The world of video games is certainly no stranger to harassment by users to the detriment of the development teams of the numerous companies operating in the sector and, according to the latest data that have emerged, this would be a phenomenon that is anything but underdeveloped and relegated to a restricted circle of network users.
As reported by the well-known Axios portal, it would seem that the 75% of developers part of the sample examined has declared that player harassment is a “serious” or “very serious” problem. This would be a rather alarming figure, which emerged in the light of the survey organized by the Game Developers Conference.
The sample totaled a total of 2300 developers, most of whom reaffirmed how the harassment and toxicity of gamers negatively affect the work of the industry gaming, making it an issue that should be addressed. In detail, the results of the survey carried out by the Game Developer Conference and by the affiliated Game Developer revealed a much more detailed picture of the phenomenon: 91% of the interviewees who declared the above are followed by a smaller number of developers – 4% – who declares that he does not perceive everything as a problem.
Finally, there are 5% of the interviewees who state that they do not have a position on the issue and that they are not sure how these phenomena that take place on the net can really constitute a problem for the industry. However, the most alarming data comes from another portion of the sample: 40% of those interviewed declare that they have been harassed by gamers or, alternatively, has witnessed colleagues who have experienced this phenomenon.
All this, unfortunately, would also seem to be related to discrimination in the light of one’s gender and/or sexual orientation, as it has emerged that men experience less external pressure than women, non-binary people or people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community. Nonetheless, gaming companies have long since taken a first step in the direction of managing all the problems reported by most of the interviewees: 68% of developers in fact stated that the companies they work for have faced the problem.
It is not known to what extent about 2/3 have been involved in awareness-raising activities on the issue. In the course of the survey, however, there were certainly some opinions from members of the sector: “I’m a community manager,” says one interviewee. “We need to recognize this behavior when it occurs“.
“We also need to stop inviting the community to be part of the family. You are part of the conversation and can offer an opinion, but you can’t ask for everything to go your way“. These are the words that followed the latest data from the gaming industry, partially brought to its knees by the latest information that saw the digital market overwhelm the retail one in 2022 in the UK.
In general, as shown by the recent videogame news case that directly saw Ubisoft employees rise following Guillemot’s statements, the gaming world finds itself facing numerous problems, despite that of discrimination and harassment of developers either – unfortunately – a widespread phenomenon for several years.
