Steam has added a new feature that allows users to tweak Steam chat settings to make profanity and certain words invisible. This option was initially developed for use within certain online multiplayer games on Steam, but is now also a feature of the platform itself.

This new feature is quite in depth: while there is a pre-populated list of words that Steam deems worthy of censorship, you can create your own list of words and phrases that you do not want to be exposed to or see. This feature does not delete comments, but instead makes the offending words invisible with a '***' or '♥♥♥'. There is also an option to show profanity rather than slander (a great choice for someone like me with a mermaid's heart and a sailor's mouth), and to show certain words if they come from a friend and not if they are entered by a stranger. If you wish, you can even turn off censorship altogether.

While some Steam users have welcomed the news that they can now prevent particularly offensive words and phrases from being displayed, others have expressed concern that Valve is putting too much responsibility for addressing offensive behavior on the users themselves, rather than letting the internal moderators handle it. Some users have expressed concern that this is not the case. Another issue is that just because they did not literally see the abuses and slurs in question does not mean that they are not familiar with what was said. In other words, filters are a good tool to help players feel more comfortable and in control while using Steam, but they are no substitute for other measures against harassment.

If you want to tweak Steam chat now, or turn it off completely, you can customize the filter by editing the settings in the "Community Content Preferences" under the "Account" > "Preferences" tab in Steam.