Towards a Better Understanding of Toxicity in Competitive Multiplayer Games.
Translated title
Towards a Better Understanding of Toxicity in Competitive Multiplayer Games
Author
Jensen, Malthe Roed
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-03
Pages
91
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger toxicity i konkurrencedygtige multiplayer-spil ved at sætte spillernes egne oplevelser af negativ social adfærd i centrum. Med afsæt i en gennemgang af akademisk og industriel litteratur samt en kvalitativ, analytisk autoetnografi af forfatterens spil i Dota 2, suppleret af interviews med andre spillere, adresserer studiet fire spørgsmål: (1) hvilken rolle spilhandlinger spiller i forhold til verbal kommunikation; (2) om toxic adfærd nødvendigvis indebærer en intention om at skade andre; (3) om toxic adfærd kan sidestilles med cybermobning; og (4) om kvalitative tilgange kan afdække dynamikker, som data- og skalaorienterede metoder alene ikke kan. Resultaterne peger på, at handlinger i spillet er lige så centrale som chat, ofte opfattet som mere ekstreme, og ofte foranlediger efterfølgende toxic kommunikation; at spillere typisk ikke går ind i kampe med et forudgående ønske om at skade holdkammerater, men at sådanne impulser opstår reaktivt i spillet under konkurrencemæssigt pres; og at udbredte sammenligninger med cybermobning misforstår både fænomenet og den “toxic” spiller som en bevidst ondskabsfuld aktør. Studiet fremhæver værdien af kvalitative metoder til at indfange nuancer i motivation, kontekst og oplevelse, som spørgeskemaer eller big data alene ikke viser. Selvom der ikke gives et endeligt svar på, hvorfra toxicity opstår, indikerer fundene, at elementer af spildesign—især konkurrencemekanikker—kan forstærke negativ adfærd, og at løsninger bør anerkende og adressere spillernes frustration frem for at afskrive dem som ondsindede.
This thesis investigates toxicity in competitive multiplayer games by foregrounding players’ own perspectives on how negative social behavior emerges and is experienced. Drawing on a review of academic and industry literature and a qualitative, analytic autoethnography of the author’s play in Dota 2, complemented by interviews with other players, the study addresses four questions: (1) the role of in-game actions relative to verbal communication; (2) whether toxic behavior entails an intention to harm; (3) whether toxicity in games is comparable to cyberbullying; and (4) whether qualitative approaches can reveal dynamics that data-driven, large-scale methods alone cannot. The findings indicate that in-game actions are as important as chat, are often perceived as more extreme, and frequently precipitate subsequent toxic communication; that players generally do not enter matches intending to harm teammates, with such impulses arising reactively from play and competitive pressures; and that common comparisons to cyberbullying mischaracterize game toxicity and the “toxic” player as a deliberately malicious agent. The study underscores the value of qualitative methods for capturing nuance in motivations, context, and lived experience beyond what surveys or big data alone provide. While not offering a definitive account of the origins of toxicity, the results point to aspects of game design—especially competitive structures—as factors that can amplify negative behavior, and recommend acknowledging and addressing player frustration rather than dismissing toxic players outright.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
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