It isn’t uncommon to join a game’s lobby and immediately be slammed with cursing and insults. In fact, it’s like a rite of passage for some communities. Some games like “Call of Duty” are even infamous for it.
Make small mistakes, like a forgotten ultimate, an untimely flash, or a whiff into yesteryear, and you already know you’re about to get flamed by both teammates and enemies alike. But is this really necessary?
Toxicity has been gatekeeping gaming for a while. Casual gamers say all the time that they don’t want to get into a game in fear of being judged just for beginning. Games with hard skill curves like “League of Legends” or “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege” are easy examples.
“Just from my experience as a female gamer, I’ve had more encounters with people being aggressive or derogatory towards me,” said OH sophomore and Esports captain Ava Desanto.
While this is clearly an issue in the gaming world, many people don’t think twice about it. It has become almost synonymous with gaming as a whole.
In a study conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, it was found that 60% of online gamers aged 13-17 experienced harassment — which represents 14 million teens.
But why does it happen? To put it simply: frustration. Loss after loss may wear on someone’s mind, make them act irrationally, and take it out on others.
Seth Arndt, OH junior and casual gamer, said toxicity happens “because a lot of video games nowadays are extremely competitive, which just causes people to [have] very winning centered mindsets.”
It is important to make sure that online spaces are safe for all different types of people of different skill levels and backgrounds. Small amounts of trash talk to get into people’s heads can be fine, but outright harassment and discrimination deeply hurt the gaming community.
Avoiding and Preventing Toxicity
Avoiding toxicity can be difficult. Reporting a toxic player may seem like it does nothing at times, and it can only help after the game anyway. Even if it’s hard, preventing toxic behavior is possible and necessary to keep your team’s morale up.
When asked about her team’s response to toxicity, Desanto said, “They react pretty well to it. Honestly, I’m really proud of them. They’ve kind of stood up for me whenever people are toxic in game. What little moments of toxicity we’ve had between each other [have] been put to a stop really quickly.”
One possible tactic is to simply report them, mute, and move on. Most online games contain some type of muting system that can be used with ease. By muting, their words won’t get into the team’s headspace and mess up everyone’s nerves, and by proxy, their game.
Arndt agreed, saying that “in a lot of games, [there are] features where you can mute the person, or report them. Most games, from what I hear, have relatively good banning systems.”
Another tactic would be to prevent it before it even happens. Helping to defuse the team’s tension before an argument begins will stop frustrated teammates from acting up. Even when criticizing a team’s plays after a loss, try not to pick on any single person. Keeping callouts and comms as general as possible can really help keep morale from dropping.
Making decisions that keep gaming an inviting community is important to the overall smoothness of the circle. We can’t keep pushing people away from the community, or it’ll just be filled with internet trolls and no one will want to play.
Next time you boot up your favorite online game or join a game’s voice chat, make sure to use positivity and empathy instead of anger toward your teammates.
Hello, I am Quinn Villanueva! This is my first year on 42Fifty! I am a junior at OHS, and am a proud member of the OH Bowling team. I'm also a gamer who enjoys a wide variety of video games. I'm excited to be here!
Hi, I'm Eddie Phelps. I'm a Junior at OHS, and it is my second year on staff for 42fifty. I'm involved with the bowling team, the German club, Science National Honors Society, and I enjoy playing video games.
