Countering Toxicity in Online Competitive Games

Abstract

Toxicity within online games has been a huge topic that players have expressed concern with. It is an unhealthy situation that will affect players’ emotions and playing experience. This paper will, firstly, dive into the definition of toxicity to make clear of what kind of behaviors are considered toxic. Secondly, the different types of toxicity will be introduced, of which the definition and level of impact on players will be examined. With the types being established, case study research with popular first-person shooter game Overwatch will be conducted to grasp the pattern and impact of toxic actions in game. The research has conducted observations while participating game matches to record all instances of toxicity and searched for online forum posts that discuss about toxicity to gather public opinion of said subject. Last but not least, the currently implemented counteracting methods against toxicity will be discussed while sharing the possibility of future improvement of such methods. With this paper, the problem of toxicity in online games will be shed light on and emphasized to raise more attention from players, researchers, and even game developers, therefore making the community clean and positive for gamers.