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The identification of deviance and its impact on retention in a multiplayer game
Abstract
Deviant behavior in online social systems is a difficult problem to address. Consequences of deviance include driving off users and tarnishing the system's public image. We present an examination of these concepts in a popular online game, League of Legends. Using a large collection of game records and player-given feedback, we develop a metric, toxicity index, to identify deviant players. We then look at the effects of interacting with deviant players, including effects on retention. We find that toxic players have several significant predictive patterns, such as playing in more competitive game modes and playing with friends. We also show that toxic players drive away new players, but that experienced players are more resilient to deviant behavior. Based on our findings, we suggest methods to better identify and counteract the negative effects of deviance.
... With frustration and anger, players who are exposed to toxicity will be discouraged from playing these games, perhaps even permanently (Neto et al., 2017;Shores et al., 2014;Tü rkay et al., 2020). Though toxicity occurs both within groups and between groups, it was found to occur more frequently within groups than between groups , possibly because players lose tempers when their teammates do not meet their expectations (Kou, 2020), or they seek to urge teammates to play better through performing toxicity (Tan & Chen, 2022). ...
... For instance, players' experience of toxicity victimization, attitudes toward toxicity, and motivations to play games were found to predict toxic behaviors (Kordyaka et al., 2020;Tan & Chen, 2022). Players who are younger, experienced, play competitive modes, and use damage-dealing characters are also more prone to perform toxicity (Kordyaka et al., 2020;Shen et al., 2020;Shores et al., 2014). 1 In addition, players' personalities (Velez & Ewoldsen, 2013), motivations (Velez & Ewoldsen, 2013), psychological states (Johnson et al., 2021), and game genres (De Simone, 2013) are associated with prosocial behaviors in games. Certain affordances of games, such as anonymity and asynchronicity, were found to indirectly relate to toxic behaviors (Kordyaka & Kruse, 2021). ...
... In fact, various technological factors (e.g., game design) and individual factors (e.g., the roles players take) will influence social relations that players perceive, which further shape how players behave in games (Gerpott et al., 2018). For example, the design of asymmetric game characters' skills influences players' perceptions of connectedness, interdependence, and competitiveness (Harris & Hancock, 2019;Shores et al., 2014). Understanding interpersonal factors, such as dependence among players and power dynamics, is thus imperative. ...
Understanding factors that predict toxic and prosocial behavior in massively multiplayer online (MMO) games has drawn a great deal of scholarly attention. Prior work on this topic has primarily focused on individual and technological factors while overlooking the role of interpersonal dynamics. To fill this gap, this study examines if and how players’ perceptions of mutual dependence and power in MMO games are related to toxicity and prosocial behavior in games. Results from a survey of 782 Chinese game players suggest that players’ perceived power is positively related to prosocial behavior in games. Perceived mutual dependence and power are also indirectly related to prosocial and toxic behaviors through players’ passion for games. This study has theoretical implications for scholarship on toxicity, prosocial behaviors, and gameplay, while also providing design and policy implications for MMO games.
... Toxic behaviour in games is sometimes further categorized into 'trolling' (verbal or in-game behaviours intended to provoke and antagonize other players) [10,24,90], 'flaming' (aggressive or derogatory language) [10,49], 'griefing' (play styles that disrupt the gaming experience of other players) [1,10,30,75,90], or 'spamming' (repeated disruptive use of online communication) [10]. Players who are exposed to toxicity may experience decreased mood or enjoyment [77,90], lower game performance [57], and may even withdraw from the game entirely [31,34]. Further, players from marginalized groups are particularly affected by toxicity, with women [31,47,76], players of colour [35,36], and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community [7] being disproportionately targeted by toxic players. ...
... Further, players from marginalized groups are particularly affected by toxicity, with women [31,47,76], players of colour [35,36], and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community [7] being disproportionately targeted by toxic players. Yet, despite efforts to identify and combat toxic behaviour in games, toxicity remains highly subjective and difficult to define, partly due to unique game contexts and individual norms within different game communities [10,34,90]. ...
... Intentionality may also play a role in the somewhat nebulous nature of toxicity: if a player performs badly or unintentionally disrupts the game for another player, they may be viewed as toxic or reported by other players even though they did not intend to cause harm [30,45]. However, since toxicity can lead to decreased mood [77,90], lower game performance [57], disruptive effects on day-to-day life [4], or players quitting the game completely [31,34], it remains a critical area for developers and researchers to address. ...
Game developers, researchers, and players recognize the harm of toxic behaviour in online games-yet toxicity persists. Players' coping strategies are limited to tools that focus on punishing toxic players (e.g., muting, blocking, reporting), which are inadequate and often misused. To address the needs of players experiencing toxicity, we took inspiration from research in other online spaces that provide support tools for targets of harassment. We iteratively designed and evaluated in-game tools to support targets of toxicity. While we found that most players prefer tools that explicitly address toxicity and increase feelings of control, we also found that tools that solely provide social or emotional support also decrease stress, increase feelings of control, and increase positive affect. Our findings suggest that players may benefit from variety in toxicity support tools that both explicitly address toxicity in the moment and help players cope after it has occurred.
... The ongoing prevalence of toxicity in competitive gaming spaces is further reinforced by its normalization-with players rationalizing toxicity as intrinsic to competitive gaming culture, despite harmful ramifications [8]. Such ramifications include rumination and withdrawal [19], disruption of mood and enjoyment [8], [16], reduction in the retention of new players [14], and the disruption and degradation of performance, team morale, and team cohesion [8]. ...
... Toxicity had a positive association with the game's rank (coded on an ordinal scale, rank). This is in line with earlier research showing that toxicity was associated with playing in more competitive modes [14]. As such, players might be feeling greater pressure in higher ranks. ...
... It is likely that the approach works in similar games, e.g., those involving similar in-game communication features, while games that predominantly use other forms of communication, such as chat-based, might require other forms of toxicity predictions. Some of the higher-level associations like higher toxicity being associated with higher in-game rank seem to be more stable and independent of the game, as they conform with earlier research [14]. Our approach uses feature generation as a step before cross-validation to support the exploratory feature selection, which means that feature importances require confirmation too. ...
Toxicity in online gaming is a problem that causes harm to players, developers, and gaming communities. Toxic behaviors persist in online multiplayer games for a number of reasons, and continue to go unchecked due in large part to a lack of reliable methods to accurately detect toxicity online, in real-time, and at scale. In this article, we present a modeling approach that uses features derived from in-game verbal communication and game metadata to predict if
Overwatch
games are toxic. With logistic regression models, we achieve accuracy scores of 86.3% for binary (high vs. low toxicity) predictions. We discuss which features were most salient, potential application of our predictive model, and implications for toxicity detection in games. Our approach is a low-cost, low-effort, and noninvasive contribution to holistic efforts in combating toxicity in games.
... Previous research on competitive online games has mostly centered on toxic behavior in Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBA) [22,30,37,45], a subgenre of real-time strategy games in which two teams, typically consisting of five players each, compete against each other, with each player controlling a single character and in which strategy revolves around individual character development and cooperative play in combat [53]. Typically, these studies have used data that was either publicly available or provided by the developer, including chat logs, match logs, and publicly available aggregate reports of toxicity [13,30,35,43], as well as player feedback [45]. ...
... Previous research on competitive online games has mostly centered on toxic behavior in Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBA) [22,30,37,45], a subgenre of real-time strategy games in which two teams, typically consisting of five players each, compete against each other, with each player controlling a single character and in which strategy revolves around individual character development and cooperative play in combat [53]. Typically, these studies have used data that was either publicly available or provided by the developer, including chat logs, match logs, and publicly available aggregate reports of toxicity [13,30,35,43], as well as player feedback [45]. Some findings from these works [7,43,45] show that toxicity is more commonly encountered when playing ranked game modes, and that teammates are typically more hostile to each other than to opponents, particularly in the absence of cooperative behavior [35]. ...
... Typically, these studies have used data that was either publicly available or provided by the developer, including chat logs, match logs, and publicly available aggregate reports of toxicity [13,30,35,43], as well as player feedback [45]. Some findings from these works [7,43,45] show that toxicity is more commonly encountered when playing ranked game modes, and that teammates are typically more hostile to each other than to opponents, particularly in the absence of cooperative behavior [35]. ...
The present research addresses a gap in the literature concerning the relationship of identity, game play, and toxicity, using longitudinal research. Time spent playing Defence of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2; a competitive online team video game) was modelled at Time 1 (N =473) in relation to identity and perceived toxicity. We then examined the same relationships longitudinally with players who returned to complete a second survey (Time 2 N =216). The direct effects were modelled of participants’ social identity as a DOTA 2 player and of their perceptions of toxicity, and the potential interaction was tested. Consistent with past cross-sectional research, identification with DOTA 2 was associated with higher game play at Time 1 and 2. However, in longitudinal analyses at Time 2, controlling for Time 1 variables, only Time 1 game play was a significant unique predictor: no unique role of identities was observed. There were also no direct or interactive effects of perceived toxicity in attenuating game play, despite high levels being reported at both Time 1 and 2. Using pre-registered analyses, the data offer a novel longitudinal test of one potential mechanism (social identification), and did not support its role in sustaining resilience here.
