MIcrosoft has altered the terms and conditions on its Xbox Live page today - making it easier to get banned for poor behaviour. Here's what you need to know.

Toxicity and poor behaviour in online gaming is nothing new. Sadly, it's something that has been afflicting online games spaces since the early days of Xbox Live, Steam and other places. Microsoft is taking active steps to fix the issue, though, and in a new update this week the company outlined new measures to prevent harassment and bullying online. The main updates to the community standards page this week revolves around describing toxicity and harassment, and even gives examples as to what is and is not acceptable. Though at first, the information seems quite funny, it's actually quite useful if you want to avoid having your own 'heated gamer moment' and end up being removed from Microsoft's online services.



The whole Community Standards page is worth a read if you want to avoid an online ban, and Microsoft is understanding when it comes to trash talk between players. But it offers guidelines about what is and what is not acceptable. "We get it—gaming can be competitive and interactions with other players can get heated. A little trash talk is an expected part of competitive multiplayer action, and that’s not a bad thing. But hate has no place here, and what’s not okay is when that trash talk turns into harassment." Microsoft outlines a pretty handy guide: Acceptable trash talk includes • Get destroyed. Can’t believe you thought you were on my level.

• That was some serious potato aim. Get wrecked.

• Only reason you went positive was you spent all game camping. Try again, kid.

• Cheap win. Come at me when you can actually drive without running cars off the road.

• That sucked. Get good and then come back when your k/d’s over 1. Going too far looks like • Get <sexual threat>. Can’t believe you thought you were on my level.

• Hey <profanity>, that was some serious potato aim. Get wrecked, trash.

• Only reason you went positive was you spent all game camping. KYS, kid.

• Cheap win. Totally expected from a <racial slur>.

• You suck. Get out of my country—maybe they’ll let you back in when your k/d’s over 1. Basically: learn to be creative in your takedowns, don't just use racial slurs or inappropriate language. No-one really enjoys that, and it's not big or clever.