There91裸聊视频檚 a persistent myth about video games 91裸聊视频� that they91裸聊视频檙e harmful and cause violent behaviour.

That91裸聊视频檚 wrong, says Sarah Stang.

91裸聊视频淕ame content does not cause real-world violence,91裸聊视频� says Stang, an assistant professor of game studies at Brock University.

91裸聊视频淲e have so many studies that have that no matter how many violent video games you play, that does not mean you91裸聊视频檙e going to be a violent person.91裸聊视频�

But toxicity and harassment persist in what Stang calls the 91裸聊视频渨orld91裸聊视频檚 biggest entertainment medium91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频� an online furor in which women and companies were targeted for supporting progressive ideals, like having more women represented in gaming91裸聊视频檚 traditionally male-dominated world.

Women reported threats of rape and death. Some were doxxed 91裸聊视频� having one91裸聊视频檚 identifying information, including home address, published with malicious intent.

There91裸聊视频檚 a continuum of toxicity in online communities, says MiaConsalvo of Concordia University in Montreal, the Canada Research Chair in digital games studies and design.

91裸聊视频淚t can be from the more banal and harmless, the trash talking, all the way up to threats of violence,91裸聊视频� she says.

The internet is where a large number of people go to hang out. 91裸聊视频淕ames are a huge part of that ecosystem,91裸聊视频� says Consalvo.

Government attention

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

It91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频減otential for radicalization to violence across gaming platforms.91裸聊视频� 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 Ottawa91裸聊视频檚 efforts on preventing and countering violent extremism.

Much of the government91裸聊视频檚 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.

91裸聊视频淎 lot of this is about just going where people are,91裸聊视频� Kubicek says.

Canada can91裸聊视频檛 do it alone, adds the centre91裸聊视频檚 executive director, Robert Burley.

91裸聊视频淲e need to collaborate with other governments,91裸聊视频� he says, pointing to a summit held after the 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, as an example.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 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.91裸聊视频�

Some experts suggest the Canadian government91裸聊视频檚 funding announcement is just playing catch-up.

91裸聊视频淪eems a little bit late,91裸聊视频� says Jennifer Jenson, a professor of digital languages, literacies and cultures at the University of British Columbia.

91裸聊视频淭he week of Gamergate, you would have thought that there would have been something that actually came out.91裸聊视频�

The project is not one of the Canada Centre91裸聊视频檚 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. That91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频渉ashing91裸聊视频� 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.

91裸聊视频淢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,91裸聊视频� says a post from Roblox91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频淭ake the L,91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频減ixels with purpose.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淵ou can be the change,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淵ou can counteract all this hate speech.91裸聊视频�

Some responsibility also lies with parents, he says.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 like you have a McDonald91裸聊视频檚 that91裸聊视频檚 open. These kids just keep coming. They keep taking their parents91裸聊视频� credit card and just keep eating McDonald91裸聊视频檚. We should close down all McDonald91裸聊视频檚?91裸聊视频�

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 they91裸聊视频檙e part of, what they91裸聊视频檙e joining and who they91裸聊视频檙e talking to, she says.

When discussing online harassment, Alexander added, it91裸聊视频檚 important to ask which games and genres are affected, as well as which groups.

91裸聊视频淵ou talk to any player of 91裸聊视频楽tardew Valley91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� talk to any 91裸聊视频楢nimal Crossing91裸聊视频� player. They91裸聊视频檒l be like, 91裸聊视频榃hat are you talking about? We91裸聊视频檙e building farms out here. We91裸聊视频檙e grabbing fruits and spoiled turnips.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

Stang says there have been improvements over the past decade.

91裸聊视频淚 teach in a game design program at Brock University and I can see the incoming cohorts are very 91裸聊视频榳oke,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e attuned to questions of diversity and inclusivity and equity. They91裸聊视频檙e primed for discussions about representation.91裸聊视频�

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

91裸聊视频淚 think things are getting better,91裸聊视频� says Stang. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 just very slow.91裸聊视频�

Curtis Ng, The Canadian Press