Epic Games is adding a new feature to Fortnite that will give players the option to disable "confrontational" emotes in the game, so they won't have to deal with excess taunting from other players.
The new "See Confrontational Emotes" option will give players the ability to select whether or not they want to see "certain emotes that are sometimes used in confrontational ways," Epic said. Players who toggle them off will see other players using the offending emotes simply standing still, and there will be no emote sound.
The setting will apply to four emotes:
- Laugh It Up
- Take the L
- Whipcrack
- Make It Plantain
The default setting will make the emotes visible only from friends in your party, but can be set so the emotes are seen when used by any player, or switched off completely. It does not have any impact on your ability to use emotes.
"We want emotes to be a source of good vibes, but a few (*cough* Take the L *cough*) can sometimes feel a bit overly confrontational," Epic said on Twitter, and I think that's a fair assessment. I'm not a big emote user myself (which is a nice way of saying I can never remember the required key combos) but I do know that these things can sometimes be used in a belittling fashion, even gestures and emotes that aren't inherently offensive.
It's one thing to take a little trash-talking from friends, but another thing entirely when an abrasive stranger is doing this in your face all goddamn day long:
Some people responding to Epic's tweet are critical of the move, taking a predictable "if you can't stand the heat" attitude toward an effort to make games less toxic (and of course posting the "Take the L" emote). Others point out that it's a toggle, not a deletion: Anyone who wants to see these emotes in all their glory is still fully free to do so. It's simply a way to make the experience less crappy and frustrating for those who don't enjoy the "I'm better than you" theatrics.
It brings to mind our discussion many years ago about teabagging, the classic pre-emote display of shooter dominance. Most of us thought it was stupid to varying degrees, but senior editor Wes Fenlon was spot-on when he noted that "there's a reason trash talk and teabagging have stayed around for so long, other than the fact that a lot of people are assholes: they can be effective." The former point is just as valid as the latter, and honestly sometimes you're just not in the mood to deal with it. Soon, in Fortnite at least, you won't have to.
The "See Confrontational Emotes" toggle will be added to Fortnite in the 29.30 update, set to go live on April 23.
