Discussion time: Do you think zone chats in MMOs are forces for good, or evil?

PC Gamer's MMO column Terminally Online asks whether zone chats in MMOs are a force for good or ill. The author cites World of Warcraft's Barrens Chat and Ul'dah in Final Fantasy 14 as examples of both infectious absurdity and vile verbiage, with trade chat on the Horde side dominated by a bot named Margrave Tyrael. Despite finding these chats unhealthy to engage with, the author admits a weird fondness for their undiluted, algorithm-free nonsense.