toxicity
GDC Summer 2020: What online gaming can (and should) learn from social media’s trainwrecks
The circle is now complete: Social media has mastered skills MMOs and online games haven't, not that social media was paying much attention to...
Ubisoft devs speak out on their ‘inability to feel safe or protected within’ the studio
You know who's probably breathing a big sigh of relief right now? Riot Games, whose multi-year scandal and lawsuit over sexual harassment and discrimination...
EA’s new Positive Play Charter is basically ‘don’t be a dick’ in list form
One of the ideas I've worked a long time to internalize is that when people say they've changed, I should give them time to...
Riot addresses diversity, Valorant toxicity, and Vanguard anti-cheat (again)
It's been a year and a half since a Kotaku expose blew the lid off of flagrantly sexist and abusive behavior at Riot Games,...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the most toxic fan-based defense force?
Every single MMO has its own unwanted and unnecessary defense force. We could run a story tomorrow about Final Fantasy XIV selling your credit card...
A Jesuit priest is trying out a Vatican Minecraft server to encourage non-toxic behavior
We're familiar with the ways that online games, even generally rather innocent ones like Minecraft, can wind up being breeding grounds for some of...
MMO Business Roundup: Amazon, gaming toxicity research, Blizzard’s court victory, and why people love Mike Morhaime
Business business business! We're back for another speedy Friday afternoon roundup of some MMO and games industry business news.
Amazon's next big thing
We're not sure...
US politician shades Blizzard over World of Warcraft toxicity
Last week, the gaming world was a tad busy running Halloween events and watching BlizzCon, so it passed almost without notice that a US...
Guild Wars 2 community clashes over Icebrood Saga announcement disappointment
It's been a tumultuous couple of days in the Guild Wars 2 community following the announcement of the Icebrood Saga - saga, not season,...
Apex Legends boss apologizes for Reddit dust-up, but there’ll be no auto-da-fé for the devs
It was just a matter of time before the apology came out - we all know how this script goes.
Yesterday we covered the weekend...
Here’s how Discord says it’s been addressing toxicity and spam
It's nearly impossible to be a gamer in 2019 and not be at least familiar with Discord, the ubiquitous chat program that's replaced, in...
MMO Business Roundup: Video game gambling, toxicity, post-lawsuit reconciliation, and successful UX design
Welcome back to another mish-mash roundup of MMO-business-related happenings that just don't fit in anywhere else. To wit:
On game gambling: Remember the bizarrely bad...
Mordhau says it’s now ‘taking toxicity and racism seriously’ plus adding more maps and modes
"Multiplayer medieval slasher" Mordhau worked its way through the news cycle this spring and summer, first for its dazzling Steam launch and then for...
Ubisoft cracks down on chat griefers with Rainbow Six banwave
File this one under are you even kidding me right now: A whole bunch of griefers just got banned from Rainbow Six Siege for...
Not So Massively: Gaming genre elitism isn’t a good look on anyone
As I noted when I first took over the Not So Massively column this past spring, we live in a time of great change...
The Daily Grind: Should MMOs allow players to alter how other characters appear in their client?
Yesterday, PC Gamer posted a positively scathing article about Mordhau, the online knights-and-castles action ARPG. While the overall article is about the game's (and...
Xbox’s Phil Spencer elaborates on community controls in the works to make Xbox Live less toxic
Jean-Paul Sartre's play "No Exit" provided us with the phrase "Hell is other people," and if you've dared to leave your mic or chat...
EA held a summit about toxicity and healthy video game communities at E3
In March of last year, a whole truckton of video game companies announced the formation of what they called the Fair Play Alliance, a...
City of Heroes: Community harassment ramps up as Homecoming counts 91,000 players
What should have been a fun Memorial Day weekend in Paragon City turned into nightmares for some members of the City of Heroes rogue...
Reddit’s gaming hub has shut down for April Fools’ Day, but it’s no laughing matter
While the gaming world is busy punking each other with goofy stunts and pranks, /r/games has shut its doors. Don't worry, internet trolls; it's...
