Authors:

Natasha Lepiocha

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

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About Paper:

Toxic gamer culture has become prevalent and normalized in gaming communities to the point where it is not seen as a real-life threat to the gamers behind the screens. Severe harassment is increasing every year not only causing serious psychological damage, but causing death, suicide, or other physical harm. Severe harassment includes categories such as swatting, doxing, stalking, and sexual harassment. I analyze peer reviewed articles and journals to define the variety of toxic behaviors, study the yearly increase in toxic behaviors, and understand the range of impact psychologically and physically from the behaviors. I also highlight that these threats don't only impact the gamers, but there is reported death of a third-party individual with no involvement in the video game. Members from the Black Desert gaming community, to which I belong, provided me with insights into their personal experiences with toxic behavior and showed that toxicity decreases their mental health, discourages competitive gameplay, and decreases overall enjoyment in the game. Based on these findings, the developers and the gaming community could and should be taking the necessary steps to prevent toxicity by promoting positivity and utilizing an advanced human-operated muting system for a safer gaming experience.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Natasha Lepiocha