Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Destructive or “toxic” behaviors in online gaming have received increased attention in recent years. These are forms of verbal harassment or behavioral misconduct which disrupt another’s experience of the game. While previous explanations have explained toxic behaviors as intentional acts of deviant individuals or a larger online “trickster” culture, this article provides empirical support for a recent “tilt”-based explanation in the literature. Toxic behavior is seen as situated within and emergent from specific social contexts—as a spur-of-the-moment loss of control (associated with the term “tilt”), triggered by contextual factors within the game. Based on interview data on the popular multiplayer game League of Legends, it is shown how weak normative and relational structures within a gaming context can lead to negative emotions in players, prompting toxic behaviors. Avenues for future research and implications for improving online social spaces are discussed.
Source: New Media & Society
Author: Friedrich Donner
Institution: Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
Language: English
Topic: Digital Games and Media
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: Strong
OpenAlex ID: W4401698741