New Research Looks at Hate Speech on XBOX LIVE

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From: Game Informer.com: New Research Looks at Hate Speech on XBOX LIVE

by Phil Kollar on March 20, 2011 at 06:25 PM




If you're a white, 18-to-35-year-old male with a nondescript Xbox Live Gamertag, then you probably face a fairly normal, more or less manageable amount of harassment when playing multiplayer games. But a new study proves what I'm sure comes as no shock to gamers familiar with Xbox Live's rowdy reputation: The more upfront you are with your gender, race, sexuality, or religion the more your online opponents will scream at you about it.

This study originates from the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab, where a group of gamers changed their Xbox Live screennames to PROUD_2B_MUSLIM, GayPride90, and Black_N_Proud90 while playing Halo Reach to see how other players reacted.

The study also finds some sexist insanity on the forums for League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and Defense of the Ancients.

You can see this study's results for yourself in the video below, which was showcased during PAX East. In all seriousness, though, given the subject matter there is some extremely harsh language used here. If you're at all sensitive to hate speech or swear words, do not watch it.

Also, a personal request: If you're one of the idiots saying the stupid nonsense being spewed in these case studies, or if you've ever said anything similar on a forum or during a multiplayer game, just stop. Everyone deserves better, including you.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A52sGTUhXU&feature=player_embedded#at=216[/youtube]

I belong to a forum for female PS3 gamers (whose name I'm not allowed to mention offsite, because it gets overrun with misogynist trolls all the time)
and we've all come to the agreement that unless you want to be screamed at, harassed, and generally made miserable, it's best not to let on that you're female.

So much for my $50 headset.

I will now try to post a video.
If it doesn't work, oh well.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQnIJ-ljctk&playnext=1&list=PL70702235F0DE8CC5[/youtube]

Multiplayer games are annoying when they allow for communication. It's like, why would I care to have a conversation with people when my goal is to play a game? What's the point in that, "socialization"? I rather just run around and hurl plasma grenades upon people than listen to the crap they spew. If teammates wanted to use the communications properly, that is by using it to provide each other intel and coordinate attacks upon the enemy forces, that would be fine, however most are just using the communication features for being jerks to everyone in general. They don't care what you are, they will seek anything that might be indicated by the data you provide them to attack you with, hoping to strike up an emotional response within you like the parasitic leaches which they are. I rather play against artificial intelligences than deal with people who desire to act like a public address system of Hell.

LOL. Pretty much.

I'm not surprised by your protocol of not naming the forum or identifying your gender. It shows that it is a pervasive problem.


LOL at the video from College Humor Season 1. I thought about it while reading the article.




Everything has an intended purpose and invites the possibility of undesirable use. I doubt that even the people who are guilty of such offenses buy microphones with the intention of being bigots. Its ignorance, comraderie, and the natural inclinations influenced by testosterone of typical males that encourage the behavior.

I used to be part of a group of gamers and hackers that was at least 87 or 90% male when it was not 100%. We had gatherings and guys would yell myriad colorful metaphors at each other, especially while gaming. Its one of the reasons I left. The speech was so bigoted and offensive. Despite being ultimately repulsed, I felt that there was a lack of sincerity in the insults. Guys simply have an competitive urge to dominate one another and insulting speech is the easiest part of that process. Even those who are less enthusiastic or inciteful will eventually participate in the act in order to fit in, like I did.

Some of the womenses on my forum are hardcore gamers who have both systems (PS3 and Xbox)
and they all say the latter is far worse with that..."stuff".

I haven't heard many racial or religious slurs, but that's probably because people don't identify things they could be harassed about-

I've never (to my knowledge) been on with a gay person, but dudes certainly call the losers "gay/fag/c*cksucker" enough.

Even if some guy TRIES to say something about it, it has to be in a "hey, bro, not cool, dude" kinda way-
the ONLY way it's acceptable or taken even semi-seriously is if:
1. It's said by a well-known MALE gamer to the others, and
2. He's not directly confrontational to the group, in a "F*CKING STOP THAT s**t. NOW." move, or else he'd get shunned and ridiculed, too-
I've seen/heard it.

When I used to play Halo multiplayer, I would try just to ignore that junk and let people type away at their keyboard while I focus on playing the actual game. I suppose with the use of headsets the trolls can just let their mouths flap about with garbage while they focus more on the game than when typing. Still though, if they have anything to say which isn't purely a psittacism then they still have to offset their thoughts to composing speech instead of playing. While they're going on about about !%#$^$@@#@, I would just be lining up a set of shots with the Barrett 95 on the game.

You guys are no fun.

To be fair, if you make a matter of ethnic, religious or gender pride part of your username, don't be surprised when people react to it...good or bad.

In short, don't go trolling then be upset that you're catching fish.

Since when does expressing enthusiasm for your own qualities in an unoffensive way constitute trolling? That is a flagrant usurpation of terms. I think it is the lowest, most unimagitive form of argument for someone stricken with a term to attempt this type of reversal.

By making such a statement, particularly in response to the examples in the video, you would effectively display your disdain for someone simply for being themselves. Let us compare a username such as "GayPride" to the equally unabashed mannerisms of a gay person in RL. By your reasoning, being open about one's own traits is an invitation for scorn and hate from others for which the individual bearing that indelible trait is at fault. How opprobrious, how offensive. Tell me, what is fair about that?