... Aligning with the importance of toxic behaviour victimization (Kordyaka et al., 2020), being targeted by toxicity can trigger more toxicity (Shen et al., 2020, Kordyaka et al., 2020, Kou, 2020, Cook et al., 2018, an effect described as a downward spiral (Kordyaka et al., 2020) and ultimately a normalization of toxicity in gaming communities (Beres et al., 2021, Fox et al., 2018. Further, toxicity is generally more prevalent among teammates (McLean et al., 2020, Neto et al., 2017, Shen et al., 2020, men (Nitschinsk et al., 2022), and in competitive game modes (Grandprey-Shores et al., 2014, Lee et al., 2022. Finally, it is likely that there are also cultural differences, as suggested by prior work that found that Indian players had higher self-reported toxic behaviour than players from the US (Kordyaka et al., 2022). ...
... Toxicity can be detrimental for many reasons. It can be bad for the game developers because it can harm the health of gaming communities (Prescott, 2017), and may lead to churn (Kordyaka et al., 2020) and decreased player retention (Grandprey-Shores et al., 2014), which affects revenues. Toxicity is detrimental to team performance (Kwak et al., 2015, Neto et al., 2017, Monge & O'Brien, 2022, which is problematic for a growing esports scene, in which players train and compete, often in team-based play. ...
There are various benefits of playing multiplayer games, such as enjoyment, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, facilitation of social relationships, and coping and recovery. However, these benefits to online game players are often undermined by the presence of in-game toxicity. Toxicity can be detrimental for game developers when players leave their games. For the players, toxicity can be harmful, by causing distress; however, effects of toxicity on the wellbeing of players are not yet fully understood nor substantiated with empirical evidence. To close this gap, we conducted a study partially replicating and extending findings from prior work. We conducted two online surveys, using validated scales, to explore relationships between the perceived toxicity of gaming communities and social connectedness outcomes. We found that toxicity was associated with lower in-game social capital, need satisfaction of relatedness, and higher loneliness. Our findings provide further evidence that toxicity poses a problem for multiplayer game communities.
... Considering that there were 474 million global esports consumers in 2021 (Gough, 2022) and that 69% of US households have at least one gamer who on average spends thirteen hours per week gaming (Entertainment Software Association, 2022), the proliferation of toxicity in esports and gaming collectives is affecting consumers en masse. The harm to consumer well-being is significant: toxicity is linked to distressing psychological and emotional effects, can drive away new players from games, and increase isolation (Barasch et al., 2017;Dobscha & Foxman, 2012;Ewing et al., 2013;Grandprey-Shores et al., 2014;Gray, 2012;Harrison et al., 2016;Kuznekoff & Rose, 2013). Toxicity further affects key business outcomes such as brand reputation, credibility, and consumer purchase intentions (Dineva et al., 2017). ...
... Broadly, toxicity is an umbrella term that refers to a range of behaviours including racism, sexism, aggression, spamming, and trolling (Gandolfi & Ferdig, 2021;Kordyaka et al., 2020). These behaviours result in a breakdown of communication between players (Neto et al., 2017) and can cause emotional and psychological harm to individuals (Cruz et al., 2018;Golf-Papez & Veer, 2017;Grandprey-Shores et al., 2014), providing a context where the darker side of consumption collectives is salient. ...
... Textual features of flaming behavior include harsh language, negative connotations, sexual harassment, and disrespectful expressions (Pelicon et al., 2021). The definition of toxic disinhibition, or toxic behavior, varies based on the users, the communities, and the types of interactions (Shores et al., 2014). For instance, toxic behavior can consist of cyberbullying and deviance between players in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) (Shores et al., 2014;Kordyaka, Jahn & Niehaves, 2020) or incivility between social media platform users (Maity et al., 2018;Pronoza et al., 2021), among other scenarios. ...
... The definition of toxic disinhibition, or toxic behavior, varies based on the users, the communities, and the types of interactions (Shores et al., 2014). For instance, toxic behavior can consist of cyberbullying and deviance between players in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) (Shores et al., 2014;Kordyaka, Jahn & Niehaves, 2020) or incivility between social media platform users (Maity et al., 2018;Pronoza et al., 2021), among other scenarios. In this work, we define toxic behavior in online communities as disseminating (i.e., posting) toxic content with hateful, insulting, threatening, racist, bullying, and vulgar language (Mohan et al., 2017). ...
This research investigates changes in online behavior of users who publish in multiple communities on Reddit by measuring their toxicity at two levels. With the aid of crowdsourcing, we built a labeled dataset of 10,083 Reddit comments, then used the dataset to train and fine-tune a Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) neural network model. The model predicted the toxicity levels of 87,376,912 posts from 577,835 users and 2,205,581,786 comments from 890,913 users on Reddit over 16 years, from 2005 to 2020. This study utilized the toxicity levels of user content to identify toxicity changes by the user within the same community, across multiple communities, and over time. As for the toxicity detection performance, the BERT model achieved a 91.27% classification accuracy and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) score of 0.963 and outperformed several baseline machine learning and neural network models. The user behavior toxicity analysis showed that 16.11% of users publish toxic posts, and 13.28% of users publish toxic comments. However, results showed that 30.68% of users publishing posts and 81.67% of users publishing comments exhibit changes in their toxicity across different communities, indicating that users adapt their behavior to the communities’ norms. Furthermore, time series analysis with the Granger causality test of the volume of links and toxicity in user content showed that toxic comments are Granger caused by links in comments.
... Sassen (2000) suggests different physical trajectories of post-national and denationalised citizenship; yet, applied digitally, both encompass relevant themes, apparent through how denationalised reconstruction of Web governance is required to facilitate a pro-human, postnational identity. Through inhabited residency of the Web, rather than functional anonymous usage, it decreases the likelihood of digitally dystopian outcomes and increases the potential of realising a pro-human vision (Shores et al., 2014). ...
... This emphasises the importance of digital citizenship as a conceptual tool to attach digital rights and responsibilities to; an ambiguous and disconnected Web decreases cohesive communalisation and increases potential hostility and de-individuation (Shores et al., 2014;Douglas and McGarty, 2001). Such reduced self-awareness encourages person-centric inclination, leading to impulse action, inhibited behaviour and communal disregard (Sears et al., 1980;The Guardian 2013;2014a). ...
This dissertation is intended to be an insightful body of work for those interested in the nature of digital citizenship and its relationship to shaping a foundation of a pro-human future for the World Wide Web; readers might include individuals from sociological, historical, political or computer science backgrounds, or anyone interested in the future of the Web. Addressing this issue is a significant theoretical undertaking, requiring intellectually challenging discussion rather than analysis of quantitative or qualitative findings.
Digital citizenship and the pro-human Web have been fervently debated, forming diverse interpretations; little association has been drawn, however, to an implicit relationship between the two, necessary to fully realise and shape a more pro-human vision. A complex issue in its own right, digital citizenship is a term predicated on previous conceptual debates that align towards extension of physically rooted, nation-state citizenship, placing little recognition on shaping of the Web itself. Likewise, the concept of a pro-human Web is tentatively expressed by some as fundamental to its future, but dominated through a more pressing epistemological vision of a Semantic Web 3.0; ambiguity is prevalent in both topics.
A theoretical argument is formed, influenced by the philosophical paradigm of a hermeneutic circle, a discussion which moves back and forth between the individual components of digital citizenship and the whole of the pro-human Web, substantiated through methodological practices such as interdisciplinary synthesis, traditional reviewing of relevant literature and case study analysis. These methods are utilised to contextualise the issues outlined, enabling formation of new meaning then applied during deconstruction of current debates of digital citizenship, questioning their robustness and appropriateness to supporting the vision of a pro- human Web. Current debates are demonstrated to be ambiguously aligned to scholarship of citizenship itself, as well as affording a view of what is, at best, digitally extended citizenship, incompatible with a pro-human vision and negating of socio-technical and co-constitutional perspectives.
... This toxicity has an impact on the game experience as well as the well-being of players: the study reports that 64% of gamers feel harassment is shaping their gaming experiences, and such that players perform less, avoid and stop playing certain games, become less social and feel isolated, and, most concerning, have depressive or suicidal thoughts. It is thus not a surprise that toxicity has an impact on the retention and Life Time Value of games [16,66]. ...
... There is no standard definition of toxic behavior. In fact, as noted by Kou [39], researchers disagree upon the definition and scope of toxic behavior, and use many related and/or overlapping concepts like deviant behavior [66], griefing [21,60], cyberbullying [44], trolling [32], anti-social behavior [45], prejudice [12], etc. However, in the context of games it is generally defined as behavior that intentionally disturbs other player's experience and well-being. ...
