Digital Library
Hate Is No Game Hate and Harassment in Online Games 2022
Topic:
General/Other
Principal Investigators:
ADL Center for Technology and Society
Study Date:
2022
Source:
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Key Findings:
In 2021, ADL found that nearly one in 10 gamers ages 13 to 17 had been exposed to white-supremacist ideologies and themes in online multiplayer games. An estimated 2.3 million teens were exposed to white- supremacist ideologies in multiplayer games like Roblox, World of Warcraft, Fortnite, Apex Legends, League of Legends, Madden, Overwatch, and Call of Duty. Hate and extremism in online games has only worsened since last year.
ADL’s annual report on experiences in online multiplayer games shows that the spread of hate, harassment, and extremism in these digital spaces continues to grow unchecked. Their survey explores the social interactions, experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of online multiplayer gamers nationwide.
For the fourth consecutive year, the already-high rates of harassment experienced by a nationally representative sample of nearly 100 million American adult gamers increased. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 76% of gamers in the United States are over 18. Harassment experienced by teens ages 13-17 increased from last year. For the first time, ADL has collected data on harassment experienced by pre-teens ages 10-12.
17% of respondents were doxed and 12% were swatted. While the number of gamers that experience swatting remains constant within the margin of error, the number of adult gamers that experience doxing increased by 6%.
The games industry’s progress is slow even when compared to that of social media companies, which are hardly exemplars of user safety or accountability. Only one major games company, Roblox Corporation, has an explicit, public-facing policy against extremism. Earlier this year, Wildlife Studios, a mobile-games company headquartered in Brazil, produced the first gaming transparency report that shares data on how a company acted against hate and harassment in its online games, followed by Xbox in November 2022. Transparency reports and policies banning the expression of extremist ideologies are the bare minimum required to fight hate in online games.
More than two out of three Americans—over 215 million people across all ages—play video games, including both online and offline games. The video games industry is a $203 billion market, with the North American video game market generating over $54 billion in 2022. In focusing on online multiplayer games, this report offers concrete guidance for the government, civil society and industry to take meaningful steps in making those games safer for all users, regardless of age or identity.
Methodology:
ADL, in collaboration with Newzoo, a data analytics firm focused on games and esports, designed a nationally representative survey to examine Americans’ experiences of disruptive behavior in online multiplayer games. Together, they collected responses from 2,134 Americans who play games across PC, console, and mobile platforms, including 1,931 responses from people who play online multiplayer games. For young people ages 10-17, they also collected responses from their parents or guardians as part of the screening process.
Individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, Jewish, Muslim, Black or African American, Asian- American and Hispanic/Latinx were oversampled. ADL collected responses for the oversampled target groups until at least 125 Americans were represented in each group. Surveys were conducted from June 21 to July 7, 2022. The margin of error based on their sample size is generally two to three percentage points, though this may be slightly higher when looking at smaller sample sizes.
For the 2022 study, ADL continued the methodology of the last two years to collect more granular and accurate data regarding swatting and doxing. As in the past, ADL used a broader definition for doxing in our survey than the legal definition of unlawful doxing, because at present there is no consistent legal standard. In their questions, ADL provided the following broad definitions for doxing and swatting:
-Doxing is making personally-identifying information public
-Swatting is when a stranger makes a false report to emergency services to target someone
ADL then asked respondents who experienced either to describe what happened. In their total figures for swatting and doxing, ADL included the responses of some players who reported something similar to either behavior or who preferred not to elaborate. ADL removed descriptions unrelated to swatting or doxing from our final numbers.