Moderation Is Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mystical-mii

Lesley at xoJane.com recently wrote an article called: Yes, I Play Video Games, and No, You Cannot See My Boobs. Also any sandwiches I make for you will be filled with POISON.

The article discusses why she’s gone from an open, social, hardcore gamer to a person who only plays online games with her friends – and for good reason. It seems our dear Lesley is confronted by hostile bullies so often, she’d rather play only with people she knows, than to have her fun ruined by bullies and misogynists she doesn’t know. It makes sense to me. Why should she spend time dealing with these shenanigans when she’s just trying to relax and mow down a few zombies?

This article was published 2 ½ weeks ago, yet I can’t stop going back and reading the new comments. We see this behavior every day when we play games. And as a Community Manager, I’d like to think there’s no amount of obnoxiousness I haven’t seen yet. However, this article brings up so many important points about women in gaming, I can’t stop referring back to it. Yes – it’s largely anecdotal. However, sites like www.FatUglyOrSlutty.com don’t pop up because one woman had a bad experience, once.

The human brain has not yet separated our avatars from our human selves. When playing a game, we don’t say, “My avatar has reached Level 40.” We say, “EVERYBODY STAND BACK! I AM AN ELITE, LEVEL 40 ASSASSIN!” So when a troll shows up and begins bullying players (not just women, although they see it more), it can feel like a real, personal attack. So, what is one to do?

A colleague of mine sent me this article and asked if I thought that we could solve problems like this with technology. Do “report player” and “block player” features give people enough power to remove this type of behavior from their experience? My answer is still a resounding “No.”

Moderated communities are not just for childrens games any more. Even in communities made up of players who are ages 18 and over, bullying happens, and it’s turning people away from gaming. Building great features that allow people to protect themselves is a great start. But don’t stop there! A diligent team of people, working to PREVENT this type of behavior, is your best way to reduce this from happening.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some evil Blood Mages to take down with my Templar Great Sword.

-Tamara Brown