this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2023
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FFXIV Online
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I don't know how Discord became the end all be all for everything. Maybe it's because it's so easy to start a server? Either way as you said it's terrible for searching and having asynchronous conversations.
I think it mostly comes down to the fact that Discord has become so synonymous with PC gaming in general, that it is almost an expectation that if you play games on PC, you more than likely have a Discord account as well. That then creates a feedback loop where it becomes more convenient to use than other platforms, therefore it gets more popular, which makes it more convenient, etc.
And that works well when you have Discord for instant, synchronous messaging and voice chat and something like Reddit or another forum for more permanent, asynchronous discussions. Now that Reddit's going the way of Digg, people are looking for anything to replace its functionality. Discord gets close, but isn't quite there for the countless reasons already mentioned in this thread. That's why I really hope something like this community on Fediverse takes off.
It's just convenience, it has persistent chat, file upload, voice and video calls and screen sharing and an overlay and who knows what else people use nowadays. The average user doesn't care about data retention and availability, the inevitable enshittification of discord or their privacy, I'm still pining for the ancient days of forums, ts3, xfire/msn and IRC, which makes me feel old enough to just dissolve into the lifestream, but what can you do.