You are playing a video game online in 2018, and you decide to be nice and say hello to your teammates for this round. Ten minutes later, I might be surrounded by something that goes from "what to save". or & # 39; thank you & # 39; to a series of unpleasant emotes and ping noises that are used in a sarcastic, insulting way, rather than how they should be used. [19659002] If you play as a healer in Overwatch and they stop doing your job, either because they killed you or just overwhelmed you, you may find empathy or nothing at all, but someone else could use the & # 39; Thank you & # 39; voice line in a sarcastic way, and blame for your death or the loss of the team. There is more pressure depending on the role you take, and the voice lines do not help relieve this pressure.
An exchange that was supposed to be kind or fun quickly descended to vitriol and sarcasm, but when did it inherently become a positive mechanics? used in a negative way? Not everyone uses a microphone when playing online, which prompted developers to create a new way to communicate for players. Text shortcuts and emotes are what we have now, and they are not always used for the intended purpose.
It is impossible to avoid the madness of the Fortnitas, so it is likely that you have seen many emotes of the game played on television or, if you have children, then maybe you have been doing the & # 39; flossing & # 39; ; or dances & # 39; take the L & # 39; at home. Emotes are used similarly to emoticons in text-based services such as Twitter and WhatsApp, and are used to show emotion in a more theatrical way.
Today, most computer-based online games have text options to communicate with their peers. , in case you do not like to go to a microphone with strangers. Personally, I have found that the misuse of these to abuse players is rampant in Overwatch, Fortnite, League of Legends and Rocket League, although it can be found in other games, such as Hearthstone.
The bagging of tea still occurs, but it occurs much less frequently today, and although it was always considered to be of poor quality, it was only used regularly to provoke an opposing player if it fell in battle. It is now recognized as sexual assault, and its use in competitive sports is prohibited, but there is no one to prevent players from abusing their online game in general. Text shortcuts allow things to get a little more personal and much more unpleasant, and allow people to reprimand and abuse other players, who are probably doing everything possible and want to have a nice time, without having to flex his voice.
Internet madness or toxicity?
Internet trends come and go; It seems that a time ago that the touch was unrestrained, no matter where you look. The hot topic is now Fortnite, and has even made its way into professional football. Antoine Griezmann of Atlético de Madrid and Yassin Ayoub of Feyenoord are just two of the many players who have made an emote of Fortnite after scoring a goal, which is usually dance & # 39; Take the L & # 39; Well it is something that can be seen as a bit of fun, and probably without bad intentions, and the intention is clearly to rub a loss on an opponent's face.
Emotes are sometimes also used in a racist manner, especially when Twitch and KFC joined several popular PUBG streamers to create a KFC cube of chicken emote. When the message "Winning chicken dinner from the winner!" Appears. After a player has won a game, viewers had the opportunity to win a $ 20 KFC gift card if they used the emote. The stereotype that blacks are often seen eating fried chicken is obsolete and racist, and it is shocking that Twitch has not been careless to suspect that this would be used in a wildly racist manner. The transmitters TriHex, Forsen and Sodapoppin have spoken out on the emote, going so far as to ban it on their own channels, and blame Twitch for enabling the toxicity when it has been promised previously.
It's hard to imagine the battle to eliminate the toxicity being something other than a long and difficult one
There's nothing wrong with the text shortcuts and the emotes themselves, but the problem is that the developers are not doing what enough to address its misuse. Several of the editors we contacted did not respond to our emails, including Blizzard, Psyonix, Epic Games and Riot Games.
Several of these editors have come together to form The Fair Play Alliance, a forum where they share research in the hope that they can use it to address disruptive behavior. This allows each company to incorporate the same rules and expectations of their fan bases in their games, which facilitates the cultivation of online communities with less toxicity.
However, several of these companies have talked about toxicity in their games. so we can only expect them to tackle something more than what people write or shout in their microphones, because no one likes to be made a simple mistake, or to be kicked out of a game because they feel inopportune.
How to stop the problem
With so many opportunities to communicate in the game today, you can make him feel he has underperformed only because he has not met the expectations of another player. If you have played Rainbow Six: Siege or League of Legends, then you have probably been reprimanded because you did not follow the aggressive attacks of a self-appointed leader, which indicates that they want you to do something specific. Not all games have the mechanics to allow full communication with your teammates, or you may prefer not to use the microphone if you are playing with people you do not know, so if there is a play you do not agree with and then decide not to follow, you may feel insulted through a personal message, filmed in the next game or more reprimanded in the team chat.
What is worse is that reporting systems are often abused, and those whose job it is to screen through them to discover that legitimate reports are wasting their time, which means they have less time to devote themselves to the real problems. For example, people will report what they consider a poor skill, or even if they are simply outgrown and angry about it. It is serious enough for people to stop reporting, because often a player will feel that their concerns are not taken into account. The editors, for their credit, have been trying to improve their information systems, but many of the same problems that arose with the release of titles like Rainbow Six: Siege and League of Legends, are still present today.
Riot Games spoke with Polygon earlier this year about the efforts he is making to curb toxicity, and the editor says that only 1% of the community is harmful (which seems far from the truth in my experience ). Riot Games implemented the Honor system to encourage good behavior, with the option for players to recognize good behavior, teamwork or the ability of other players by rewarding them with a small vote in the game. In most of the games I've played, I've seen some kind of verbal abuse or abuse of the game emotes to contradict a rival player, or, worse, a teammate, and it's hard to imagine the battle to end Toxicity is anything else that is not long and difficult, without satisfactory resolution.
Games are supposed to be harmless fun, and it's much better to work together than together
So, with unbridled – and recognized – toxicity, why so many emotes and shortcuts are being misused? to attack and annoy other players? It is difficult to believe that their intention is merely festive, especially when many of them have negative connotations. There is a lot that can be done to prevent players from abusing simple terms such as & # 39; hello & # 39 ;, & # 39; thank you & # 39 ;, emoticons & other forms of communication within the game, but the ways in which abuse of them show that you can not even need to be in a microphone to hurt another player. I would love to see this change, and Fair Play Alliance is a great step to encourage greater positivity, but as things are at this time, some people do not feel welcome playing online. Games are supposed to be a harmless diversion, and it is much better to work together than one against the other on the same team, and respecting opponents can make both parties feel a little better, regardless of the outcome. A well-intentioned GLHF and a GG can be very useful to brighten someone's day.
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