Despite steps that some companies and individuals have taken to try to combat toxicity in the online gaming community, a new survey released by the Anti-Defamation League this week has proven that harassment in online games continues to worsen.

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This is the third year that ADL has conducted this survey, though it is the first year that they’ve also collected data from younger gamers aged 13 through 17. The overarching statistics show that five out of six adults aged 18 through 45 (or 83 percent) confirm experiencing harassment in online multiplayer games. This reportedly happens less in the younger audience, with three out of five young gamers (or 60 percent) confirming the experience of harassment.

After breaking down the types of harrassment, the results are far from shocking. Eight percent of adults and ten percent of young gamers reported exposure to white supremist ideology, specifically the belief that “white people are superior to people of other races and that white people should be in charge.” Similarly, seven percent of adult online gamers were exposed to Holocaust denial.

6-Tools-That-Enhance-Online-Gaming3
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The demographics for the most notable increases in harrassment can be broken down as follows:

  • Adults who identify as women (49 percent in 2021, compared to 41 percent in 2020)
  • Black or African American (42 percent in 2021, compared to 31 percent in 2020)
  • Asian American (38 percent in 2021, compared to 26 percent in 2020)

ADL notes that harassment of LGBTQ+ players has not increased by a notable amount, but the 38 percent that it sits at is still concerning.

While 59 percent of adult gamers believe that laws need to be created to increase transparency about how game companies address hate, harassment, and extremism, we can take at least one silver lining away from this study—99 percent of online gamers reportedly experienced some form of positive social interaction, too. So, while it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the discouraging statistics, we shouldn’t lose sight of the positives that have come from online gaming as well, as we continue to combat the negativity.

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