I recently saw a thread on Reddit from an MMO player describing an act of an overt racism he’d suffered in World of Warcraft. Essentially, the player was kicked out of a group because he was Black. “I didn’t think something like this would occur in 2024 but here we are,” he wrote. “Anyone else deal with this shit?”
Even if you haven’t been the victim of this kind of racism – or sexism or homophobia, for that matter – you’ve surely seen it. And while it was always bad (yes even in ’90s MMOs), it sure does seem to me as if it tapered off in the 2000s and returned in force over the last 10 years. I’m saddened to see it as I like to think of MMOs as more egalitarian and enlightened than most genres.
“Blame western Devs for refusing to hire GMs and ban people; that’s why world chats are a cesspool of hate and slurs,” one player opined.
What do you think – have people gotten more toxic in MMOs lately, and if so, what is the reason for it?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
