ThereB次元官网网址檚 a persistent myth about video games B次元官网网址� that theyB次元官网网址檙e harmful and cause violent behaviour.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 wrong, says Sarah Stang.

B次元官网网址淕ame content does not cause real-world violence,B次元官网网址� says Stang, an assistant professor of game studies at Brock University.

B次元官网网址淲e have so many studies that have that no matter how many violent video games you play, that does not mean youB次元官网网址檙e going to be a violent person.B次元官网网址�

But toxicity and harassment persist in what Stang calls the B次元官网网址渨orldB次元官网网址檚 biggest entertainment mediumB次元官网网址� which, by some estimates, brings in four times the global box office revenue of the film industry.

The problem made news a decade ago in Gamergate B次元官网网址� an online furor in which women and companies were targeted for supporting progressive ideals, like having more women represented in gamingB次元官网网址檚 traditionally male-dominated world.

Women reported threats of rape and death. Some were doxxed B次元官网网址� having oneB次元官网网址檚 identifying information, including home address, published with malicious intent.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 a continuum of toxicity in online communities, says MiaConsalvo of Concordia University in Montreal, the Canada Research Chair in digital games studies and design.

B次元官网网址淚t can be from the more banal and harmless, the trash talking, all the way up to threats of violence,B次元官网网址� she says.

The internet is where a large number of people go to hang out. B次元官网网址淕ames are a huge part of that ecosystem,B次元官网网址� says Consalvo.

Government attention

Online toxicity is something society is worried about but not necessarily governments, Consalvo says.

ItB次元官网网址檚 only when there are concerns about democracy or threats against people or government institutions that things become more serious, she says.

The Canadian government announced funding in March to study the B次元官网网址減otential for radicalization to violence across gaming platforms.B次元官网网址� More than $317,000 is to go to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, a think tank based in the United Kingdom.

The Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, which falls under the federal Public Safety Department, provided the funding.

Brett Kubicek, research manager with the centre, says it was created in 2017 to lead OttawaB次元官网网址檚 efforts on preventing and countering violent extremism.

Much of the governmentB次元官网网址檚 concern about the risk for radicalization through video games relates to what are called gaming-adjacent platforms, such as the messaging app Discord, the streaming platform Twitch and the digital distribution service Steam.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of this is about just going where people are,B次元官网网址� Kubicek says.

Canada canB次元官网网址檛 do it alone, adds the centreB次元官网网址檚 executive director, Robert Burley.

B次元官网网址淲e need to collaborate with other governments,B次元官网网址� he says, pointing to a summit held after the 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, as an example.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 part of our engagement with the Christchurch Call to Action, with our allies in the G7 and the Five Eyes countries that we look not just at Canadian projects but projects internationally that are going to help advance this field.B次元官网网址�

Some experts suggest the Canadian governmentB次元官网网址檚 funding announcement is just playing catch-up.

B次元官网网址淪eems a little bit late,B次元官网网址� says Jennifer Jenson, a professor of digital languages, literacies and cultures at the University of British Columbia.

B次元官网网址淭he week of Gamergate, you would have thought that there would have been something that actually came out.B次元官网网址�

The project is not one of the Canada CentreB次元官网网址檚 bigger ones, Burley says, and it may lead to more.

Corporate measures

Games and gaming-adjacent platforms have content guidelines and measures in place to protect users, but rules can be bent or sidestepped. As technology has evolved, so have tactics used by hate groups and people looking to block them out.

Doxxing gained a lot of attention with Gamergate, Consalvo says, but many people have become more savvy about their internet use and may be less willing to share personal details.

With the increasing sophistication of content moderation systems, especially with artificial intelligence tools, some platforms have become less hospitable to hate groups. ThatB次元官网网址檚 led them to congregate in lesser-known but less restricted spaces.

Reddit, one of the most popular forums on the internet, employs what it calls a layered approach to content moderation.

A Reddit spokesperson says the platform uses automated tools, user reports and internal escalation processes to flag anything that violates its content policies.

For photos and videos, internal B次元官网网址渉ashingB次元官网网址� technology creates a unique digital fingerprint, or hash, to prevent offending content from being shared again.

A spokesperson for Roblox pointed to blog posts from the company in early April about the importance of civility.

B次元官网网址淢any of our safety features and tools are based on innovative AI solutions that run alongside an expert team of thousands who are dedicated to safety,B次元官网网址� says a post from RobloxB次元官网网址檚 chief safety officer, Matt Kaufman.

The number of safety staff is tiny compared to the 71.5 million daily active users that Roblox says it had in the last three months of 2023.

Fortnite, the online game best known for its battle royale mode, introduced in late April an option for players to turn off their ability to see four emotes, or character actions, commonly considered toxic, including B次元官网网址淭ake the L,B次元官网网址� or take the loss.

Solutions and responsibility

Kris Alexander, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University who teaches video game design, espouses what he calls B次元官网网址減ixels with purpose.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淵ou can be the change,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淵ou can counteract all this hate speech.B次元官网网址�

Some responsibility also lies with parents, he says.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like you have a McDonaldB次元官网网址檚 thatB次元官网网址檚 open. These kids just keep coming. They keep taking their parentsB次元官网网址� credit card and just keep eating McDonaldB次元官网网址檚. We should close down all McDonaldB次元官网网址檚?B次元官网网址�

Stang, the Brock University professor, says violence and hate are more about culture than they are about the medium.

Parents need to be aware of what their children are doing, what communities theyB次元官网网址檙e part of, what theyB次元官网网址檙e joining and who theyB次元官网网址檙e talking to, she says.

When discussing online harassment, Alexander added, itB次元官网网址檚 important to ask which games and genres are affected, as well as which groups.

B次元官网网址淵ou talk to any player of B次元官网网址楽tardew ValleyB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� talk to any B次元官网网址楢nimal CrossingB次元官网网址� player. TheyB次元官网网址檒l be like, B次元官网网址榃hat are you talking about? WeB次元官网网址檙e building farms out here. WeB次元官网网址檙e grabbing fruits and spoiled turnips.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Stang says there have been improvements over the past decade.

B次元官网网址淚 teach in a game design program at Brock University and I can see the incoming cohorts are very B次元官网网址榳oke,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e attuned to questions of diversity and inclusivity and equity. TheyB次元官网网址檙e primed for discussions about representation.B次元官网网址�

She says they want to change the industry for the better because they love the medium.

B次元官网网址淚 think things are getting better,B次元官网网址� says Stang. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just very slow.B次元官网网址�

Curtis Ng, The Canadian Press