Several Popular Gaming Subreddits Are Banning Content Pulled From X

Several popular gaming-related subreddits are banning posts that link to social media site X (formerly Twitter). Among those issuing the ban are r/SteamDeck, r/MonsterHunter, r/WOW, r/PCGaming, and r/Nintendo.

These bans are part of a larger movement on Reddit to ban X content. Since the influx of blacklisting began, there have been a number of posts made across various subreddits raising the question of if the respective subreddit should follow suit. Currently, r/Halo, r/RPG, r/Valorant, r/AnimalCrossing, and several other prominent subreddits are in discussions, with the majority of subscribers currently in favor of a prohibiting content pulled from X. The extent of the bans vary from subreddit to subreddit, with r/Nintendo and r/SteamDeck allowing screenshots while r/WOW is prohibiting images as well.

The official reasons for the ban vary, though many cite Elon Musk’s recent actions as the primary motivation. Musk, who owns X, recently attended President Trump’s inauguration and was seen doing a Nazi-like salute. However, different forums have also cited X’s lack of moderation and “increasingly hateful” content as reason to blacklist the website.

“This is something that we’ve been contemplating for a little while now,” r/PCGaming moderator Shock4ndAwe wrote. “X has become increasingly hateful, toxic and less and less moderated. This has, in turn, made us less comfortable with letting our subreddit link it to other people. Not to mention the distasteful things Elon Musk has done recently.”

r/WOW, a World of Warcraft forum boasting over 3 million members, stated that a combination of “recent political events” and X’s declining reliability as a news source contributed to its decision. r/MagicTCG, a subreddit dedicated to Magic the Gathering, confirmed that its users were “overwhelmingly in favor” of a ban due to “Nazi behavior from the owner.”

Though some news outlets and citizens continue to debate if Musk’s gesture was a Nazi salute, German and Jewish communities alike have expressed their belief that the gesture was antisemitic. Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, condemned Musk, stating that while “everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire, what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions.”