Work

How do the effects of toxicity in competitive online video games vary by source and match outcome?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article seeks to estimate variations in the effects of toxicity in competitive online video games by source and match outcome. To this end, we analyze proprietary data from the first-person action video game Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III, published by Activision®. To overcome causal identification issues, we implement an instrumental variable estimation strategy. Our findings confirm that exposure to toxicity has statistically significant causal effects on short-term player engagement and the probability that players engage in similar behavior in the current match. Further, we show that these effects vary significantly depending on whether toxicity originates from opponents or teammates, whether it originates from teammates in the same or a different party, and the match's outcome. These findings have meaningful implications regarding the allocation of resources for combating toxicity and the nature of toxicity across various contexts.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325462

Authors: Jacob Morrier, Amine Mahmassani, R. Michael Alvarez

Institution: California Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Digital Games and Media

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,382