Duelling on Discord: The Ultimate Card & Board Game Players’ Guide
By Alex J. Coyne © Great Bridge Links
Discord is a popular buzzword for gamers, and one of the most popular sites in the world of esports right now. It’s mentioned often, recommended even more, and it’s had its fair share of good and bad publicity in the news.
But what is Discord if it’s not a gaming platform created to play?
Communication is one of the most important things for gamers and other online communities. Discord is a way to host discussion threads, user resources, and video/audio/text discussions all in the same place. Online communication has gone far beyond just VoIP services like Skype.
While Discord isn’t just for gamers, the website began with a focus on gamers – and still remains the default choice for in-game communication or discussion threads for thousands.
If you’re still new to Discord communities, the following guide can fill you in. Safety tips, user information, and the most important links are all things you should know.
Here’s the ultimate card & board game players’ guide to Discord, how to use it, and how to stay safe.
What is Discord?
The online description reads: Discord is a VoIP, instant messaging and digital distribution platform designed for creating communities. Users communicate with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media and files in private chats or as part of communities called “servers”.
Note: Discord uses text most of the time, but can be used for voice calls and video.
Discord services extend into discussion threads and forum communities. Signed up users can create their own communities, or join others – and Discord is the official choice for more than a handful of games.
The site first launched in 2016, focused on gamers. The gamer-centric approach has changed to encompass many other topics, but gamers everywhere still seem to prefer the ease-of-use Discord has to offer.
Comparatively, services like Skype can be bug-filled, expensive, or just slower than you’d like them to be. Discord is fast, and can combine several services in a single place as well as many integrations.
How popular is it?
At least 250 million users according to past estimates.
In April 2021, Discord refused a multimillion dollar buy-over offer from tech giant Microsoft in favour of doing their own thing. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-20/chat-app-discord-is-said-to-end-takeover-talks-with-microsoft
Further changes have focused on better site security, with Discord buying out Sentropy – an anti-harrassment AI company. https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/13/discord-buys-sentropy/
How Discord Works
Start by downloading the Discord App to your desktop or device Then set up an account using your email, a password, and it will also ask for your birthday. Once you have an account, you can use the DISCOVER button in the right menu to find servers/channels. Google is also a great way to find a server/channel.
Discord is easy to use, and that’s part of its large-scale popularity. Once users create an account, they can either join or create a Channel – and that’s where discussions about the topic will take place. Users can communicate through IM, or integrate their Discord feed into other platforms (like Twitch and Reddit).
If you’re looking for a specific Discord Channel, the best way to find it is to search the site. Alternatively, have the link or handle for the channel. Or you can use the DISCOVER button in your right vertical menu.
You can also use Discord Server Search Sites such as DISBOARD – click here
Get Your Links Here
Looking for essential Discord links? Here are important links newcomers (and parents of younger users) will need to click.
- The Official Discord Blog https://blog.discord.com/
- Discord Support https://support.discord.com/
- Discord Home https://discord.com/
- The Discord Twitter https://twitter.com/discord
- Discord Safety Guide https://discord.com/safety
Avoiding the Dark Side of Discord
Every online community has a potential dark side, and the same can be said about Discord. Safety should be priority for anyone who wants to host, join, or participate in Discord discussions – and it’s a common concern for parents, too.
News outlets including NBC (Connecticut) have reported on the increase of reported crimes that involve Discord. The same could happen on any mentioned online platform where people communicate.
Always keep basic online safety in mind. Never share personal details, and run decent anti-spyware checks on all your devices. If you are threatened, spammed, or solicited by another user through Discord, report options exist.
Discord has a safety tips page with more specific tips for users at the following link. https://discord.com/safety
Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash
