Toxicity in games needs to stop before it can spread
Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23. Register here.
Hank Howie, Eve Crevoshay, David Hoppe and Richard Warren came together to share some thoughts about online safety at the GamesBeat Summit.
Our world is increasingly an online one. Software like Discord makes creating online communities incredibly quick and easy. Online experiences like Fortnite aren’t just about the games anymore, but serve as hangout spots. Friend groups aren’t locally formed anymore, but potentially global.
It’s an incredible time to be alive. But it’s got some pretty significant downsides. The social pressures are different. The urge to fit in with a friend group or suffer exclusion isn’t as overwhelming; it’s easy to go to somewhere that aligns with your personal views. Solving online safety issues cropping up from those is a big deal.
That’s great for folks seeking inclusion, especially marginalized groups. It’s not so great when it facilitates toxicity in online spaces. How do you foster the kinds of community values you want and make sure the kinds you don’t want don’t develop? How do you keep people safe?
GamesBeat Summit 2023
Join the GamesBeat community for our virtual day and on-demand content! You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry to share their updates on the latest developments.
“There are norms and behaviors and ideologies that become really common in these spaces,” explained Take This’ Eve Crevoshay. “They are a small but very loud problem. That loudness means that it has become normalized.”
Think about it like this. If you’ve got ten people in a room and one of them says something rude? If none of the other nine object to it, it makes it seem acceptable. Worse, if
Read more on venturebeat.com
