Why is toxicity celebrated in Gaming communities?

[Kudo]

This is what sometimes baffles me, almost every Gaming community has some sort of hatred, bullying or harassing going on, and it's seen as normal.
What made me realize this was watching one of those "The Game Awards cringe" videos where 2 people (man and woman) were making fun on each and every part of the show, even with a bit of racism.
What is it in Games that attracts this kind of people and behavior? I'm not that deep into movies so I cannot say about that but in most Anime communities I've been part of this kind of behavior does not happen. How is it in hardcore Movie enthusiast communities? Are there people that harass directors or something?
I guess it's just kind of sad to see it being this deep in the culture, it will be hard to get up from here but hey, at least games are better than ever and there's some proper forums out there in case you don't want people having a contest who can think of the "funniest" name for Japanese devs.

 

[Griffith]

I think it's something that affects society in general, not just gaming communities. Go look at any discussions on politics, technology, or sports and you won't find much difference in terms of behavior, just in terms of the vocabulary that's used.

 

[Kthulhu]

Could you link your example?

I personally would say that people seem to hate the toxicity. Just look at in game chat and how it's basically dead.

 

[White Glint]

The devil will find work for idle hands to do.

 

[Deleted member 4093]

Everybody thing is better than everybody else's thing. And yeah it is in anime community too. Its in everything

 

[electricblue]

I'm sure there'a a lot of overlap but I think a lot of this is driven by streaming and youtube

 

[Cenauru]

This can apply to any hobby in general, really. And I think the toxicity usually comes from insecurities within their hobby.

 

[Velezcora]

All groups of people have toxicity. There's always going to be assholes.
People just suck. Really all there is to it.
Read a fashion magazine and see all the comments from writers that paint a celebrity as a terrible person for the most asinine reasons.

 

[shnurgleton]

It isn’t in this one.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

It's internet culture, plain and simple. Unmoderated communities led to the normalization of mean-spirited behavior, which broke out into more "real" places like YouTube, which is continuing the cycle thanks to kids being raised by YouTube.

 

[Raijinto]

This is a very good explanation of what you're querying. At least I think this is related to your comment.

 

[KillLaCam]

I've never seen it celebrated?
Edit: I guess I have. Never thought about it though lol. I still wouldn't call that celebrated, maybe normalized

 

[Lime]

The games industry has cultivated the gamer as the consumer king via its marketing and power fantasies. Thus you see militant consumers defending multimillion companies because they are emotionally and personally invested in the games, as well as acting toxic towards other people because it’s allowed and tolerated by the Games industry.

 

[Bjones]

It’s not just the gaming industry it’s life in general. Those attitudes and way of thinking come from other places as well. Music and other media play a role as well. It’s cool to an asshole these days apparently.

 

[ClickyCal']

You mean in /v/? ERA(GAF) is the opposite of this.

 

[franklyshankly]

I'm curious what type of video the OP is talking about. Like a riff track for the awards show or something?

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

All fanbases have toxic elements, but it's something that seems to be just accepted and pandered to in games a lot.

It's celebrated because of fragile masculinity that hides behind a wall of insults, mockery, racism, sexism. I was reading a series of Tweets the other day, that I now can't find, which was about the alt-right but sort of applies in why it happens.

Insults are used - I won't list them, you know the normal ones - because the people using the insults have the biggest fear of being exposed themselves that way and use them because they think it is the easiest way to hurt the other person.

It's really doesn't end because a lot of the "bro gamer" nonsense and games media outright pandering to it, as above.

 

[OrangeNova]

I think that OP isn't talking about the "Wow you're shit, go die" kind of toxicity we encounter in games typically, but the toxicity towards devs and events celebrating gaming.

The fact that people go "Oh wow, that's so cringey" and just dump on about half of the events for games, or when celebrities talk about games, or even just youtube videos is a very "celebrated" form of toxicity in a LOT of gaming communities.

 

[JusDoIt]

Ain’t the alt-right populated with anime lovers?

I think enthusiast communities in general are vulnerable to antisocial behavior. The hardcore vs. casual dynamic is an us vs. them that can be applied to sports fans, comic geeks, or whatever.

 

[Mesoian]

This is what sometimes baffles me, excluding ResetEra almost every other Gaming community has some sort of hatred, bullying or harassing going on, and it's seen as normal.
What made me realize this was watching one of those "The Game Awards cringe" videos where 2 people (man and woman) were making fun on each and every part of the show, even with a bit of racism.
What is it in Games that attracts this kind of people and behavior? I'm not that deep into movies so I cannot say about that but in most Anime communities I've been part of this kind of behavior does not happen. How is it in hardcore Movie enthusiast communities? Are there people that harass directors or something?
I guess it's just kind of sad to see it being this deep in the culture, it will be hard to get up from here but hey, at least games are better than ever and there's ResetEra in case you don't want people having a contest who can think of the "funniest" name for Japanese devs.

