This issue has been discussed in the past, but with the addition of the #spectator channel and "PM allowed only for friend" feature, it is worth bringing up again. If this is a duplicate of an unresolved thread, hopefully it still contains new ideas and reasoning to support it.
High ranking players often get messages from strangers about their playstyle and other various things, and only allowing private messages from friends is a good way to prevent this from causing the player a lot of stress. However, now that the #spectator channel has been added, strangers can still message and harass players in this way. In order for the player to only get the messages they want, it is necessary to both allow private messages only from friends and hide the spectator list in order to prevent the #spectator channel from being shown.
In addition, some players simply do not wish to be spectated. Even with a hidden spectator list, it is still stressful to know that others are judging them and their performance without their knowledge. They have the right to practicing and playing in private, and their scores will still appear to be watched as replays.
To conclude, disabling spectators or only allowing friends to spectate is a great solution to all of these problems. It is a better alternative to going offline so the player can still submit scores for the online leaderboards. Hopefully with this new reasoning, this feature can now be considered for implementation.
High ranking players often get messages from strangers about their playstyle and other various things, and only allowing private messages from friends is a good way to prevent this from causing the player a lot of stress. However, now that the #spectator channel has been added, strangers can still message and harass players in this way. In order for the player to only get the messages they want, it is necessary to both allow private messages only from friends and hide the spectator list in order to prevent the #spectator channel from being shown.
In addition, some players simply do not wish to be spectated. Even with a hidden spectator list, it is still stressful to know that others are judging them and their performance without their knowledge. They have the right to practicing and playing in private, and their scores will still appear to be watched as replays.
To conclude, disabling spectators or only allowing friends to spectate is a great solution to all of these problems. It is a better alternative to going offline so the player can still submit scores for the online leaderboards. Hopefully with this new reasoning, this feature can now be considered for implementation.