Original Research

While not often talked about in public spheres, there seems to be a widely-held assumption that hate and harassment in gaming spaces (often discussed under the umbrella of ‘toxicity’) remain a cornerstone of these communities because so-called “toxic players” are believed to constitute a significant proportion of consumers. This idea has fueled an unsubstantiated fear that improved moderation efforts against these behaviors would essentially moderate out a core game playing demographic. But is this the case?

The Game Awards Future Class represents the best and brightest in games. Within their inaugural year, the 2021 Future Class organized a “Class Project” to draw attention to a pressing or challenging issue within games and propose solutions for the future. This year, the future class focused on gender-based discrimination, which is a growing topic of concern within the games industry specifically.

Despite the fact that most game players seem to be utilizing voice chat to communicate within gaming spaces, it has received little attention when it comes to moderation efforts. As a consequence, it remains unclear to what extent verbal communication reflects the same levels of hate and harassment as has been documented in text-based communication within gaming spaces.

A collaboration between Take This and the University of Texas at Austin, this research paper explores the role of identity fusion as one potential mechanism through which extremist ideology may permeate through game players and gaming communities.

Designing Games to Challenge the Stigma Around Mental Health was written by Take This intern and York University PhD student Matthew Whitby and our research director Dr. Rachel Kowert. It is a practical tool for game designers to help them build games that actively challenge stigma around mental health – or, at least, not contribute more to stigma.

This article provides the first comprehensive cataloging and overview of dark participation in games. This includes defining these behaviors, cataloging their variants, and discussing their social and psychological impact and their potential underpinnings.

In collaboration with industry insiders and clinical experts, Take This released a State of the Industry white paper in July 2019 outlining areas of opportunity and concern in the industry, and identifying areas of new research and work for industry working groups and partners, including the Fair Play Alliance, IGDA Foundation, and Take This-convened working groups in HR and game play.

In 2016, Take This released its first white paper, Crunch Hurts, outlining the harmful effects of long-term, cultural crunch for game developers.