Is it possible to detect toxicity in games just by observing in-game behavior? If so, what are the behavioral factors that will help machine learning to discover the unknown relationship between gameplay and toxic behavior? In this initial study, we examine whether it is possible to predict toxicity in the MOBA gameFor Honor by observing in-game behavior for players that have been labeled as toxic (i.e. players that have been sanctioned by Ubisoft community managers). We test our hypothesis of detecting toxicity through gameplay with a dataset of almost 1,800 sanctioned players, and comparing these sanctioned players with unsanctioned players. Sanctioned players are defined by their toxic action type (offensive behavior vs. unfair advantage) and degree of severity (warned vs. banned). Our findings, based on supervised learning with random forests, suggest that it is not only possible to behaviorally distinguish sanctioned from unsanctioned players based on selected features of gameplay; it is also possible to predict both the sanction severity (warned vs. banned) and the sanction type (offensive behavior vs. unfair advantage). In particular, all random forest models predict toxicity, its severity, and type, with an accuracy of at least 82%, on average, on unseen players. This research shows that observing in-game behavior can support the work of community managers in moderating and possibly containing the burden of toxic behavior.
... Given the increasing prevalence of multiplayer digital games as a leisure activity, in a context of decreasing social embeddedness, researchers have started to consider whether the social relationships that are established and enacted through digital games help or harm social aspects of wellbeing, including loneliness and feelings of isolation. Recent studies have demonstrated that digital games-played both in-person and online-can facilitate social interactions that are vital for our social well-being, for example, by connecting us to others (Dabbish, 2008;Hernandez et al., 2014), helping us maintain existing relationships (Wohn et al., 2011), facilitating trust development with strangers (Depping et al., 2016;Depping and Mandryk, 2017), and even combating loneliness (Depping et al., 2018); however, the same mechanics, games, and gaming contexts that foster social closeness in games can instead lead to toxic game environments (Chen et al., 2009;Kwak et al., 2015) or displace offline relationships (Zhong, 2011), resulting in feelings of social exclusion (Shores et al., 2014). ...
... Toxic behavior in multiplayer games often takes the form of harassment through verbal abuse (Foo and Koivisto, 2004); however, toxicity is also expressed through any behavior that harms team cohesion, such as negative attitudes toward teammates, refusing to help your team, purposefully losing, or not participating (Chen et al., 2009;Kwak et al., 2015). Toxic behavior not only affects a player's game experience (Shores et al., 2014), but has been shown to thwart the development of in-game social capital (Depping et al., 2018), and also harm wellbeing by leading to depression, anxiety, and even suicide (Kwak et al., 2015). A 2015 study found that 52% of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) players had been victims of cyberbullying (Ballard and Welch, 2015). ...
Playing digital games can nurture wellbeing by helping players recover from daily stressors, cope with life's challenges, practice emotion regulation, and engage in meaningful social interaction; however, this same leisure activity can also result in problematic gaming (i.e., harmful play at the expense of healthy behaviors), and social isolation that damages wellbeing. Research consistently demonstrates that the value or harm of gaming on wellbeing cannot be determined solely from whether and how much people play, but rather depends on contingent factors related to the player, the game, and the gaming context. In this paper, we aim to model contingent factors that differentiate between beneficial and harmful outcomes within players of the same massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). We model how passion for gaming—defined as a strong desire to engage in a beloved activity that is enjoyed and valued, in which time and energy is invested, and that ultimately integrates into a person's identity—affects loneliness and wellbeing. We employ the dualistic model that divides passion into harmonious passion (HP)—characterized by a balanced and authentic relationship with the beloved activity, and obsessive passion (OP)—characterized by preoccupation and inflexible persistence toward the loved activity. We sampled 300 frequent World of Warcraft (WoW) players, recruited from online forums, and used structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the effects of their passion for playing WoW on in-game social capital, loneliness, and wellbeing. We demonstrate that HP for playing WoW facilitates in-game social capital (both bridging and bonding), combats loneliness, and increases wellbeing, whereas OP also builds social capital, but these social ties do not combat loneliness, and OP is directly associated with increased loneliness. Further, the positive effect of HP on wellbeing is mediated through an increase in bonding social capital and a resulting decrease in loneliness. Our findings highlight that passion orientation is important for characterizing the relationship between gaming and wellbeing. We contribute to the conversation on combating problematic gaming, while also promoting digital gaming as an appealing leisure activity that provides enjoyment, recovery, and meaningful social interaction for the millions of gamers who benefit from its captivation.
... Hal ini sangat tidak menguntungkan bagi para newcomer atau pendatang baru game online kompetitif. Banyak kasus yang terjadi dimana para newcomer merasa jera untuk bermain game online kompetitif ketika mereka menjadi korban toxic behavior yang dilakukan oleh para gamer lainnya di game online kompetitif tersebut [7]. ...
Video game online kompetitif merupakan salah satu pilihan kegiatan yang dipilih oleh masyarakat untuk mengisi waktu luang. Apalagi dengan banyaknya pilihan video game online kompetitif yang tersedia di berbagai platform, seperti smartphone, PC, console dan lain-lain. Sayangnya, skena game online kompetitif ini dinodai dengan adanya toxic behavior yang sering dilakukan oleh para pemain game online tersebut terhadap pemain yang lainnya, yang berujung dengan rusaknya mood para pemain hingga depresi dan mental illness. Banyaknya para pemain game online yang menjadi korban dari toxic behavior itu sendiri dan tidak sedikit pula para pemain yang menjadi salah satu pelaku yang berperilaku toxic tersebut. Bermacam-macam alasan yang dijadikan mengapa toxic behavior dalam game online kompetitif ini masih terjadi, walaupun perilaku termasuk kegiatan cyberbullying. Komik webtoon yang berjudul EZ – A Story of Toxicity in Video Games dirancang untuk memberikan informasi yang berguna bagi para pemain game online agar mengetahui lebih lanjut apa itu toxic behavior, bagaimana cara menghadapinya, hingga mengajak para pemain untuk tidak berlaku toxic terhadap sesamanya.
... In gaming scenarios, behaviors that deviate from the norm are commonly referred to as toxicity, encompassing deviant behavior [23,25,32] and abusive language [15,48,62]. Existing research primarily focuses on analyzing the effects [15,74], underlying reasons [30], and coping strategies [1] for toxicity. ...
Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs) have garnered a substantial player base worldwide. Nevertheless, the presence of noxious players, commonly referred to as "actors", can significantly compromise game fairness by exhibiting negative behaviors that diminish their team's competitive edge. Furthermore, high-level actors tend to engage in more egregious conduct to evade detection, thereby causing harm to the game community and necessitating their identification. To tackle this urgent concern, a partnership was formed with a team of game specialists from a prominent company to facilitate the identification and labeling of high-level actors in MOBA games. We first characterize the problem and abstract data and events from the game scene to formulate design requirements. Subsequently, ActorLens, a visual analytics system, was developed to exclude low-level actors, detect potential high-level actors, and assist users in labeling players. ActorLens furnishes an overview of players' status, summarizes behavioral patterns across three player cohorts (namely, focused players, historical matches of focused players, and matches of other players who played the same hero), and synthesizes key match events. By incorporating multiple views of information, users can proficiently recognize and label high-level actors in MOBA games. We conducted case studies and user studies to demonstrate the efficacy of the system.
... Being the recipient of toxic language or behavior is a strong indicator of cessation of the activity where that language or behavior was encountered (Cote, 2020;Fox & Tang, 2017;Grandprey-Shores et al., 2014;Türkay et al., 2020). When a post in a Reddit forum dedicated to a particular title takes the form of "Why are there few/no women in pro play?" ...
Prior research into gaming toxicity in game-specific Reddit communities nearly always considers toxicity in aggregate, and so provides very few clues for a valid coding scheme for isolating toxic language and triggers that specifically target women gamers. Existing research offers a starting place for devising valid methods for measuring and detecting toxic language and toxic triggers within specified data sets, but that research is less useful is its applicability to game-related forms of toxicity targeting women gamers. Where this research had originally hoped to develop an automated method for scoring, limitations with automated detection of toxicity discussed within the paper prompted a shift to what the authors identify as a key intermediate step—better accuracy in toxicity detection by automated means—that will contribute to future achievements in reducing toxicity toward women and other targeted groups in gaming communities. This paper is intended to aid projects that aim to incrementally improve our understanding of toxicity toward women in games and game communities and how to effectively measure it. The conclusion of this research ultimately hopes to contribute to providing information to inform policies that create a safer and more respectful gaming environment for all gamers.
... O estudo de Shores et al [20] traz a ideia de que o comportamento tóxico se dá de forma diferente na comunidade de cada jogo, pois é a própria comunidade que define que comportamentos não serão permitidos. Ou seja, é comum que algumas comunidades, dependendo de sua cultura, falhem em perceber que estão sendo tóxicas, pois certos comportamentos já estão naturalizados [12]. ...
O presente estudo busca compreender o fenômeno do comportamento tóxico dentro do jogo League of Legends, a partir da aproximação e comparação do ato de jogar com o conceito do brincar proposto por Winnicott. Para isso, buscou-se realizar um questionário, com questões quantitativas e qualitativas, que investiga como os jogadores de League of Legends percebem e experienciam este fenômeno. A partir da análise de dados, foi possível observar que a realização de
comportamento tóxico advém, principalmente, de homens héteros, entre a faixa dos 18 anos aos 27 anos, que investem um bom tempo do seu dia jogando League Of Legends, comumente relatando que não se afetam com eventuais comportamentos
tóxicos e que, inclusive, acreditam que ofensas no meio virtual possuem menos peso do que na realidade. Comportamentos de flamming ou de ofensas consideradas leves pela comunidade (Tais como chamar de “lixo”, “noob” ou ofender o ranking da pessoa) possuem uma alta taxa de ocorrência e o perfil destes
agentes se torna variável pois este tipo de comportamento geralmente cria um ciclo de toxicidade. A partir dos resultados é possível concluir que, o jogo, que poderia ser um local de elaboração psíquica, se torna um local para extravasar as emoções, já que o espaço do League Of Legends é permeado por uma cultura de toxicidade, onde alguns comportamentos tóxicos são mais permitidos que outros.