Click to shrink...

It's bigger than just gaming.

It certainly thrives because gaming is...generally a game. There are winners and losers and generally people take those outcomes very seriously. It spills over into console wars and what chipset is better, things that ultimately don't matter.

It's the idea of asserting your bravado over another person...and that's sort of an age old concept that isn't going away. Using good sportsmanship and respect and empathy is harder than just being a shit most of the time, because whether we like it or not, being a shit comes naturally to most people.

I think that OP isn't talking about the "Wow you're shit, go die" kind of toxicity we encounter in games typically, but the toxicity towards devs and events celebrating gaming.

The fact that people go "Oh wow, that's so cringey" and just dump on about half of the events for games, or when celebrities talk about games, or even just youtube videos is a very "celebrated" form of toxicity in a LOT of gaming communities.

Click to shrink...

Ah, that makes more sense.

People's expectations are too high most of the time. The Portal Bridge game is a pretty good example of this, everyone foolishly thinking that valve was about to announce something new and amazing when they've shown 0 interest in making anything new for ages now.

People want to be excited, and lash out when what they're given is within the bounds of reason.

 

[Kudo]

Everybody thing is better than everybody else's thing. And yeah it is in anime community too. Its in everything

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure what kind of communities you've been part of but the ones I have been and still am have all been full of warm, accepting people sharing same passion for Japanese animation, and not once I can remember people harassing, making racist remarks or something like that. Maybe in some larger communities this can be a thing too, I don't know, of course nothing is free of it completely.

I'm sure there'a a lot of overlap but I think a lot of this is driven by streaming and youtube

Click to shrink...

It's internet culture, plain and simple. Unmoderated communities led to the normalization of mean-spirited behavior, which broke out into more "real" places like YouTube, which is continuing the cycle thanks to kids being raised by YouTube.

Click to shrink...

Hmm, possibly. Twitch and YouTube are the most toxic sites on todays Internet so maybe if you want to attract viewers on those you have to become like them and that's where it all stems from.

 

[WoollyTitan]

It's not really "celebrated", just extremely rampant. So much so that it's considered weird to NOT be toxic in certain communities. Like for example, on Se7enSins's COD community, you'll get called out for being a fag if you try to be reasonable and nice.

 

[jwhit28]

It's not limited to videogames. Sports fanbases, comic fanbases, there was even a story about MtG players harrassing a cosplayer until she quit.

 

[Deleted member 4093]

I'm not sure what kind of communities you've been part of but the ones I have been and still am have all been full of warm, accepting people sharing same passion for Japanese animation, and not once I can remember people harassing, making racist remarks or something like that. Maybe in some larger communities this can be a thing too, I don't know, of course nothing is free of it completely.


Hmm, possibly. Twitch and YouTube are the most toxic sites on todays Internet so maybe if you want to attract viewers on those you have to become like them and that's where it all stems from.

Click to shrink...

How broad do you mean by anime community? If you count cosplay the racist remarks are scary I be scared to look at comments on some photos

 

[Kudo]

I think that OP isn't talking about the "Wow you're shit, go die" kind of toxicity we encounter in games typically, but the toxicity towards devs and events celebrating gaming.

The fact that people go "Oh wow, that's so cringey" and just dump on about half of the events for games, or when celebrities talk about games, or even just youtube videos is a very "celebrated" form of toxicity in a LOT of gaming communities.

Click to shrink...

Exactly.

 

[Gusto]

I don’t see it as toxic. I really don’t take it too personal. I think complaining about it is more toxic. I sh*t on the game awards, some devs and some games, even some friends. It’s how we play around. Just don’t watch things you don’t like.

 

[Deleted member 419]

It's not even remotely as bad in movie circles as it is in gaming circles. I can confirm that 100%.

I think because games are an interactive medium, players can get invested in a game to the extent that they start feeling entitled about it. And entitlement leads to frustration, which leads to aggression, which leads to "toxicity" (I'm not really a big fan of that word tbh).

 

[Deleted member 7101]

Some people are not happy unless they are miserable.

 

[Hat22]

This is what sometimes baffles me, excluding ResetEra almost every other Gaming community has some sort of hatred, bullying or harassing going on, and it's seen as normal.
What made me realize this was watching one of those "The Game Awards cringe" videos where 2 people (man and woman) were making fun on each and every part of the show, even with a bit of racism.
What is it in Games that attracts this kind of people and behavior? I'm not that deep into movies so I cannot say about that but in most Anime communities I've been part of this kind of behavior does not happen. How is it in hardcore Movie enthusiast communities? Are there people that harass directors or something?.

