A survey of gamers shows: The gaming community is very toxic

The Gamescom 2022 opening night will take place in Cologne on August 23. The next morning, the fair opened again to crowds of visitors for the first time since 2019. In the past two years of the pandemic, only players could participate in Gamescom digitally, but before that it had over 300,000 visitors a year. Thus, Gamescom is the largest gaming trade fair for end consumers and at the same time a popular place for community meetings.

But this gaming community is often associated with toxic behaviors. according to ESET Scan Almost a quarter of the players surveyed already had bad experiences online. Often in the form of hate comments, bullying, fake profiles, or spam transactions. Above all, hate and bullying is the problem of networks, also outside the gaming area.

According to data from the Statista Global Consumer Survey, more than 40 percent of all gamers are part of a community, such as forums, clans, fans, and game groups. However, the majority of these consider themselves the most passive member of the network in question – perhaps also for self-protection.

Other surveys show that about 17 percent of respondents consider toxic behavior within their gaming community to be a major problem. 14% see the problem of gender discrimination in their network.

However, at the same time, there are also positive voices regarding gaming communities. One in ten likes to meet members of their community in person – for example at events like Gamescom. About 14 percent agree that games are about community. Many clans and forums have a helpful helping culture. However, this often only works with active community management.