Valve's Steam service can be compared and usually rates better than Xbox Live. In my experiences, Steam is basically the console equivalent for the PC without the constant hatespeech and annoying 12 year-old whiners. Oh, and Steam is free.But one of the nit-picks I have with Steam is very easy to control on Live. On the Xbox, if you hear someone spouting off anything offensive, you can not only mute them, you can report/flag them to not be paired with them in random games. It also supposedly helps gets those people suspended with enough reports and lowers their reputations. It at least placated my anger while in the lobby of Halo 3.
Steam has no reporting to my knowledge. If they do, it's nowhere near as easy to find. And of course you can mute people's mics, but it has no effect on text. I don't see/hear it as often on the PC, but just two nights ago my eyes were welcomed into a TF2 match with, "f***ing f***** n***** b****". He wasn't kicked from the server and kept repeating himself. I felt impotent.
What bothers me more about seeing it rather than hearing is the feeling of intention. Typing all those hate-filled words seems to carry more emotion. With words it rolls off the tongue with unfortunate ease, but typing really punches it home.
The few times in my life where those words have crossed my lips have been shameful. And though I'm at a different point in my life, I could never imagine writing them down even then.
-- "Stop trying to hit me and hit me."
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