The online gaming world can be an exciting place for players to come together to experience adventures. Unfortunately, it is also a place plagued by toxic behavior and harassment. A recent story of a female player in Destiny 2 highlights this in a shocking way.
What did the female player from Destiny 2 report? For many female gamers, it is nothing new to play in a male-dominated environment. Especially in the shooter genre, female gamers have learned to keep up with their male counterparts and skillfully ignore insults, sexual remarks, and discrimination, not letting it get them down.
But sometimes situations still arise that can shake even the strongest of spirits. This happened to the Guardian BPM41N.
The player reported this week via Reddit about a toxic experience in Destiny 2. She received a flood of hate messages that overwhelmed her psyche so much that she is currently taking a break from gaming to avoid risking such an experience again.
At the same time, this experience made her so angry that she decided to raise awareness within the Destiny community about this problem.
After the match, inappropriate messages followed
“No one should have to experience this”: It all started with a seemingly harmless little thing that happens every day in Destiny 2. After the Guardian finished an Iron Banner match in the game, she received an unexpected yet not uncommon fireteam invitation, which she accepted. But there was no new, friendly acquaintance waiting for her.
I greeted everyone friendly, but was confronted with insults, threats, and sexist remarks. […] I will not elaborate on these messages to avoid revealing too many details, as it got quite disgusting.
reports Destiny player BPM41N
The player reacted briefly but then decided to turn off the console and continue her day. Not her first incident in Destiny 2, but, as she emphasizes, one of the worst, because it didn’t end there.
After 8 hours of work, I come home and want to relax a bit by playing. But when I turn on my Xbox, I notice that I have more messages than usual. […] All 5 members of the fireteam bombarded my inbox with messages that I have never received in my 12 years of online gaming. These messages disturbed me, as they contained detailed threats with inappropriate content. While reading, I felt deeply humiliated and anxious. Something I hadn’t felt online in many years.
Others advised the player to immediately contact Microsoft and Bungie so that this incident would have consequences. She was also advised to adjust her settings in Destiny 2 so that only friends can contact her and invite her to activities. This would better protect her from such toxic individuals.
In anonymous spaces, people lose respect: It is good that this Destiny 2 player shared her experiences publicly. Also because her story can encourage others to speak out about similar experiences so that such behavior is no longer tolerated. Some victims remain silent out of fear of further attacks and may even think they are to blame, which is not the case.
No one should be insulted and humiliated because of a small thing, be it in-game or outside. It is a sign of disrespect and makes it clear that the toxic culture of online games, like Destiny 2, is far from over.
“Juicy Gnu,” one of the largest German gaming YouTubers, explained to MeinMMO Editor-in-Chief Leya Jankowski in this article how these assaults in gaming actually occur.
Has something similar ever happened to you in Destiny 2? And how would you react if you witnessed something like this in the game but were not directly affected? Feel free to leave us your opinions on this.
How strong the Destiny 2 community can be, especially in dark times, it has proven many times: Murder of a Guardian unites the Destiny 2 community: ‘We do not forget those who die’
She then blocked all accounts in Destiny and on her Xbox, reported them, and deleted the messages so she wouldn’t have to see them anymore. But that didn’t stop the situation.
The next day, her inbox was again filled with inappropriate messages. But not just from 5 accounts, like the first time, but from 31 different accounts. Despite a certain numbness towards such incidents, she felt shocked by this action.
These individuals, like those I mentioned in this post, made me feel unwelcome and afraid to even try PvP activities, and it has led me to feel uncomfortable in many player interactions.
This is how the Destiny community reacted
Astonished players demand severe consequences: On Reddit, her report was commented on with 2,000 upvotes, astonishment, but also concern.
The player Awesomedude33201 writes: “This sounds like people who would send death threats to Bungie employees and community managers.” referring to the current lawsuit that Bungie had filed against a man who threatened the developer’s staff and studio.
Some players also apologize on behalf of these individuals, like Historical-Message14: “I’m sorry that you or anyone has to deal with this. Hopefully, you can return to Destiny and enjoy it peacefully again.”
Others advised the player to immediately contact Microsoft and Bungie so that this incident would have consequences. She was also advised to adjust her settings in Destiny 2 so that only friends can contact her and invite her to activities. This would better protect her from such toxic individuals.
In anonymous spaces, people lose respect: It is good that this Destiny 2 player shared her experiences publicly. Also because her story can encourage others to speak out about similar experiences so that such behavior is no longer tolerated. Some victims remain silent out of fear of further attacks and may even think they are to blame, which is not the case.
No one should be insulted and humiliated because of a small thing, be it in-game or outside. It is a sign of disrespect and makes it clear that the toxic culture of online games, like Destiny 2, is far from over.
“Juicy Gnu,” one of the largest German gaming YouTubers, explained to MeinMMO Editor-in-Chief Leya Jankowski in this article how these assaults in gaming actually occur.
Has something similar ever happened to you in Destiny 2? And how would you react if you witnessed something like this in the game but were not directly affected? Feel free to leave us your opinions on this.
How strong the Destiny 2 community can be, especially in dark times, it has proven many times: Murder of a Guardian unites the Destiny 2 community: ‘We do not forget those who die’
