The Growing Concern of Toxicity in Online Gaming

For anyone familiar with online video games featuring voice chat over the last ten years, the potential for negative experiences is well-known. While interactions can be positive, players often encounter remarkably toxic language.

Riot Games, the developer of popular games such as League of Legends and Valorant, is actively addressing this issue and implementing solutions.

Policy Changes and Data Evaluation

The company is announcing revisions to its privacy policy, enabling the capture and assessment of voice communications when reports of disruptive conduct are filed.

These policy changes apply to all Riot Games players across all titles, requiring acceptance from each user. Currently, Valorant is the only game slated to utilize these new capabilities, due to its reliance on voice chat.

The intention is to store relevant audio data within the user’s registered region and analyze it for violations of the behavior agreement. This process is initiated by a user report and is not a constant monitoring system.

Should a violation be identified, the data will be provided to the offending player and subsequently deleted once reviews are complete. If no violation is found, the data will be promptly deleted.

A Significant Step Towards a Better Gaming Experience

This represents a substantial development in the gaming industry. Developers have long recognized that toxicity not only diminishes the user experience but also discourages potential players from fully engaging with games.

“Players are experiencing significant distress in voice communications, manifesting as various forms of disruptive behavior, which can be deeply harmful,” stated Weszt Hart, Head of Player Dynamics. “We acknowledge this and are committed to doing everything possible to address it.”

Voice chat can greatly enhance the gaming experience, fostering richer and more enjoyable interactions. Especially during periods of increased social isolation, people seek human connection.

However, the competitive nature of many games can sometimes lead to negative interactions.

As a gamer, I have personally experienced hurtful situations while playing with strangers online.

The Challenges of Voice Chat Moderation

Riot Games is proceeding cautiously with the implementation of voice chat moderation. The initial step is updating the privacy notice, informing players and granting the company the authority to evaluate voice communications.

Effectively policing voice chat is a complex undertaking. It requires transparency with users, updates to legal documentation, and the development of appropriate technology, all while safeguarding player privacy.

Hart and Chris Hymes, Data Protection Officer and CISO, explained that the system for detecting behavioral violations is still under development.

It may involve automated voice-to-text transcription, integrated with existing text chat moderation systems, or it could rely on machine learning to identify infringements directly through voice analysis.

“We are evaluating various technologies to determine the best approach,” Hart explained. “We need to work with real audio data to assess the effectiveness of different methods and ensure we make the optimal choice.”

Updating the privacy notice is the crucial first step in enabling this process.

Human Oversight and Future Expansion

Hart and Hymes emphasized that human moderation will be incorporated to ensure the system functions correctly and can be extended to other languages and titles, initially focusing on Valorant in North America.

Recent advancements in machine learning and natural language processing are simplifying this development process.

However, even with sophisticated algorithms capable of detecting hate speech, a further challenge arises.

Gamers often employ unique language and terminology not commonly used in everyday conversation, adding complexity to the system’s development.

Towards a More Inclusive Gaming Environment

Despite these challenges, this is a vital step towards creating a more inclusive gaming environment where all players feel safe and welcome.

Riot Games recognizes that game development is a comprehensive process. Factors such as game design, anti-cheat measures, behavioral guidelines, and moderation all contribute to the overall player experience.

In addition to these changes, the company is also updating its terms of service, including a revised global refund policy and new guidelines regarding anti-cheat software for current and future Riot Games titles.