US lawmakers have sent a letter inquiring into some of the top gaming companies' actions on combating online extremism. The online gaming space continues to experience harassment and extremism, particularly following the seemingly growing popularity of the sector. Though the recent query from Congress members could likely prompt massive companies like Activision Blizzard, Epic, Sony, Ubisoft, Microsoft, and others to expedite more comprehensive countermeasures.
While reports about harassment and extremism are nothing new, the issue has seen a notable uptick over the past few years as more players join online gaming. In turn, several companies and platforms have looked to address the rise in extremism through a variety of means ranging from AI-driven moderation tools to policy implementations. For instance, platforms like Twitch, which has been suffering from hate raids since 2021, recently unveiled what Twitch calls a "Shield Mode" that aims to protect streamers and moderators from harassment.
Following the current landscape, seven Democratic members have co-signed a letter addressing top gaming companies with regard to how these entities address extremism incidents. The letter cites a recent report from the Anti-Defamation League which reports a rise in extremism in online games, including twice as much user exposure to white supremacy since 2021. "We are writing to better understand the processes you have in place to handle player reports of harassment and extremism encounters in your online games," claims the letter. It goes on to request for "consideration of safety measures pertaining to anti-harassment and anti-extremism." The Congress members specifically address Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Epic, Innersloth, Microsoft, PUBG Corp, Riot Games, Roblox, Sony, Square, Take-Two Interactive, Tencent, Ubisoft, and Valve.
Further, lawmakers have inquired about the systems that gaming companies have to report in-game harassment and how these are handled specifically. This includes details on the size of the teams dedicated to managing these types of issues. The Congress members have also inquired about the data these companies gather on players disciplined for inappropriate behavior and their openness to releasing data on disciplinary action on a more regular basis. While the game companies are under no obligation to respond to any of these queries, time will tell how the industry will answer, particularly considering how publishers like Ubisoft and Riot Games are already working on AI moderation tools.
It should be noted that issues of harassment and extremism aren't limited to players. At times, these extend to the developers themselves. For example, recently Apex Legends developers have been on the receiving end of harassment to such a degree that Respawn Entertainment issued a statement. Either way, extremism will continue to be one of the biggest problems around building and sustaining the online gaming space. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the Congress letter and how regulatory bodies in general will look to address these issues.
Source: Axios