Click to shrink...

Banter and offensive humor is extremely prevalent in the western anime community. The youtube anime community is all about making fun of people and it goes without saying that communities like MAL and 4chan's /a/ are happy to be aggressive. The anime community in Japan itself is a bit nuts too, 2chan, etc.

Anyway, I think gaming "culture" is linked with internet culture, with its origins in SomethingAwful, 4chan and other similar communities, which in turn are of course the product of teenage boy humor.

Of course, making fun of people has been a thing since forever. 19th century "freak shows", The Learning Channel and politics show these these views permeate our whole culture.

 

[Kudo]

How broad do you mean by anime community? If you count cosplay the racist remarks are scary I be scared to look at comments on some photos

Click to shrink...

Ah yes, I just meant Anime/Manga communities but if you were to count Cosplay which also is big part of the culture too that is definitely not free of it, you're right.

 

[ToiseOfChoice]

I've never seen it celebrated?

Click to shrink...

"Celebrated" might be the wrong word, but OP is talking about casual harassment and what's essentially a mob mentality that enables and supports it.


edit: oops, harassment and not bigotry (not necessarily)

 

[Mesoian]

I'm not sure what kind of communities you've been part of but the ones I have been and still am have all been full of warm, accepting people sharing same passion for Japanese animation, and not once I can remember people harassing, making racist remarks or something like that. Maybe in some larger communities this can be a thing too, I don't know, of course nothing is free of it completely.

Click to shrink...

You were never part of the Hetalia fandom I guess...

Girls dragging other girls into the street over who their husbando was.

 

[Cordy]

Yeah it's everywhere. I mean even though it's not horrible here you even see sly jabs being thrown for no reason. In other places it's far worse, just crazy. That kind of negativity just wears people down which is the main reason why I don't take part in it. I just come to give my opinion on games, if people dislike it then hey they can but I'm moving on. Too much going on in life to spend time dwelling in negativity.

 

[Dary]

Geeks are, on a whole, a rather insecure bunch. That's why they seek out hobbies that allow them to escape the Real World. That insecurity breeds toxicity, as well as hostility towards "outsiders", in a bid to attain validation and acknowledgement.

It's all one big, self-perpetuating cycle of self-loathing and entitlement.

 

[Kasey]

It's the internet. You're not supposed to care about anything and approach everything with detached cynicism or outright hostility.

 

[Velezcora]

How broad do you mean by anime community? If you count cosplay the racist remarks are scary I be scared to look at comments on some photos

Click to shrink...

Racist comments in the anime community? But it's made by non-white people. How can they justify being a fucking racist and still enjoy the works of non-whites? I just... ugh...

 

[Avis]

Cringe humor culture is the fucking worst and anyone who participates in or enjoys it immediately loses my respect.

 

[jwhit28]

Geeks are, on a whole, a rather insecure bunch. That's why they seek out hobbies that allow them to escape the Real World. That insecurity breeds toxicity, as well as hostility towards "outsiders", in a bid to attain validation and acknowledgement.

It's all one big, self-perpetuating cycle of self-loathing and entitlement.

Click to shrink...

It's not a geek thing, it's a human thing. It's not like the NBA2k community is some how better than the WoW community or that actual NBA fans are less toxic than the NBA2k community. When millions of people participate in something, loud terrible ones will do everything they can to draw attention to themselves.

 

[Deleted member 3853]

Could you link your example?

I personally would say that people seem to hate the toxicity. Just look at in game chat and how it's basically dead.

Click to shrink...

I think game chat on consoles is dead because you can't use both ingame and party chat at the same time. On PC you can use discord/skype/whatever and in game easily. Plus consoles don't really come with a headset/mic like they used to and you can get along just fine with the TV speakers.

 

[U.I. Zoantharia]

Ain’t the alt-right populated with anime lovers?

I think enthusiast communities in general are vulnerable to antisocial behavior. The hardcore vs. casual dynamic is an us vs. them that can be applied to sports fans, comic geeks, or whatever.

Click to shrink...

The alt-right is populated with anime-lovers (why???), but the anime community isn't populated with the alt-right, at least from my experience. Important distinction :P

Sure there are toxic behaviours in all communities but I feel it is especially prevalent in the gaming community. I'd hazard a guess that it's because gaming often involves more active, combative elements, like killing enemies or competing against other players... which can rub off on real-life attitudes. I'd imagine sporting communities are similar. Meanwhile stuff like anime and movies are more passive experiences. I'm not very happy with that theory but it's the best I've got right now

Humans are pretty shitty to each other in general

 

[violent]

Gaming is one of the few hobbies that draw ages young and old and between that has also made it very easy for any of these users to have a loud voice. It's a recipe for disaster.

