As a gamer, I realize I contribute to an incredibly diverse social network of gamers around the world, and that my actions have the ability to impact others. In effort to make a positive impact, and to create a community that is welcoming to all, I pledge to not use bigoted language while gaming, online and otherwise. Bigoted language includes, but is not limited to, slurs based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation and disability.Reading the pledge, it can be misinterpreted. They are not saying to not use bigoted language towards specific people, they are saying that using that language as an insult denigrates all people of that culture, not the person you're insulting. You're using a their name as an insult, and that is what they have issue with. Insulting other players on an individual basis, on the other hand, is fine. Angry rants are allowed, just not angry bigoted rants.
While I do agree with the rest of the pledge (and have signed) that distinction is where it breaks for me. When I'm gaming with friends, I make sure that they know that I believe that they are the lowest of the low, the scum of the scum of the Earth and that they should feel bad for even trying. What makes this fine (by my standards) is thatPl they understand that I'm not serious, and that they believe that I am even lower than they are.
When I go online to play League of Legends or I'm at a tournament playing Magic, I try my best to never present any derogatory comments towards other players. These people wouldn't know that I'm joking, and I don't know their personalities. I'll definitely joke with them, and denigrate myself, and go along with it if they insult their own skill, but all in good fun. I make sure that they initiate the trash-talking (towards themselves) so that I can at least be fairly confident that they're fine with that sort of banter.
When talking about player behavior in games, I would be strangely looked upon if I didn't mention the "Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory" as presented by Penny Arcade. The equation is simply "Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fuckwad". While hyperbolic, it is still a good base for explaining toxic behavior.
If you follow Riot Games's (makers of League of Legends) Player Behavior and Justice (PB&J) you'll recognize that phrase of "toxic behavior". PB&J is the department focused on making players have a more enjoyable interaction with other players. They study how notifications affect players, what sort of phrases evoke a strong reaction along with fiddling hundreds of other levers. While they do lots of fascinating stuff (which I will get to in another post), I wanted to talk about "Bad Day Syndrome".
If an individual is having a bad day when they start playing a round of League, and things go poorly for them, they are more likely to get angry and begin acting toxic. This will make the game worse for at least four other players, if not all nine. From there, those who were affected will be less happy, and when they go into their next game, they're more likely to rant and get reported for toxic behavior. A not insignificant number of reports issued are towards players who are coming from a game where they just reported somebody else.
The conclusion that can be drawn from that (and that makes sense from a psychological perspective) is that if someone sucks the fun out of your game, you're more likely to suck the fun out of the next. This chains into the next round of games that players are in, and soon the butterfly of one bad day turns into a tornado of toxic players.
This really comes together as "Be nice and courteous to everyone you meet, except for your pathetic excuses for gamer friends."
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