A person can have fun without insulting strangers. I think it is possible for a group of friends to share politically incorrect language amongst themselves. When you are familiar with people, many things are possible. When one is in public, the same type of familiarity you afford those who are close to you does not apply. If a friend jostles you, it isn't likely to be an act of violence. A stranger could commit a similar act and it would be more likely considered a provocation to physical violence.

Moreover, I will say as an extension to my personal example about the group I used to LAN with, that when I joined them it was because I shared an enthusiasm for technology, but prior to that I had never had such a group of friends. I was an only child raised by diverse, polite, well-educated, worldly people. Paradoxically, I was rendered sheltered and incongruous in this different community. I had a great deal of repulsion and then ambivalence about learning to be relaxed in this way amongst people, to trade offenses as a way of bonding. I now understand better how to decipher a persons intentions and to appreciate political incorrectness as an expression of truth. However, I also understand the difference between this and what remains offensive speech, i.e. speech which is delivered with the intention to offend. As I indicated I never felt that one of my group felt sincerely about some of the racially or sexually inspired insults that they hurled, despite feeling sometimes uncomfortable receiving them.

I think the world is trending toward a regrettable lack of temperance in interpersonal communication. People are more ironic, fallacious, and insincere. This is especially true in internet culture. It doesn't bode well for serious communication.

Lastly, everyone that is part of a minority works harder to feel secure about themselves. If I am with a group of males assumed to be straight, in which everyone is secure in there sexuality (most likely for never having it challenged in a truly disparaging way), I probably won't feel as provoked if someone calls me a cocksucker or a fag. If I didn't know better, I'd have no problem retorting, "f**k you fa***t." But how does a gay person who has received these insults with real disdain since childhood feel? How does a dark-skinned person feel being called a n****r? How do they feel even being in the presence of someone saying such things to someone who isn't likely be injured, e.g. an unequivocally straight person being called a fag or a pale-skinned person being called a n****r? The words you use matter for context, intention, and audience. If you can't learn to respect the differences and sensitivities of individuals than you will fail as part of a community. At that time, I proved, or decided that I was, unsuited for the community for reason of my incongruous interpretations of communication.

On a forum for people with ASDs one might assume that everyone would have a frame of reference for understanding what it means not to fit in, but clearly not everyone has learned such lessons or had such experiences. How privileged they must be. I suppose some people feel they can afford not to care about anything but their own fun.

Ah, the internet. Where the men are men, the women are men, and the children are FBI agents.

I solved the problem by gaming as a dude. They do make voice changing filters for some voice programs so if I feel being female online is gonna be hassle I'll use that, or just not speak on mic and focus on the game. if I have to speak, then yeah, sure they might suspect something is off from using the filter... but they don't know for sure. Or since my natural gaming style is more along the lines of 'wanna wrap up the book club ladies and ice this guy already?' very few people outside of my guild (who are awesome and around 40% women 60% guys) believe I'm female. I've sometimes been accused of pretending to be female with words like 'so y u playin a girl bro?', I can't help it, I must confess to them 'cuz i look hawt lol'. It's just so much easier to game as a guy at times... even if you aren't one. Heck, especially if you aren't one.

That is hilarious.

It's just life.

Life isn't fair. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will be overall.

I know full well if I pick a user name or gamer tag that toots my horn over any particular issue that can polarize people, I can expect someone, at some time, to make an issue of it...positive or negative.

I have no business to make that choice then be surprised when someone reacts to it.

Online, nobody has to know your race, religion, sexual preference, etc.

If someone picked a user name like KKK_WhitePride, would that person have any business expecting no negative responses from the online community?

I thought we were judging and exposing opinons, not the right to make them.

I made the following point initially, but I include this edit to review whether or not it is a valid argument. I'm not sure, but I don't think your last sentence was meant to compare the morality of one SN to the other. But it is a suspect opinion to follow with, which is why I opened with the sentence above. I seem to be having some type of logical dilemma. Still, please consider my point below.

I think that your comparison of "Gay_Pride90" to "KKK_White Pride." is rather offensive. Strictly speaking, I wouldn't have a problem with someone's SN of "WhitePride." Howver, in dialogues of race and privilege, it is questionable for the most privileged to aggrandize themselves further. Most people I have encountered who do so have a reactionary agenda to their loss of great privilege as minorities attempt to improve their standing in opposition to great inequality. Thus, they indicate that their opposition is based on indelible, unaffrontable qualites such as culture, ethnicity, or skin color, and are thereby understandably labeled as racists. What could possibly be my motivation for wearing a shirt labeled "Straight Pride" when one is familiar with the political zeitgeist of this country? Most likely a reaction against LGBT rights which contrasts directly with the notion of being gay, improbably a spontaneous declaration of self-love.

You're right, life isn't fair, but I'm not arguing against determinism. I'm arguing against morality. For this reason, I conclude that your reply is a Red Herring, which I realize I meant to indicate by the first sentence.

Last edited by axeb on 23 Mar 2011, 10:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sadistically amusing oneself at the expense of others is what is actually "no fun" to a greater amount of people.