 

[JusDoIt]

I don’t see it as toxic. I really don’t take it too personal. I think complaining about it is more toxic.

Click to shrink...

How toxic is complaining about complaining about it?

 

[ZeroNoir_]

Why are you excluding ERA where BOMBA threads are celebrated

 

[Dary]

It's not a geek thing, it's a human thing. It's not like the NBA2k community is some how better than the WoW community or that actual NBA fans are less toxic than the NBA2k community. When millions of people participate in something, loud terrible ones will do everything they can to draw attention to themselves.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, but it's more prevalent in interests centred around escapism.

 

[Kudo]

Banter and offensive humor is extremely prevalent in the western anime community. The youtube anime community is all about making fun of people and it goes without saying that communities like MAL and 4chan's /a/ are happy to be toxic. The anime community in Japan itself is a bit nuts too, 2chan, etc.

Anyway, I think gaming "culture" is linked with internet culture, with its origins in SomethingAwful, 4chan and other similar communities, which in turn are of course products of the products of teenage boy humor.

Of course, making fun of people has been a thing since forever. 19th century "freak shows", The Learning Channel and politics show these these views permeate our whole culture.

Click to shrink...

Anonymous sites are always bit toxic, I guess that's the fate of mankind. I haven't really delved into MAL as I was born too early for that but the times I've checked discussion here it has seemed tame, I guess it has it's dark side too though.
YouTube will be YouTube, might as well call it more than anonymous site as people harrass others there and they get to have their comments as their "badges of honour". For example there was this user named "Ferrari" (completely made that nick up) who harassed one Youtuber who played games and just vlogged his life, people at countrys own "4Chan" started to celebrate that person and it has spawned since that you see multiple users named "Ferrari" in countrys Youtubers videos just throwing insults at them. I'm assuming lots of these people are young and it pains to see this.

You were never part of the Hetalia fandom I guess...

Girls dragging other girls into the street over who their husbando was.

Click to shrink...

This happened? Man I was just happy talking about the show.

Why are you excluding ERA where BOMBA threads are celebrated

Click to shrink...

Good point, I guess no community is completely free of it. But I'd like to say at least here it's more moderated and people tend to keep it to minimum.

 

[M1chl]

I am kinda lost of you are saying, Toxicity is everywhere, not only in gaming, as far as gaming go, I feel like it's pretty chill. Maybe I am wrong. And so say that GAF was not toxic. Sorry but that's bullshit, offtopic was one big echo chamber a if you tried to different opinion you were ridiculed, I would even sy bullied and then banned. I've lurked there for a long time, but I never really like it, here I feel like people are far more accepting to have a dialog, discussion, without calling people names and I like that.And as gaming go in the multiplayer scene, I am from Czech Republic and I never heard anything bad in MP on console. Counter Strike on PC was toxic cesspool.

I don't really understand OP post, so I tried to wrote my view on general toxicity. Hopefully I don't deviate much from what is this thread is about.

 

[Luchashaq]

Here's the sad reality, basically every community is full of garbage people because people as a whole are garbage.

Games
Sports
Makeup (Seriously go look at the comments of makeup tutorials on Youtube. Before we started our business my wife screwed around doing makeup tutorials on Youtube and even with less than 1k subscribers other women would come in and say the nastiest fucking things.)
Politics obviously.

 

[Valkyr1983]

I think that OP isn't talking about the "Wow you're shit, go die" kind of toxicity we encounter in games typically, but the toxicity towards devs and events celebrating gaming.

The fact that people go "Oh wow, that's so cringey" and just dump on about half of the events for games, or when celebrities talk about games, or even just youtube videos is a very "celebrated" form of toxicity in a LOT of gaming communities.

Click to shrink...

I love videos that make fun of stuff like that including crowbcats e3 videos

Nothing wrong with having fun with stuff you find cringey. I know the word cringe is overused but it's how I feel seeing the people at minecon and what not

You can be civil and polite while taking the piss out of something or someone. Sometimes it's just a laugh

I agree with the issue of toxicity in gaming culture but I don't think what I described is toxic at all

 

[CoolestSpot]

You mean in /v/? ERA(GAF) is the opposite of this.

Click to shrink...

'

The irony of this statement...

 

[Gusto]

How toxic is complaining about complaining about it?

Click to shrink...

Just the right amount.