughts on Discord for Gamers
Overall, it’s safe to say that Discord has secured its spot as the best platform for most gamers in 2023. Although other sites and services offer similar features, Discord is the only platform that specifically caters to gamers and provides a smooth user experience with reliable audio and voice-chatting abilities. So, if speed and ease-of-use is something you, as a gamer value, Discord could be worth checking out.