... Debemos entender, antes de comenzar con los análisis, que, a excepción de en algunos casos donde algunas personas juegan en compañía de alguna amistad, se trata de partidas competitivas donde los y las usuarias compiten con personas desconocidas, tanto en el equipo aliado como en el equipo enemigo. Así mismo, cabe recordar que Valorant es un videojuego donde los y las jugadoras deben colaborar para vencer al equipo enemigo, por lo que, en ocasiones, dicho ambiente competitivo, puede ser disfrutable para algunas personas (Vorderer et al., 2003), pero también puede llevar a comportamientos negativos como insultos, humillaciones, o incluso casos de doxxing (desvelar datos privados extraídos de forma ilegal), cheating (trampas mediante uso de programas de terceros) o griefing (utilizar el juego mal a propósito para fastidiar a tu equipo) (Shores et al., 2014). Además, como podremos concluir tras observarlos los resultados de estos análisis, pueden crear barreras a la hora de que nuevas personas, especialmente las pertenecientes a sectores minorizados de la población, decidan integrarse en estas comunidades (Cote, 2017) Interacciones hombre/mujer El presente extracto tiene una duración de 1:03 minutos y se trata de un clip extraído de un directo de Twitch que fue compartido en la cuenta de Twitter de la creadora de contenido @Maylenchan. ...
Videojuegos de disparos en primera persona como Valorant están tratando de crear espacios seguros para las mujeres y otros colectivos marginalizados. No obstante, herramientas necesarias para la comunicación del videojuego, como los chats de voz o texto, son utilizadas a diario como vehículo de transmisión de acoso a los y las jugadoras. El presente trabajo, realizado desde la perspectiva de género, busca reflexionar sobre la forma en la que utilizan los y las jugadoras de Valorant el chat de voz, categorizando los tipos de interacciones que se realizan mediante un análisis de tipo cualitativo, para determinar si existen distinciones sobre cómo nos referimos a quienes percibimos como iguales o diferentes y si los mecanismos de defensa escogidos por los y las jugadores son o no efectivos.
... In contrast, Johnson et al. [40] found that players felt cohesive when the team had unity and team members conformed to strategies. Moreover, teamwork was identified as an important motivator for continued play [40] while 'toxic behaviours', on the other hand, reduce player retention [33]. This implies that if League of Legends STATs are unable to exhibit the team processes that enable effective teamwork, it not only impacts performance, but the subjective experiences of playing in the team, such as satisfaction. ...
Team cohesion is a widely known predictor of performance and collaborative satisfaction. However, how it develops and can be assessed, especially in fast-paced ad hoc dynamic teams, remains unclear. An unobtrusive and objective behavioural measure of cohesion would help identify determinants of cohesion in these teams. We investigated team communication as a potential measure in a mixed-methods study with 48 teams (n=135) in the digital game League of Legends. We first established that cohesion shows similar performance and satisfaction in League of Legends. teams as in non-game teams and confirmed a positive relationship between communication word frequency and cohesion. Further, we conducted an in-depth exploratory qualitative analysis of the communication sequences in a high-cohesion and a low-cohesion team. High cohesion is associated with sequences of apology->encouragement, suggestion->agree/acknowledge, answer->answer, and answer->question, while low-cohesion is associated with sequences of opinion/analysis->opinion/analysis, disagree->disagree, command->disagree, and frustration->frustration. Our findings also show that cohesion is important to team satisfaction independently of the match outcomes. We highlight that communication sequences are more useful than frequencies to determine team cohesion via player interactions.
... Within the last couple of years, TB started to enjoy heightened levels of attention in research as well. Accordingly, previous research already identified the relevance of the design elements team competition and multiplayer exchange allowing players to attribute failure to others [10], that TB predominantly emerges over the course of a game as a response to negative events, to discourage existing players [22], and that TB scares away new players [23]. Additionally, a recent study (Kordyaka et al., 2020) provided a theoretical explanation of the occurrence of TB underlining the relevance of the online disinhibition effect and its antecedents. ...
Within the context of multiplayer online battle arena video games (MOBAs) toxic behavior (TB) remains a complex and yet unsolved socio-technological challenge. While significant work has been done recently, there is a lack of theory-guided approaches for curbing TB. In this work, we test the motivational theory of basic desires for explaining the occurrence of TB. For this, we used a survey approach and collected a sample consisting of players of the
successful MOBAs League of Legends and Dota 2 (n = 308). Using a PCA, results indicate two underlying factors of the 16 basic desires (i.e., physiological and social factors). Consequently, both factors hold the potential to explain TB. In addition, the predisposition age showed a significant influence on TB in our sample. These findings highlight the 16 basic desires as a promising frame for understanding the antecedents of TB.
... Typical toxic behaviors include using abusive language in game, as well as griefing in game. Prior scholarship has documented various types of toxicity in LoL [1,29,52,106]. However, what is different here is that Riot's punishments against pro players' toxicity in everyday game were usually severer. ...
Esports, like traditional sports, face governance challenges such as foul play and match fixing. The esports industry has seen various attempts at governance structure but is yet to form a consensus. In this study, we explore esports governance in League of Legends (LoL), a major esports title. Through a two-stage, mixed-methods analysis of rule enforcement that Riot Games, LoL’s developer and publisher, has performed against esports participants such as professional players and teams, we qualitatively describe rule breaking behaviors and penalties in LoL esports, and quantitatively measure how contextual factors such as time, perpetrator identity, and region might influence governance outcomes. These findings about rule enforcement allow us to characterize the esports governance of LoL as top-down and paternalistic, and to reflect upon professional players' work and professionalization in the esports context. We conclude by discussing translatable implications for esports governance practice and research.
... Several papers have been dealing with toxicity in League of Legends (Shores et al., 2014 ;Caudill, 2015 ;Neto et al., 2017): because of League of Legends' high competitiveness and its team reliance to win, frustration is easy to occur, particularly when your teammates' playstyle disalign with your conception of good play. This tendency is reinforced by a pro-play fantasy among young players and by a thirst to climb the ranking ladder. ...
Presentation in ERN Conference 2021 on Esports Health & Well-being Management.
... Ranked matches form the competitive backbone of LoL esports. Shores et al. (2014) find that ranked matches are associated with more toxic behaviors than the normal ones due to their competitive nature. Gao et al. (2017) assert that there are gendered differences between play styles and toxicity, and female players are likely to face more toxicity than males. ...
We investigate how the Proteus effect, which is players changing their way of communication based on characters with which they play, is associated with players’ champion usage in the popular online game League of Legends, where champions are the characters that the players control. First, we create two sets of variables: (a) objective champion characteristics based on information from the game developer, which we further enrich by semiotic coding, and (b) subjective champion characteristics based on crowdsourced opinions about the champions. Then, we analyze 13.6 million in-game chat messages to measure whether the players’ vocality (character counts of messages), valence (negative versus positive scores of language use), and toxicity (frequency of toxic word usage) change depending on the characteristics of the champions they employ. We find that champions’ body type, role, and gender are associated with players’ higher vocality, toxicity, and negative valence. We also find that the players’ communication significantly changes in toxicity and valence when they play using different champions. We discuss our methodology and results in detail and propose design directions and other implications based on them.
... Figure 1 is a screenshot of the beginning of a match. LoL players frequently experience immense frustration and anxiety [47], and are notorious for their toxic behaviors such as racial slur, harassment, and personal attacks [50,72]. ...
Platforms face the challenge of managing toxic behaviors such as flaming, hateful remarks, and harassment. To discipline their users, platforms usually adopt a punitive approach that issues punishments ranging from a warning message to content removal to permanent ban (PB). As the severest punishment, PB deprives the user of their privileges on the platform, such as account access and purchased content. But little is known regarding the experiential side of PB within the user community. In this study, we analyzed PB in League of Legends, one of the largest online games today. We argue that what PB does is not precisely to discipline players into well-behaved community members. Rather, PB functions to produce the stereotype of "the most toxic player" in the community and is best seen as a platform rhetoric. We further discuss the need to contextualize toxicity from the restorative lens.
... Taken together, TB remains a sincere problem for different video game communities. While previous research occasionally dealt with TB and it is still unclear how to holistically buffer toxicity from a theoretical standpoint on a level of game design [8,18,19]. ...
Enabled by technological advancements, a contemporary form of technology use that particularly became popular are online multiplayer video games, which are played with others in real time. Besides various positive impacts on the user experience (e.g., fun, additional social exchange) adverse consequences have occurred as well (e.g., stress, anger). Most recently, a sincere problem gaining increased attention is toxic behavior (i.e., a behavior spreading negative effects and bad mood during play). With our study, we propose a way to handle toxic behavior on a level of video game design by using a multi-method approach. First, we will consult the online disinhibition effect and its antecedents to identify design related relationships. Afterwards, we will conduct a qualitative workshop engaging video game designers and players to reshape in-game experiences by incentivizing players to buffer toxicity.
