Security: Why is Spellcraft asking for Discord permissions?

One question we see from security-conscious players is "Why is Spellcraft asking for Discord permissions?" As you can see in the screenshot below, Spellcraft is asking for permission to take actions on your behalf on your Discord account:

Why are these Discord permissions required?

We've built Spellcraft GameLab, our game alpha-test program, in Discord because it provides a great place to host our community. By leveraging the sign-in capabilities Discord supports (OAuth/OpenID for the techies in the room) we can enable players like you to use your Discord account for login.

From a security perspective relying upon Discord to manage account sign-in is a big security win for players. It's secure, and works similarly to logging in with Google, Apple, Facebook or other major identity providers. 

Discord protects your player information carefully, which means that in order for a company like ours to use the information, we need to request your permission. And so we ask for these permissions.

• Access your username, avatar, and banner
• Access your email address
• Join servers for you

We show your Discord username in Spellcraft to represent you when you're playing the game so others know who they're playing against. If you're going to build your reputation as a strong competitive player, you'll want others to know who you are, right?

We use your email address so we can notify you when you're accepted into the alpha program. Apart from emails directly about the alpha, you won't receive any marketing emails from OMG unless you sign up for our newsletter, separately. And we do not, and never will, share or sell your email address with other companies for marketing -- no one wants more spam!

Finally, we ask for your authorization to Join Discord servers, so we can add you to the Spellcraft Discord server, which is where the Alpha Test will take place. There you can learn more about Spellcraft, communicate with the folks on our development team, meet other players interested in joining the Alpha Test, and get ready for the big launch.

After you've provided authorization Discord will send you back to the account page (https://account.playspellcraft.com) to discover more about the game.

The app also links to our privacy policy and terms of service for additional information.

We aim to provide a secure, friendly, and enjoyable experience playing, and so hope that we've addressed any security concerns you may have, so that you feel comfortable signing up for the Alpha Test.

We look forward to seeing you in the game!