30/05/2025
Toxic communities are nothing new to the gaming industry. Since the dawn of arcade cabinets, toxic behaviours have plagued young gamers worldwide. With the system of high-scores in arcade games, those at the top of the leaderboards berate and shame gamers that are unable to match their skill. As this abuse continues, their self-esteem and confidence plummet, causing them to be driven away from playing games entirely and to shun themselves from society. In online gaming, toxic communities arise from competitive games. However it isn’t the nature of competition that drives players to be toxic: it’s the amount of self-worth that they give themselves in relation to their performance, especially since it can easily be quantified with ranking systems. The anonymity in team based games can also provoke players to act aggressively, due to the knowledge that their actions do not have any direct repercussions to them and their relationships. Due to this, gamers that hop on lobbies aiming to relax and have a good time, are pressured to deliver winning performances and dominate the opposition. And if they fail? They are insulted, harassed, and threatened, leading to reduced player participation and contributing to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
Despite the best efforts of game developers, community moderation has a long way to go until lobbies even become safe for young gamers. When community guidelines are enforced properly, players can have a sense of trust, safety, and community that lead to a more positive experience—however, such guidelines are useless if players refuse to acknowledge their existence in the first place. And as long as they remain unpunished, they will continue to run rampant and ruin gaming for everyone. However toxicity as an issue isn’t due to the nature of competitive gaming itself, toxicity is intrinsic and heavily rooted in one’s psyche. And until people realize the destructive consequences of their ignorance and mindsets, players will continue to feel unsafe, targeted, or alienated, and it is our duty as gamers ourselves to ensure they have that realization.
The UP Alliance of Gamers stands firmly against the prevalence of toxic and malicious behaviour among gaming communities, and actively strives to eradicate incidents that cause harm towards gamers in our pursuit for gaming to be a form of social support. This Mental Health Awareness month, we must reiterate the importance of standing our ground in the fight against toxicity and confront the perpetrators that spread it. If you find amusement in your own toxicity, remember that your words cut deeper than you can comprehend; don’t be the reason someone reaches their breaking point. And If you know anyone who enjoys flaming and harassing others, call them out before they deal more damage. Indifference favors the oppressing side, therefore we must collectively fight back against toxicity and be a light for those suffering from its consequences.
Until the gaming community begins to value empathy over ego, there will always be toxicity. The campaign for mental health awareness is a never-ending advocacy that will be championed for as long as someone suffers from mental abuse or illness. For those suffering from it: know that fear, anxiety, and depression are burdens that we must all carry to move forward, but you don't have to carry them on your own. It’s okay to ask for help, it doesn’t make you weak, on the contrary, there is strength in acknowledging one’s vulnerability. Always remember that there will always be someone willing to hold you together no matter how many times you fall apart. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, we can search for it together.
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