... Previous research occasionally has dealt with TB deriving insights that are important to better understand the phenomenon. Accordingly, toxicity predominantly emerges over the course of a game as a response to negative events (Blackburn and Kwak, 2014), and toxic players also often scare away new (and novice) players (Shores et al., 2014). Furthermore, the quality of communication during a game is directly linked to performance (Neto et al., 2017), and players are inclined to normalize negative behaviours (Adinolf and Turkay, 2018). ...
Purpose:
The purpose of this paper is to investigate toxic behaviour (TB) that significantly harms individuals’ gameplay experience in multiplayer online video games. Multiplayer online video games allow to simultaneously interact with others in real time. They can be considered as digital communities unifying a group of players within a video game. TB is characterized by spreading a bad mood (e.g. upsetting and insulting) leading to unsatisfying outcomes in team-based multiplayer environments.
Design/methodology/approach:
Using mixed methods, the authors show that handling TB should be addressed more firmly on a level of game design. First, the authors test the explanatory power of the online disinhibition effect (ODE) and its antecedents on TB using a quantitative survey (N = 320) and structural equation modelling. Specifically, the authors show that dissociative anonymity, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination and minimization of authority have a mediated effect through toxic disinhibition as predictors of TB. Second, the authors conduct a focus group workshop (N = 10) with experts from diverse disciplines to derive design principles on a level of game design.
Findings:
The results indicate that transparency and imminent feedback are still underutilized elements in game design that can significantly buffer several forms of TB. By developing a heuristic prototype and exemplary design principles in subsequent categories, the authors address all relevant in-game scenarios. With this study, the authors provide researchers and practitioners helpful insights on how to increase the well-being and safety of gaming communities.
Originality/value:
ODE already showed its explanatory potential in the neighbouring context of cyberbullying. Embedded in theories of negative behaviour on the internet, the authors propose a holistic and theory-driven approach to handle TB on a level of game design. The authors’ insights allow for a better understanding of an innovative entity of the dark side of technology diffusion and adverse side effects linked to it.
... Personal factors can impact the amount and kind of abuse receivedit is well-documented that women, racial minorities, and those who identify as LGBTQ receive a disproportionate share of abuse (Gray, 2012;Ortiz, 2019;Shaw, 2012;Tang & Fox, 2016). Further, players who experience harassment may abandon the game (Cote, 2017;Shores, He, Swanenburg, Kraut, & Riedl, 2014). In this article, we use 'toxicity' as a general term to refer to the above kinds of antisocial behaviour, as it is typically used in game communities and by game developers. ...
Toxicity in online multiplayer games has long been an issue, and game developers implement various strategies such as reputation systems to curb such behaviour. Although Foucault’s notion of discipline seems an ideal lens through which to analyse such reputation systems, as of yet there has been little work on the subject. This article addresses the reputation system implemented in 2018 by Blizzard, who created an endorsement system in the team-based multiplayer shooter Overwatch. This successfully encouraged positive player behaviour by implementing rewards, rather than only punishments. In this article, we examine the endorsement system as an example of Foucault’s discipline, one that is particularly relevant to game design because it uses incentives as well as deterrents. We argue that the endorsement system is particularly effective as a form of discipline because it includes players as part of the process, by actively constructing subjects (gamers) to fit a pre-defined mould.
... These critiques of game development practices are necessary and important. Toxic player behaviour can upset players [20], impede team performance [58], and drive away new players [75]. Many such behaviours are harmful and can be considered unethical [31,44,53,66,92]. ...
Game industry professionals are frequently implementing new methods of addressing ethical issues related to in-game toxicity and disruptive player behaviours associated with online multiplayer games. However, academic work on these behaviours tends to focus on the perspectives of players rather than the industry. To fully understand the ethics of multiplayer games and promote ethical design, we must examine the challenges facing those designing multiplayer games through an ethical lens. To this end, this paper presents a reflexive thematic analysis of 21 in-depth interviews with games industry professionals on their ethical views and experiences in game design and community management. We identify a number of tensions involved in making ethics-related design decisions for divided player communities alongside current game design practices that are concerned with functionality, revenue and entertainment. We then put forward a set of design considerations for integrating ethics into multiplayer game design.
... While this would be a stretch, there are a number of studies that link the implicit personalized (dominant) power motive to unfavourable impulses such as heavy drinking, fast driving, gambling, collecting prestige items as well as somewhat following the "law of the jungle" [29]. Another study has recently linked the dominant facet of the explicit power motive to a preference for playing those roles in League of Legends [43] that have previously been associated with the highest toxicity levels in the game [50]. However, the mechanisms of this relationship are not clear and have not yet been studied in a games context. ...
Two social motives are distinguished by Motive Disposition Theory: affiliation and power. Motives orient, select and energize our behaviour, suggesting that the choices of power-motivated individuals should be guided by power cues, such as the appearance of strength in a game character or avatar. In study 1 we demonstrate that participants were more likely to pick strong-looking Pokémon for a fight and cute Pokémon as a companion. In addition, we show that even when considering these contexts, the power motive predicts preferences for a powerful appearance, whereas affiliation does not. In study 2 we replicate the study 1 findings and distinguish between two ways to enact the power motive (prosocial and dominant power). We demonstrate that the dominance, but not the prosociality, facet drives the preference for strong-looking Pokémon. Our findings suggest that the need to influence others—the power motive—drives the choice for battle companions who symbolize strength.
... Researchers have investigated the characteristics of toxic players to better understand the factors that contribute to in-game toxicity. Using player feedback and game metrics data from League of Legends, Shores et al. [44] identifed several patterns of toxic players-such as playing in more competitive (e.g., ranked) game modes and playing with friends. Further, less experienced players were more susceptible to discontinuing play after encountering toxic players. ...
... For instance, in League of Legends, player statistics could motivate players to act aggressively towards their teammates with poor statistics [30]. Toxic behaviors are also associated with match length, player role [53], and even server region [37]. ...
Online platforms rely upon users or automated tools to flag toxic behaviors, the very first step in online moderation. While much recent research has examined online moderation, the role of flag remains poorly understood. This question becomes even more urgent in automated moderation, where flagging becomes a primary source of human judgment. We conducted a qualitative study of flagging practices in League of Legends (LoL), a popular eSports game. We found stark differences between how flag is designed to identify toxicity, and flaggability, or how players use and appropriate flag. Players distrust flag, but also appropriate flag for instrumental purposes. Thus, flaggability diverges decidedly from the conception of toxicity, and must be understood within the highly competitive gaming context of LoL. These findings help shed light on the situated nature of flaggability, the role of flag in online moderation, as well as implications for designing flag and moderation.
... Taken together, TB remains a sincere problem for different video game communities. While previous research occasionally dealt with TB and it is still unclear how to holistically buffer toxicity from a theoretical standpoint on a level of game design [8,18,19]. ...
Enabled by technological advancements, a contemporary form of technology use that particularly became popular are online multiplayer video games, which are played with others in real time. Besides various positive impacts on user experience (e.g., fun, additional social exchange) adverse consequences have occurred as well (e.g., stress, anger). Most recently, a sincere problem gaining increased attention is toxic behavior (i.e., a behavior spreading negative effects and bad mood during play). With our study, we propose a way to handle toxic behavior on a level of video game design by using a multi-method approach. First, we will consult the online disinhibition effect and its antecedents to identify design related relationships. Afterwards, we will conduct a qualitative workshop engaging video game designers and players to reshape in-game experiences by incentivizing players to buffer forms of toxic behavior.
... [68][69][70][71][72]) have identified socialization as one of the main motivations for playing online games and retention, but not always socialization has a positive impact in player retention. For example, Shores et al. [73] showed that game interactions such as interacting with toxic players have negative impacts on retention in League of Legends multiplayer video games. In this study, we examine the effects of socialization by delving deeper into the directions of SCT that can induce continuance in social hedonic environments, such as online social games, where joy and fun are the main objectives. ...
Online social games, played within social networks or games requiring social interaction with peers, are revolutionizing the nature of video-games due to their social aspect and the ability of users to compare their performance with their friends or people in their network. Social comparison features, such as leaderboards, individual scores, achievement badges and level maps, are commonly used in online games to enforce the social interaction of players. However, one of the biggest challenges that the social game industry is currently facing is the ability to increase user enjoyment, and keep its players engaged in the games. To probe more deeply into whether and how players’ continuance intention is influenced by social comparison processes, we combine two theoretical lenses: social comparison theory and self-efficacy theory. We conducted real-world data collection to measure the impact of social comparisons in player perceived enjoyment, online social gaming self-efficacy and game continuance. The results indicate that upward identification and downward contrast are the most influential comparison elements in game continuance. The results of these two comparisons have significant implications for both the theoretical application of social comparison in online settings and for the practical implications of future game design.
