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GoozerNation Arcade
Racism in Online Gaming: What's the Next Step?
Kubinator
May 15, 2010
I read something in my local paper the other day that made me think about all the times I played Halo 2 in 2004. Racism in gaming is a common
concern in today's online gaming world. Not from the games themselves but pouring from the mouths of gamers. Granted, not all gamers fit in this
category, a lot of us can play heated, yet friendly matches with a few choice words tossed at each other. Some gamers are going overboard and it's
becoming far too common to hear the "N" word or slurs against women, homosexuals, and various ethnic groups. Has trash talking really sunk to this
new low? What happened to "your mamma?"
Most gamers wouldn't think of saying the words they use in online play to each other's faces, so why over gaming networks? Because being anonymous makes it easier. When did calling someone "gay" for stealing your vehicle kill become okay? When did stealing someone's kill deserve in you being called the "N" word? Has society and social graces gone out the window? As gamers, we don't need to sink this low; we should hold ourselves to higher standards.
Not to beat a dead horse but the worst trash talking seems to come from Xbox Live and from younger gamers. Furthermore, some of these young offenders should not even be playing the game. Do gamers not understand the word "mature"? Granted, there are younger gamers who are mature for their age and do understand what it takes to play a civilized match. However, taking in consideration it's not always the younger crowd going off. 30-year olds have cussed me out just as much as 10-years olds have, it just seems to be more of a problem with the younger crowd.
This growing issue of name-calling and racism is not limited to just Xbox Live. I've seen and heard it on PSN! Just for dropping out of a Resident Evil 5 vs. game, I was called some nasty anti-Semitic names. I brushed it off at the time, knowing this particular gamer's grammar and spelling made it difficult for me to take what he said seriously. In World of Warcraft I've been called a few choice names for screwing up in a dungeon; I reported my fellow WOW player!
So what can be done about this? Solving a problem like this comes down to the gamers themselves and to the consoles' parent companies. Microsoft has a policy that allows Xbox Live gamers to note the gamer tags of abusive players. This can lead to banning the offender or having their voice privileges suspended. Regarding the above mentioned age issue, it's not my place to say, but maybe, someone somewhere needs to do a better job parenting.
Keeping this in mind there are no excuses regarding the ban hammer. If a 30 something-year-old gamer lets his 14-year old son play on his Live account and his son drops the "N" word during a heated Modern Warfare 2 match and his account gets banned, tough luck. As fellow online gamers, the parent should have set a good example.
What about the freedom of speech when it comes to this sort of issue? I feel, and I'm sure many gamers agree, there's a fine line the companies need to straddle while making sure everyone plays nice. The console and game companies need to do something without taking the fun out of gaming. In the end, the biggest culprits are the gamers but at the same time gamers are also the biggest solution. Gamers can man up and better themselves by watching their own words and actions online. It has to start somewhere.
Discuss in the forum.