Online harassment and toxicity in gaming communities have becoming more prevalent over the years. As such, 30 game companies, including big names in the industry like Blizzard, Riot, CCP and Twitch are now banding together to try and solve this issue together.
The Fair Play Alliance, as it is called, aims “to foster fair play in online games, raise awareness of player-behaviour-related issues, and share research and best practices that drive lasting change.” Some of the aspects being targeted includes online harassment, discrimination and abuse in video games.
It’s an interesting move, given that online hostility is now an even bigger issue and more media sites are exposing casual discrimination- or if you look it the other: casual trash talk- that can happen not just in games but also on livestreams. More heads put together sounds like a good idea.
However, Mark Kern, a former team lead on World Of Warcraft, recently criticised the idea. “Not condoning toxic behavior,” he tweeted. “Police that stuff on your own game. Creating a network of companies to share data on you, all of who want to police your behavior outside of their games? Bad idea!”
He further explains that the worst case scenario is having people be punished for an accidental joke deemed offensive.
Whether the Fair Play Alliance manged to promote good behaviour in games or become the moral police that inhibits free speech, we shall see. But an interesting development nonetheless.