What is Regex?

Regex, short for Regular Expressions, is like a secret code for finding and/or manipulating text.

You can use Regex to:

• Hunt down specific patterns in text.
• Check if a string fits a certain format.
• Grab useful info from a bunch of text.
• Swap out words or phrases based on certain rules.

Regex is a pretty neat tool that's meant for power users, programmers, or anyone who loves playing with text. So I don't expect a casual user to know exactly how to use it.

How can I use it here?

Right now, the Game Name field supports the ability for the user to use regex when searching for games. An example use case for this would be if you wanted to search all games that have Resident Evil in the title, but not Resident Evil Resistance. Or if you want to exclude games like Just Chatting, Minecraft, World of Warcraft, etc, in a single query. And while the field does include autocomplete, using regex can be quicker if you are familiar with it. So having the ability to use regex alongside other fields like tags and viewership and language gives you much more control in the quality of your search results.

I don't get it. Can I see some examples?

These are some examples that I may use. It's not meant to offend anyone who streams in these categories, but simply my own preference that you can take an adjust how you like:

• Exclude some of the most popular games I typically don't watch:
  ^(?!.*(fortnite|call of duty(:? \d+|: warzone)?|apex: legends|valorant|grand theft auto v|counter-strike|league of legends|ea sports fc 24|overwatch|just chatting|dota 2)).*$
• Resident Evil 1-4, Resident Evil Biohazard, and Resident Evil Village:
  ^(?=.*\bresident evil(?: \d+)?(?: biohazard| village)?\b).*
• Any Legend of Zelda game:
  ^(?=.*\bzelda\b).*
Somewhat of a Nintendo filter:
^(?=.*\bsplatoon\b|super mario|animal crossing|pokémon|mario kart\b).*

Do I have to use this?

Of course not, but the option is there if you would like to.