Toxicity and the Darker Side of Gaming Culture
Games have always been a way to escape reality, but unfortunately some take that escapism too far. The anonymity of online gaming presents a shroud of misconceived ‘free speech,’ which many take advantage of to spout abuse at others. Unity found that 7 out of 10 players say they have experienced some form of toxic behaviour in online gaming communities. Toxicity can include, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, hate speech, threats of violence and doxing. Of course, there’s a fine line between banter with friends and toxic behaviour. Spurring someone on to play better may be fine, but if hate speech becomes involved this is where the toxic culture rears its ugly head.
Unity found that women were less likely to engage in voice chats, and that when they did the toxic sexism put them...