Fortnite’s futile ban on confrontational emotes will encourage creative toxicity

Epic Games have allowed players to decide whether they see confrontational emotes in-game, something that has upset a lot the Fortnite community. Although this isn’t exactly a ban, those upset by it will treat it like such.

Toxic gamers will go back to their roots in Fortnite

The idea to allow players to decide whether they want to see confrontational emotes was no doubt implemented to curb the rage players feel when certain emotes are performed after getting defeated.

Granted, there is something uniquely infuriating upon seeing someone flaunt their success whilst you’re forced to watch them after being defeated. This, however, isn’t something exclusive to Fortnite.

Before the days of Battle Royale and emoting, players “trolled” ones they defeated through the iconic and precious art of “teabagging.” An exercise that’s been practiced throughout the ages. Simply crouching and uncrouching in rapid succession was the only way to dunk on your opponents after defeating them.

So with players being able to stop seeing these confrontational emotes, players will resort to the ol’ reliable. Teabagging.

Fortnite hasn’t banned confrontational emotes, but toxic players will still accomodate

Although it may seem logical and harmless to allow players to restrict confrontational emotes whilst still allowing players to use them, the toxic players Epic is trying to protect the community from will treat it like a ban.

The whole point of using confrontational emotes is to enrage – and now they know that lots of players won’t be able to see them using certain emotes, they’ll have to adapt. There’s no fun using “Take the L” if there’s a good chance their opponents can’t see it.

Especially as the confrontational emote visibility is restricted by default, meaning many won’t realise it’s on, or won’t care to change it.

So despite this not being a ban, the good chances of no one bearing witness to their trolling will cause them to use other means, like teabagging, to troll their opponents, effectively making it a ban.

If you think you’re safe from confrontational expressions, just wait until teabagging comes back in style. An art that was lost for a time, now revitalised.

Sure, teabagging isn’t as rage-inducing as the more flavorful Fortnite emotes, but the intention is the same.

In all seriousness, although this ban doesn’t stop toxic players from annoying other players, it will prevent more malicious players from using very certain emotes to harass select portions of the player base. So for that, I do appreciate the steps taken by Epic.

There is more to Fortnite than dunking on your foes, however, such as grabbing that Appa glider before it’s too late.