Why Is Gaming Still Haunted by the Same Decades-Old Toxicity?

Video games are supposed to be fun, relaxing and even educational. However, the experience quickly becomes terrible if someone on the other side is cursing you out and making derogatory statements. Why are toxic gamers still making online play an inhibition? Here’s a comprehensive guide with everything you need to know. 

Why Are Toxic Gamers So Widespread? 

From Fire Team to Grand Theft Auto, gamers can become toxic when angry. Sometimes, they don’t need a reason — they just start cursing and harassing others. Let’s discuss the reasons why they exhibit awful behavior.  

1. Complete Anonymity

When you turn on your computer or console, you can be a different person. Your gamer tag likely shields your identity, so nobody knows unless you tell them. Friends may know your name on multiplayer titles like Fortnite, but strangers couldn’t guess. 

Players saying awful things won’t have to reveal their name or face to the people they’re harassing. Therefore, they may feel more empowered to say things they wouldn’t in real life. Toxic gamers may exhibit the online disinhibition effect, which reduces restraint in digital environments but in a negative way.  

2. Minimal Consequences

Ideally, gamers who exhibit toxic behavior should be banned. Some console companies have policies to curb these actions, such as the Xbox strike system. These rules state that hate speech gets three strikes, and bullying earns two. If you get eight strikes, you get a one-year suspension. 

Unfortunately, enforcement isn’t always feasible. There are millions of gamers worldwide, even if they’ve left Overwatch for other titles. Catching and punishing each instance is challenging, so some players will feel empowered to continue their behavior. Even one comment can be devastating, so it’s essential for platforms to crack down. 

3. Competitive Nature

Let’s face it — most of us are competitive. It doesn’t matter if we’re kids playing baseball or dads mowing the lawn on Saturdays. However, the competition can get the best of some people and make them lash out. Winning is fun, but it doesn’t have to consume you and invoke harassment. 

Suppose you’re playing Madden online and somebody has all the best players — we’re talking about the 234-pound running back Saquon Barkley and the league’s beloved Dallas Cowboys. The opponent is kicking your tail and decides to start talking trash to belittle you. It’s human nature to retaliate, but that only worsens the situation. 

Why Has Nothing Changed in Online Gaming?

Gamers were toxic 20 years ago and will likely remain the same two decades from now. Why has nothing been done about toxic gamer behavior? Here are a few reasons why. 

1. Bad Behavior Normalization 

Scrolling through TikTok or watching YouTube compilations will demonstrate toxic behavior in video games. While some clips have comedic value, they reveal what’s wrong with the gaming community. Kids watching these videos may emulate the behavior and try to get the same reactions from strangers. 

For example, a gamer might use modding software for GTA 5 and its online companion. Altering the game could make you invincible with extraordinary powers, such as setting other players on fire with no way to stop it. Modders are likely doing these actions to get a rise out of you, so don’t feed into the toxicity. 

2. Negative Influences

Video games are more accessible nowadays, which leads to more streamers on Twitch and other platforms. Some content creators emphasize family-friendly fun and positivity, whereas others negatively influence the next gaming generation. If that’s what kids like, they’re more likely to emulate the bad behavior. 

Why do streamers exhibit toxic gamer behavior? It may partly be their personality, which is hard to hide. However, they could exaggerate their feelings to increase engagement on social media. Regardless, it’s a bad look that negatively impacts kids who think acting like that is acceptable. 

3. A Microcosm of Society

The gaming community sees a lot of toxic behavior, but it’s not unique. You can find these behaviors across society if you just walk outside. From homophobia to sexual harassment, it’s easy to see why kids have bad influences in online gaming. It’s simply a microcosm of society that we have yet to address.

Why are gamers so sexist? Use the typical American workplace as an example. A 2024 report said 42% of women encountered gender-biased questions or inappropriate inquiries during a job interview. If people dare to discriminate in real life, they won’t hesitate to be toxic in voice chat. 

What Are the Consequences of Toxic Gamers? 

Bad behavior can negatively impact anybody you talk to in the gaming community. Some people could be going through tough times, and another player’s comments could be their last straw. Gamers may endure verbal and sexual harassment even if they didn’t say anything. Girls often hide their gender in their character or username to avoid an onslaught of unwanted comments. 

Sexualization in games happens too often, and it has led to severe penalties for companies that don’t do anything about it. For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Epic Games for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. When playing Fortnite, children and teenagers would match with strangers and endure bullying, threats and harassment. 

How Can the Gaming Community Solve the Toxic Behavior? 

Before fixing the gaming community’s toxicity, you must change society as a whole. Unfortunately, that’s a tall task. How can we make life better? Here are a few ways to reduce the awful behaviors:

• Positive reinforcement: Developers should reward players with clean voice chat and gameplay behavior. For instance, GTA Online users get online money when they exhibit good sportsmanship. 
• Harsher penalties: The consequences for foul language and harassment might not be tough enough. From Xbox to PlayStation, online communities should consider longer suspensions or permanent bans for the worst offenders. 
• Increased moderation: Games should invest more resources in content moderation to enforce the rules of conduct. While catching every instance is difficult, it’s essential to maximize it. 
• AI power: Humans are the best at detecting nuance and context, though AI can assist in detection. Companies should consider AI-powered monitoring of text and voice chat. Then, humans can make the final decision on whether further action is necessary.
• Awareness: Some people feel empowered to be toxic because they don’t understand the consequences. Therefore, industry leaders should prioritize education and awareness campaigns. 

Supporting a Stronger Gaming Community 

Humans are more alike than they think, but they often let prejudice and ego prevail. Unfortunately, online gaming is the same way. Since text and voice-based chat began, people have taken advantage of it with toxic behavior. What can be done about it? Change will require a concerted effort from all of us, even if you aren’t the one harassing others.