... Many of these have used in-game telemetry, public APIs, or game logs to analyze player behavior for a single game or small number of games, e.g. [10,11,13,14,42,50]. Among the studies which consider a large number of games as we do, a few gather data primarily from platforms other than digital distribution platforms. ...
The market for virtual reality (VR) games is growing rapidly, and is expected to grow from
$3.3B in 2018 to $
13.7B in 2022. Due to the immersive nature of such games and the use of VR headsets, players may have complaints about VR games which are distinct from those about traditional computer games, and an understanding of those complaints could enable developers to better take advantage of the growing VR market. We conduct an empirical study of 750 popular VR games and 17,653 user reviews on Steam in order to understand trends in VR games and their complaints. We find that the VR games market is maturing. Fewer VR games are released each month but their quality appears to be improving over time. Most games support multiple headsets and play areas, and support for smaller-scale play areas is increasing. Complaints of cybersickness are rare and declining, indicating that players are generally more concerned with other issues. Recently, complaints about game-specific issues have become the most frequent type of complaint, and VR game developers can now focus on these issues and worry less about VR-comfort issues such as cybersickness.
... In any case, toxic players intend to spoil the experience of their co-players. Accordingly, victims of toxic behavior often suffer from negative emotions and are more likely to completely refrain from playing the game [2,5,19,21]. ...
... Zubek and Khoo (2002) note that when gameplay is more about competition than cooperation, the social environment is more characterized by competitiveness, trash-talking, and gloating. Shores et al. (2014) found that players who choose to play more competitively scored higher on a toxic behavior measure than those who chose to play less competitively. Additionally, Adachi and Willoughby (2011) found that competitiveness in video games was more related to aggressive behavior than violent content of games. ...
With the advent of digital games came the advent of gamer cultures and identities. A "gamer" became a new social first for the group of individuals who played video games (primarily in arcades) in the late 1970's. Over time, however, gamer cultures have grown into what is largely discussed as "toxic cultures," and come to become more associated with exclusion than inclusion if you don't fit a certain mold. Despite its prevalence, deviant behaviors in games as a subject of academic study is a confusing space, with different researchers using different criteria to describe the same things. This article provides the first comprehensive cataloging and overview of dark participation in games. This includes defining these behaviors, cataloging their variants, and discussing their social and psychological impact and their potential underpinnings. It is critical to establish a shared language about what these behaviors are in order to effectively understand and combat them.
... For instance, whether professional esports athletes go through different motivational shifts than more casual players, due to experiencing more pressure to play or succeed (Deterding, 2016;Peters et al., 2018). Or whether the experience of toxic social interactions (Kwak and Blackburn, 2014;Shores et al., 2014) result in initially intrinsically motivated players shifting toward external regulation or even amotivation. Identifying such contributing factors could facilitate the design of interventions to counteract negative effects early on, as well as inform game design to promote mastery over performance orientation in players. ...
Player motivation is a key research area within games research, with the aim of understanding how the motivation of players is related to their experience and behavior in the game. We present the results of a cross-sectional study with data from 750 players of League of Legends a popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game. Based on the motivational regulations posited by Self-Determination Theory and Latent Profile Analysis, we identify four distinct motivational profiles, which differ with regards to player experience and, to a lesser extent, in-game behavior. While the more self-determined profiles "Intrinsic'' and "Autonomous'' report mainly positive experience-related outcomes, a considerable part of the player base does not. Players of the "Amotivated'' and "External'' profile derive less enjoyment, experience more negative affect and tension, and score lower on vitality, indicating game engagement that is potentially detrimental to players' well-being. With regards to game metrics, minor differences in the rate of assists in unranked matches and performance indicators were observed between profiles. This strengthens the notion that differences in experiences are not necessarily reflected in differences in behavioral game metrics. Our findings provide insights into the interplay of player motivation, experience, and in-game behavior, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of player-computer interaction.
... Scholars have drawn from a range of ethical theories to argue that such actions in multiplayer games require more ethical scrutiny, particularly given that they can cause harm to 2 other human players (Danaher, 2018;Huff et al., 2003;Luck, 2009;Powers, 2003;Wolfendale, 2007). More researchers still highlight the 'toxic' and damaging qualities of such acts (Adinolf & Turkay, 2018;Coyne et al., 2009;Kwak et al., 2015), which can drive away new players (Shores et al., 2014(Shores et al., , p. 1363, negatively impact team performance (Neto et al., 2017), and cause anger and frustration . Some scholars take a different approach and explore the subversive value of disruptive play (Bakioğlu, 2019;Beale et al., 2016), while others adopt more contextual understandings of multiplayer ethics (Dunn, 2012) and examine how acts like killing other players (Ryland, 2019) and trash talk (Nguyen & Zagal, 2016) can be acceptable when they are fully consented to. ...
This paper introduces the ludic ethics approach for understanding the moral deliberations of players of online multiplayer games. Informed by a constructivist paradigm that places players' everyday ethical negotiations at the forefront of the analysis, this study utilises a novel set of game-related moral vignettes in a series of 20 in-depth interviews with players. Reflexive thematic analysis of these interviews produced four key themes by which participants considered the ethics of in-game actions: 1) Game Boundaries; 2) Consequences for Play; 3) Player Sensibilities; and 4) Virtuality. These results support the conceptualisation of games as complex ethical sites in which players negotiate in-game ethics by referring extensively-though not exclusively-to a framework of 'ludomorality' that draws from the interpreted meanings associated with the ludic digital context.
Toxic practices are anti-social interactions that result in a breakdown of communication between consumers. We draw on in-depth interviews, netnography, and insider experience in the context of online gaming to describe the technological configurations that embed the neoliberal logics of competitiveness, individual responsibilization, and entrepreneurialism. Taken together, these embedded logics craft the toxic consumer subject as the dominant way of inhabiting online spaces. Overall, this study illustrates how technocultures align consumer subjectivity to market logics that erode consumer wellbeing.
Esports - games played competitively - comprise a major sector of the global games industry. Esports has been used as a testbed for game AI and game analytics for two decades. This article presents a multivocal literature mapping of available research that focuses strictly on the use of artificial intelligence approaches in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games, one of the most popular esports genres and the one most widely used for game AI and game analytics research. A mapping is performed on relevant publications published between 2011 and 2022 and systematically examines them to extract similarities, gaps, and main findings. We analyzed 124 publications to identify the most studied topics, the most commonly used techniques, and the most commonly applied evaluation methods. The results show that League of Legends and DOTA are the most studied games, with outcome prediction being the most popular research topic. Finally, we provide an analysis of the potential future flagship areas for research in the domain, considering the gaps found in the white and grey literature.
Despite the growing popularity of esports, it has yet to gain mainstream acceptance as a legitimate pathway for personal success. Motivated by examining the positive side of esports play, this study aims to identify a systemic framework describing the benefits of playing esports and the process through which positive personal development can be fostered. Specifically, we first reviewed relevant literature on online games, traditional sports, and esports play motivations. We then employed the positive youth development (PYD) framework as the theoretical lens to guide our analysis. After receiving informed consent from 19 esports players, we used a semi-structured interview technique to understand the key benefits obtained from play. We used qualitative content analysis technique to generate 12 key categories important in esports play, and the Delphi method to establish group consensus about relations between each category pair. We then adopted a structured approach involving interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique to present a framework describing pathways for esports players’ positive development. In the positive development framework, Commitment, Self-Esteem, Communication, Cooperation, Emotional Self-initiative, and Initiative were found to be the given conditions, while Personal Growth was the linkage variable leading to fulfilment of five higher-end personal values.
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji korelasi antara self-esteem dan stress terhadap perilaku harassment di online game. Ada 136 responden dewasa awal yang berpartisipasi dalam penelitian ini, mereka semua dipilih menggunakan teknik non-probability sampling. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif. Setiap partisipan diminta menyelesaikan Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, dan skala The Video Game Harassment Scale milik Fox and Tang. Semua skala telah terbukti reliable dimana alpha cronbach untuk RSES adalah 0.856, 0.917 untuk Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, dan 0.806 untuk skala The Video Game Harassment Scale. Hasil menunjukan bahwa ada korelasi yang signifikan antara stress dan harassment (r = 0.197, p = 0.022), dan tidak ada korelasi signifikan antara self-esteem dan harassment (r = -0.062, p = 0.472)
Games and play research at CHI employs psychological theory to investigate the ways that varied qualities of people, videogames, and play contexts contribute to nuances in player experience (PX). Play is often characterised as self-endorsed and freely chosen behaviour, and self-determination theory (SDT) proposes that this autonomous quality contributes to wellbeing restoration. However, prior research has produced only inconsistent support for this claim. In this study, 148 participants experienced an autonomy-satisfying or -frustrating puzzle before playing Spore, a videogame likely to satisfy autonomy. Need-frustrated participants showed comparatively greater improvement in autonomy, vitality, and intrinsic motivation when playing Spore, and in-game autonomy satisfaction was shown to index post-play wellbeing outcomes. However, further results were mixed, and only competence frustration was found to predict ill-being outcomes. These findings are contextualised by post-study interviews that investigate the ways that autonomy, wellbeing, and motivation emerge in and through play in daily life.
