Toxic behavior in multiplayer online games: the role of witnessed verbal aggression, game engagement intensity, and social self-efficacy

Abstract

Online toxic behavior in multiplayer online games has gained attention in recent years. Given the potential negative impact of toxic behaviors on players’ well-being, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to the prevalence of toxic online behavior. This study investigated how witnessed verbal aggression, game engagement, and social self-efficacy influence verbal toxic behavior perpetration in multiplayer online games. Surveys were conducted with 647 students in China. The results showed that players who were more prone to intense gameplay engagement and witnessed more verbal toxicity in online multiplayer games were more likely to display verbal toxic behavior in multiplayer online games. A moderation analysis further revealed that the association between witnessed verbal toxicity and toxic behavior perpetration is positively moderated by social understanding self-efficacy and negatively moderated by social skill self-efficacy. In this article, the theoretical implications are discussed.