A study has been released in the USA that specifically targets toxic behavior and harassment in online games. According to the study, almost two-thirds of all online players have been harassed in one way or another in online games. This is particularly bad in 5 games.
What was the study about? The organization ADL (Anti-Defamation League) deals with discrimination, primarily racism and anti-Semitism. However, toxic behavior in online games was recently the focus of a study by ADL. The study was conducted with the assistance of the Newzoo Institute, which specializes in eSports and gaming.
A total of 1,045 individuals from the USA aged 18 to 45 were surveyed.
The result: 74 percent of all online gamers have been approached in a toxic manner at least once. Of those, 64 percent reported that they were subjected to severe discrimination, including threats of violence, stalking, and prolonged harassment.
By the way, 40 percent of insults are sexist in nature and directed at women. According to the study, this is likely because a female player can be easily identified in voice chat.
These 5 games have the most discrimination
Among the many online games, five games stand out in the ADL study that performed particularly poorly and are said to have an unusually toxic community. These games are:
- DOTA 2: 79% of players report discrimination
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 75% of players report discrimination
- Overwatch: 75% of players report discrimination
- PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds: 75% of players report discrimination
- League of Legends: 75% of players report discrimination
Especially the two MOBAs DotA 2 and LoL have been criticized for years for having particularly bad communities. League of Legends even introduced rewards for positive behavior to improve player interactions.
However, in DotA 2, there seem to be the most cases where players ultimately stopped playing due to prolonged harassment.
These 5 games are viewed positively
The study does not only address toxic behavior. It also mentions games where players have positive associations. Here, friendship was mentioned with 51% and helping other players with 50%. The following games are well-received:
Participants reported having positive experiences with other players in these games:
- World of Warcraft (59%)
- Minecraft (55%)
- NBA 2k (51%)
- Overwatch (49%)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (48%)
It is noticeable that Overwatch and CS:GO have an ambivalent community that is characterized by both large trolls and great willingness to help. This might be because both games are shooters but also cooperative games where teamwork is essential.
Playing in a clan or with a close group of friends tends to result in less interaction with toxic trolls than playing with strangers.
Which games do you think are particularly toxic and where have you had the opposite experience?