Social interaction acts as a key motivation for playing online games; however, some players engage in in-game intra-group aggressive behavior, such as swearing, ignoring, and sabotaging their teammates. This study uses the motivation theory and techniques of the neutralization theory to understand this phenomenon in the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. A partial least squares analysis conducted on the data collected from 221 League of Legends players revealed three types of aggressive acts: psychological, passive, and active. Psychological acts have the least negative impact on victory, while passive and active acts have the greatest negative impact. Players’ achievement, immersion, and social motivations have limited contribution to aggressive acts. Those engaging in psychological acts deploy many neutralization techniques to justify their actions, while players who only engage in active acts employ a very limited set of neutralization techniques. Thus, this study contributes to the understanding of the phenomenon that deviates from the MOBA norm of intra-team co-operation and cohesion through the techniques of the neutralization theory.
Online social games such as
World of Tanks (WoT)
have attracted hundreds of millions of users not only to play the games but also to share game replays and to watch games played by others in online game replay sharing communities. To date, user retention, including player retention for games and uploader retention for replay sharing communities, remains a key challenge in game design and in maintaining the community prosperity. In this article, we revisit the user retention problem and we deal with the player and the uploader retention problem simultaneously, through leveraging both the in- and out-game features uniquely provided by online game replay sharing communities. To this end, we have collected a large-scale dataset from a replay sharing community named WoTreplays, which contains records of over 380 000 game replays and nearly 2 million users. For the player retention problem, we examine traditional factors including the activity level, the gaming performance, and the social relationships of players, and we include additional features that are intuitively informative, such as how many users have watched a player, which are provided uniquely by the game replay sharing communities. Similarly, for the uploader retention problem, we study the activity level and the popularity of uploaders in game replay sharing communities and additionally include their gaming performance and social relationships in the games as a supplement. Based on our findings, we build machine-learned classifiers that can accurately predict users who will play intensively and users who will share a large number of game replays in the future. Among other results, we find that: 1) for both game playing and replay sharing, the activity level and the popularity of the users are highly skewed; 2) the influence between the gaming activity and the gaming performance is mutual; 3) while the majority of users do not form long-term relationships, a small fraction of users connect very closely; and 4) the gaming performance and the user popularity are very informative for predicting highly active users.
In this paper, we present churn prediction techniques that have been released so far. Churn prediction is used in the fields of Internet services, games, insurance, and management. However, since it has been used intensively to increase the predictability of various industry/academic fields, there is a big difference in its definition and utilization. In this paper, we collected the definitions of churn used in the fields of business administration, marketing, IT, telecommunications, newspapers, insurance and psychology, and described their differences. Based on this, we classified and explained churn loss, feature engineering, and prediction models. Our study can be used to select the definition of churn and its associated models suitable for the service field that researchers are most interested in by integrating fragmented churn studies in industry/academic fields.
In this paper, we present churn prediction techniques that have been released so far. Churn prediction is used in the fields of Internet services, games, insurance, and management. However, since it has been used intensively to increase the predictability of various industry/academic fields, there is a big difference in its definition and utilization. In this paper, we collected the definitions of churn used in the fields of business administration, marketing, IT, telecommunications, newspapers, insurance and psychology, and described their differences. Based on this, we classified and explained churn loss, feature engineering, and prediction models. Our study can be used to select the definition of churn and its associated models suitable for the service field that researchers are most interested in by integrating fragmented churn studies in industry/academic fields.
Many quantitative, log-based studies of participation and contribution in CSCW and CMC systems measure the activity of users in terms of output, based on metrics like posts to forums, edits to Wikipedia articles, or commits to code repositories. In this paper, we instead seek to estimate the amount of time users have spent contributing. Through an analysis of Wikipedia log data, we identify a pattern of punctuated bursts in editors' activity that we refer to as edit sessions. Based on these edit sessions, we build a metric that approximates the labor hours of editors in the encyclopedia. Using this metric, we first compare labor-based analyses with output-based analyses, finding that the activity of many editors can appear quite differently based on the kind of metric used. Second, we use edit session data to examine phenomena that cannot be adequately studied with purely output-based metrics, such as the total number of labor hours for the entire project.
New computer-based communications technologies make possible new or expanded forms of group work. Although earlier researchers suggest that scant social information in these technologies might cause status equalization in groups, no experimental test of this phenomenon has been made. In a laboratory experiment, we compared face-to-face communication with electronic mail in decision-making groups whose members differed in social status. We examined status in two ways: by varying the external status of group members, and by varying the decision task to manipulate expertise. When the groups made decisions in face-to-face meetings, the high-status member dominated discussions with the three low-status members. Also, the high-status member more often was a 'first advocate' in the face-to-face discussions, and first advocates were more influential than later advocates. These status inequalities in face-to-face decision making were pronounced just when the high-status member's expertise was relevant to the decision task. When the same groups made comparable decisions using electronic mail, status and expertise inequalities in participation were reduced. A striking and unexpected result was that 'first' advocacy was shared by high- and low-status members in discussions using electronic mail. This behavior resulted in increased equality of influence across status and expertise. We discuss the implications of these results for research and for design of new communication technologies.
This article compiles results from a century of social psychological research, more than 25,000 studies of 8 million people. A large number of social psychological conclusions are listed alongside meta-analytic information about the magnitude and variability of the corresponding effects. References to 322 meta-analyses of social psychological phenomena are presented, as well as statistical effect-size summaries. Analyses reveal that social psychological effects typically yield a value of r equal to .21 and that, in the typical research literature, effects vary from study to study in ways that produce a standard deviation in r of .15. Uses, limitations, and implications of this large-scale compilation are noted. In 1898 Norman Triplett published an early experiment in social psychology, about an ef-fect of the presence of others on task perfor-mance. In the 100 years since Triplett's inves-tigation, many social psychological effects have been documented. The current article summa-rizes the best established of these findings, with data from more than 25,000 research studies and 8 million people. Our goal is to quantify the magnitude and variability of social psychologi-cal effects. We begin by considering previous summaries of social psychology, note some un-resolved issues, and review developments that permit a century of scholarly work to be quan-titatively described. For present purposes, we follow Manstead and Hewstone (1995) in re-garding social psychology as the study of "the reciprocal influence of the individual and his or her social context" (p. 588).
Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) can be fascinating laboratories to observe group dynamics online. In particular, players must form persistent associations or "guilds" to coordinate their actions and accomplish the games' toughest objectives. Managing a guild, however, is notoriously difficult and many do not survive very long. In this paper, we examine some of the factors that could explain the success or failure of a game guild based on more than a year of data collected from five World of Warcraft servers. Our focus is on structural properties of these groups, as represented by their social networks and other variables. We use this data to discuss what games can teach us about group dynamics online and, in particular, what tools and techniques could be used to better support gaming communities.
Are people who remain active as webloggers more socially con- nected to other users? How are the number and nature of social ties related to people's willingness to continue contributing con- tent to a weblog? This study uses longitudinal data taken from Wallop, a weblogging system developed by Microsoft Research, to explore patterns of user activity. In its year long operation Wallop hosted a naturally occurring opportunity for cultural com- parison, as it developed a majority Chinese language using popu- lation (despite the English language focus of the system). This allows us to consider whether or not language communities have different social network characteristics that vary along different activity levels. Logistic regression models and network visualiza- tions reveal two key findings. The first is that not all ties are equal. Although a count of incoming comments appears to be a significant predictor of retention, it loses its predictive strength when strong ties created by repeated, reciprocal interaction and ties from other dedicated webloggers are considered. Second, the higher rate of retention among the Chinese language users is partly explained by that population's greater ability to draw in participants with pre-existing social ties. We conclude with con- siderations for weblogs and directions for future research.
Open content web sites depend on users to produce information of value. Wikipedia is the largest and most well-known such site. Previous work has shown that a small fraction of editors --Wikipedians -- do most of the work and produce most of the value. Other work has offered conjectures about how Wikipedians differ from other editors and how Wikipedians change over time. We quantify and test these conjectures. Our key findings include: Wikipedians' edits last longer; Wikipedians invoke community norms more often to justify their edits; on many dimensions of activity, Wikipedians start intensely, tail off a little, then maintain a relatively high level of activity over the course of their career. Finally, we show that the amount of work done by Wikipedians and non-Wikipedians differs significantly from their very first day. Our results suggest a design opportunity: customizing the initial user experience to improve retention and channel new users' intense energy.
The greater power of bad events over good ones is found in everyday events, major life events (e.g., trauma), close relationship outcomes, social network patterns, interpersonal interactions, and learning processes. Bad emotions, bad parents, and bad feedback have more impact than good ones, and bad information is processed more thoroughly than good. The self is more motivated to avoid bad self-definitions than to pursue good ones. Bad impressions and bad stereotypes are quicker to form and more resistant to disconfirmation than good ones. Various explanations such as diagnosticity and salience help explain some findings, but the greater power of bad events is still found when such variables are controlled. Hardly any exceptions (indicating greater power of good) can be found. Taken together, these findings suggest that bad is stronger than good, as a general principle across a broad range of psychological phenomena.
