I think in the Discord model it makes more sense because it's based off of how online gamers flow (basically open a voice chat and stay on there for hours on end).

It's still outside the norm on Windows I would say, even though I understand why they did it.

Gamers obviously don't talk only when they open discord. They talks in 'game' with discord minimized. It would be dumb if hide discord to background while keep chatting is a manual action by default. But that behaviour can be changed. You can ask discord to exit the app when you click x if you prefer. There is an option for it.

And about teams... who the heck want to be kept in a meeting if they are already ready to close the app?

They are just different mindset.

Its by-design, so you can voice with people while playing multiplayer games.

You can play multiplayer games with a window open though (as long as it doesn't try to stay in front of your game), right?

Minimising the window would achieve that, it's not necessary for closing it to also do so.

Closing the window frees up some video RAM, as you are no longer processing and displaying video streams from the voice/video chat. Minimizing the window keeps that RAM in active use.

Then that's also an issue that Discord should work on.

The majority of that issue IIRC lies upon the Microsoft Window Manager, and if true, not much Discord can do about that.

Sure, but if Discord is processing and displaying something, Discord can change that behaviour when it's minimised.

huh? He just explained how that's not how it works. Are you suggesting Discord to mail angry comments to windows' window manager team?

Discord is choosing to display things and can tell if you have minimised it, they don't need Windows to make any changes.