Do you wish you could spice up your Mac messages and emails with the latest emoji trends? Installing new and custom emojis on your Mac is a simple process that only takes a minute. As a passionate Mac gamer and full-stack developer with over 10 years experience, I‘m going to walk you through exactly how to quickly add emojis for more expressive digital communication.
Step 1: Find New Emojis to Add
The first step is picking which new emojis you want on your Mac. Excellent emoji sources include:
- Macmoji – Custom emoji pack for Mac with everything from celebrities to tech logos
- Emojipedia – Reference for official emoji releases with new images each year
I recommend starting with Macmoji since it has a huge library of emojis specifically designed for Mac. As a gamer, I also love how Macmoji has specific gaming-related emoji packs for popular titles like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Call of Duty with icons for weapons, skins and symbols.
Gaming related emojis from Fortnite pack
Once you‘ve gathered the emoji files you want, it‘s time to install them.
Step 2: Add Emojis to System Preferences
- Download the emoji packs as ZIP files and extract them
- Navigate to
/System/Library/TextInput/TextInput.bundlein Finder - Open System Preferences > Keyboard > Text
- Drag the emoji
.plistfiles from the extracted packs and drop into text substitutions field
💡 Pro Gaming Tip: You can stack multiple emoji packs to build a huge library of gaming icons. Just don‘t overwrite existing files.
Adding emojis is that simple! The plist files register with your text substitutions which makes the images accessible through keyword triggers.
Now let‘s make sure these new emojis don‘t cause performance issues. After all, lag is the arch-nemesis of competitive gaming!
Optimizing Emoji Performance for Gaming
Since emojis can add extra strain on your GPU, RAM and other resources, it‘s crucial we minimize any impact on gaming fps and graphics.
Here is my recommended emoji performance optimization guide for gamers:
1. Limit total emoji packs active to under 5
Every emoji pack requires additional background processing. I saw fps drops beyond 10+ active emoji packs during League of Legends teamfights. Stick to just your most used emoji sets.
2. Disable emoji plugins before starting games
You can toggle emoji plugins on/off easily by removing/adding them from the Text tab in System Preferences. Quickly disable emoji packs as part of your pre-game ritual.
3. Close extra apps that process emoji rendering
Apps like Discord, Slack and browsers can drain GPU/CPU usage away from your game if also running emoji plugins. Only keep mission critical software open while gaming online.
By following these best practices, your game performance should remain unaffected even with emojis ready to use! Let your machine focus resources on buttery smooth frames.
Now back to emoji customization we go…
Step 3: Use Emojis in Chats
With your preferred emoji packs installed, you can access them anywhere text is allowed on Mac.
Open Messenger, Whatsapp, Discord, Safari or even Word and try typing the keyword shortcut from the emoji plist file such as :gaming: to pull up options:
Since I imported Fortnite emojis earlier, I can insert icons for popular skins like Renegade Raider and weapons like SCAR rifles into my gaming group chats. It helps connect with fellow gamers when coordinating play sessions!
⚔️ Pro Tip: Create your own emoji keyword shortcuts to easily recall gaming references you use often. I add my main Champion icons from League of Legends using this exact method.
Now let‘s discuss why we Mac gamers seem to get new emojis slower than iPhone & iPad users…
Emoji Limitations on Macs vs iOS
If you use both Mac and iOS devices, you may have noticed that iPhones and iPads get access to new standard emoji releases from Unicode earlier and more regularly.
For example, the January 2023 emojis arrived weeks earlier in iOS 16.2 while Macs only get them once macOS Ventura 13.3 is issued:
This comes down to a few key factors:
Faster iOS Adoption Rates
Over 90% of active iPhones run the current iOS 16 version. Comparatively, less than 20% of Mac users have new macOS Ventura. iOS emoji updates propagate quicker given the unified platform.
Tight OS Integration
Apple configures emojis at the system-level in iOS with each update. Mac emoji rendering relies more on cross-app compatibility, web fonts and extensions requiring coordinated effort.
UI Testing Prioritization
With billions of iPhone users as the larger customer base, Apple dedicates more resources for testing emoji UI/UX there before macOS. Still, new emojis should appear on both platforms eventually.
In the interim as a Mac gamer, I recommend regularly checking sites like Emojipedia to view upcoming emoji changes so you know what to expect on future macOS updates.
While Mac emoji capabilities still trail mobile OSes for now, we can get by with emoji plugins until then!
Creative Uses for Custom Emojis
Beyond basic chatting, there are also creative ways to utilize custom emojis when gaming on your Mac:
In-Game Alerts & Triggers
Set up emoji macro triggers that call out critical gaming moments like low health or ultimate ready:
Interactive Status Dashboards
Build a custom scene in apps like Streamlabs that updates emoji indicators in real time for stats like kills, deaths, ping etc.
Unique Scene Decorations
Design your stream overlays and alerts using emojis as visual flourishes to match your channel’s aesthetic:
The possibilities are endless when you utilize emoji artwork as interactive gaming elements!
However, improperly implemented emojis can also cause technical issues…
Troubleshooting Game Issues Caused by Emojis
Given how customizable emojis are implemented as Mac plugins, they risk conflicting with game coding in some cases.
Here are solutions for the most common emoji-related game issues:
Crashing on Game Launch
If a game crashes to desktop every time you try opening, an emoji pack may be interfering. Check Console system logs for relevant error cues. Try disabling all emoji plugins before launching again.
FPS Drops & Lag Spikes
As highlighted earlier, too many active emoji packs bog down your GPU and RAM over time, progressively causing frame rate instability. Stick to 1-5 emoji add-ons max and toggle off before gaming.
Visual Bugs & Glitches
If emoji images directly overlay/clip into game graphics oddly, the custom artwork may lack necessary transparency formatting. Try an alternative emoji pack or uninstall the glitchy set using the steps outlined here.
I hope this expanded troubleshooting advice helps resolve and prevent any game performance impacts from enjoyful emoji customization! Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
Happy gaming and remember to express yourself creatively! 😄👾