This research investigated the intergroup properties of hostile 'flaming' behaviour in computer-mediated communication and how flaming language is affected by Internet identifiability, or identifiability by name and e-mail address/geographical location as is common to Internet communication. According to the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects (SIDE; e.g. Reicher, Spears, & Postmes, 1995) there may be strategic reasons for identifiable groups members to act in a more group-normative manner in the presence of an audience, to gain acceptance from the in-group, to avoid punishment from the out-group, or to assert their identity to the out-group. For these reasons, it was predicted that communicators would produce more stereotype-consistent (group-normative) descriptions of out-group members' behaviours when their descriptions were identifiable to an audience. In one archival and three experimental studies, it was found that identifiability to an in-group audience was associated with higher levels of stereotype-consistent language when communicators described anonymous out-group targets. These results extend SIDE and suggest the importance of an in-group audience for the expression of stereotypical views.
First Person Shooter Games (FPSG) such as Counter Strike are often the subject of public concern. Surprisingly, there is no published research available about playing these games. We conducted an exploratory Internet survey (n 5 751) in order to gather information about who the players of online first person shooters are, and why they spend time on playing this particular kind of video game. The results of our survey on the one hand confirmed the stereotype of the gamer as it is often presented in popular media: the players of online FPS were indeed almost exclusively young men (mean age about 18 years) who spend a lot of their leisure time on gaming (about 2.6 h per day). We also found that the most committed gamers, that is, the ones who were members of a (semi)professional clan, scored highest on motives with respect to competition, and challenge in comparison with members of amateur clans and online gamers who had not joined a clan. On the other hand, our results cast doubt on the accuracy of the stereotype. This study showed clearly that online FPSG are not played in isolation. More than 80% of our respondents were member of a clan. Also, the regression analysis showed that the social interaction motive was the strongest predictor of the time actually spend on gaming.
A new questionnaire on aggression was constructed. Replicated factor analyses yielded 4 scales: Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility. Correlational analysis revealed that anger is the bridge between both physical and verbal aggression and hostility. The scales showed internal consistency and stability over time. Men scored slightly higher on Verbal Aggression and Hostility and much higher on Physical Aggression. There was no sex difference for Anger. The various scales correlated differently with various personality traits. Scale scores correlated with peer nominations of the various kinds of aggression. These findings suggest the need to assess not only overall aggression but also its individual components.
This study investigated the effect of a single work group deviant on other group members' perceptions of the deviant, and their perceptions of the cohesiveness of the group as a whole. Group members, particularly those high in perceived self-typicality, were expected to downgrade the deviant, and view groups containing a deviant as less cohesive. Undergraduate management students were placed in a simulated organizational context in which deviance was manipulated so that the participant's work group contained either a single negative deviant or no deviant. Results showed that the deviant colleague was judged less favorably than the normative colleague, particularly by those high in perceived self-typicality. Groups that contained a deviant were perceived as having lower levels of task cohesion, but ratings of social cohesion varied depending on perceivers' self-typicality. The findings suggest that as well as attracting negative evaluations, deviant group members can adversely affect group cohesion.
Online antisocial or 'bad' behavior appears to be a serious and pervasive problem in a variety of online social settings. This paper presents results from an online survey designed to collect information about the frequency, context, and effects of aversive behavior, and the methods they employ to combat it. As expected, respondents perceived that bad online behavior occurs frequently and has a strong negative effect on online interactions. Most respondents reported that others' bad behavior had caused them to leave or avoid online social spaces. Participants reported that the methods they use to combat bad behavior are not very effective. Descriptions of bad behavior suggest that many are perpetrated by people users do not know, but a surprising number are perpetrated by acquaintances. Further, bad behavior often spans online domains, such that while the behavior may start in one place (e.g., a chat room), it may continue through other channels (e.g., email). Implications for designing more effective methods to thwart bad behavior using established social principles are discussed.
Moreland and Levine (1982) proposed a model of group socialization that describes and explains the passage of individuals through groups. In that model, the relationship between the group and the individual is assumed to change in systematic ways over time and both parties are viewed as active social influence agents. This chapter summarizes the group socialization model, discusses theoretical elaborations and extensions of the model, and reviews some empirical studies stimulated by the model.
Reputations that are transmitted from person to person can deter moral hazard and discourage entry by bad types in markets where players repeat transactions but rarely with the same player. On the Internet, information about past transactions may be both limited and potentially unreliable, but it can be distributed far more systematically than the informal gossip among friends that characterizes conventional marketplaces. One of the earliest and best known Internet reputation systems is run by eBay, which gathers comments from buyers and sellers about each other after each transaction. Examination of a large data set from 1999 reveals several interesting features of this system, which facilitates many millions of sales each month. First, despite incentives to free ride, feedback was provided more than half the time. Second, well beyond reasonable expectation, it was almost always positive. Third, reputation profiles were predictive of future performance. However, the net feedback scores that eBay displays encourages Pollyanna assessments of reputations, and is far from the best predictor available. Fourth, although sellers with better reputations were more likely to sell their items, they enjoyed no boost in price, at least for the two sets of items that we examined. Fifth, there was a high correlation between buyer and seller feedback, suggesting that the players reciprocate and retaliate.
The influences of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and workplace deviant behavior (WDB) on business unit performance were investigated using data from branches of a fast food organization. Data included measures of WDB and OCB obtained from staff, ratings of performance provided by supervisors, and objective measures of performance. It was found that WDB was negatively and significantly associated with business unit performance measured both subjectively and objectively. OCB, however, failed to contribute to the prediction of business unit performance beyond the level that was achieved by WDB. It appeared, therefore, that the presence of deviant employees among business units impinges upon the performance of the business unit as a whole, whereas OCBs had comparatively little effect. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We analyze collaborative play in an online video game, World of Warcraft, the most popular personal computer game in the United States, with significant markets in Asia and Europe. Based on an immersive ethnographic study, we describe how the social organization of the game and player culture affect players' enjoyment and learning of the game. We discovered that play is characterized by a multiplicity of collaborations from brief informal encounters to highly organized play in structured groups. The variety of collaborations makes the game more fun and provides rich learning opportunities. We contrast these varied collaborations, including those with strangers, to the "gold standard" of Gemeinschaft-like communities of close relations in tightknit groups. We suggest populations for whom similar games could be designed.
For buyers and sellers alike, there's no better way to earn one another's trust in online interactions.
This paper discusses social psychological processes in computer-mediated communication (CMC) and group decision-making, in relation to findings that groups communicating via computer produce more polarized decisions than face-to-face groups. A wide range of possible explanations for such differences have been advanced, in which a lack of social cues, disinhibition, “de-individuation” and a consequent tendency to antinormative behaviour are central themes. In these explanations, both disinhibition and greater equality of participation are thought to facilitate the exchange of extreme persuasive arguments, resulting in polarization. These accounts are briefly reviewed and attention is drawn to various problematic issues. We provide an alternative model and explanation based on social identity (SI) theory and a re-conceptualization of de-individuation, which takes into account the social and normative factors associated with group polarization. Predictions from both sets of explanations are explored empirically by means of an experiment manipulating the salience of the discussion group, and de-individuation operationalized as the isolation and anonymity of the participants. In this experiment we were able to partial out the effects of the CMC technology which have confounded comparisons with face-to-face interaction in previous research. The results challenge the explanations based on persuasive arguments, while being consistent with our SI model. We discuss our approach in relation to other very recent research in group computer-mediated communication and offer a reinterpretation of previous findings.
We articulate the role of norms within the social identity perspective as a basis for theorizing a number of manifestly communicative phenomena. We describe how group norms are cognitively represented as context-dependent prototypes that capture the distinctive properties of groups. The same process that governs the psychological salience of different prototypes, and thus generates group normative behavior, can be used to understand the formation, perception, and diffusion of norms, and also how some group members, for example, leaders, have more normative influence than others. life illustrate this process across a number of phenomena and make suggestions for future interfaces between the social identity perspective and communication research. We believe that the social identity approach represents a truly integrative force for the communication discipline.
Examines the Dollard et al. (1939) frustration-aggression hypothesis. The original formulation's main proposition is limited to interference with an expected attainment of a desired goal on hostile (emotional) aggression. Although some studies have yielded negative results, others support the core proposition. Frustrations can create aggressive inclinations even when they are not arbitrary or aimed at the subject personally. Interpretations and attributions can be understood partly in terms of the original analysis but they can also influence the unpleasantness of the thwarting. A proposed revision of the 1939 model holds that frustrations generate aggressive inclinations to the degree that they arouse negative affect. Evidence regarding the aggressive consequences of aversive events is reviewed, and Berkowitz's cognitive-neoassociationistic model is summarized.
We consider the problems of societal norms for cooperation and reputation when it is possible to obtain "cheap pseudonyms", something which is becoming quite common in a wide variety of interactions on the Internet. This introduces opportunities to misbehave without paying reputational consequences. A large degree of cooperation can still emerge, through a convention in which newcomers "pay their dues" by accepting poor treatment from players who have established positive reputations. One might hope for an open society where newcomers are treated well, but there is an inherent social cost in making the spread of reputations optional. We prove that no equilibrium can sustain significantly more cooperation than the dues-paying equilibrium in a repeated random matching game with a large number of players in which players have finite lives and the ability to change their identities, and there is a small but nonvanishing probability of mistakes. Although one could remove the ine...
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