Games industry professionals can make gaming communities more tolerant by actively promoting and exhibiting inclusive values, according to new research.
A study carried out at Lancaster University found that the community based around the building sim Minecraft was less likely to exhibit homophobia and other forms of bigotry, because popular YouTube videos based around the game tend to present close male friendships – or “bromances” – in a positive light.
“In video-game forums, there is sometimes an expectation that community members share certain qualities (like being straight and male) and agree upon quite narrow conceptions of identity,” said Dr Amanda Potts, a researcher at the university’s ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science. “I found that when popular channel producers uploaded gaming videos that depicted unexpected relationships between men, viewers and subscribers of the channel became more accepting and tolerant. What you ended up with was a community that self-policed against homophobia.”
Potts analysed the language used in forums based around Minecraft, as well as in the comments sections of relevant YouTube video channels. Star players like StampyCat and Diamond Minecart boast millions of subscribers to their Minecraft YouTube shows, and most produce family-friendly content, in which the emphasis is on co-operation and sharing.
Homophobic, racist and sexist abuse is a common problem in gaming communities. In 2012, researchers at Ohio University found that gamers who identified as women were three times more likely to receive abuse while playing online games than players who identified as male. In an older survey, carried out by the University of Illinois in 2006, found that over 87% of online gamers used the word “gay” as a derogatory adjective.
“When powerful people, in this case the video producers who are revered by their young fans, use language that promotes tolerance and inclusiveness, there is a trickledown effect where young people begin to avoid homophobic language themselves,” said Potts.
Some will suggest that Minecraft is perhaps not the most representative community when it comes to game culture. The main version of the game is co-operative and creative, inviting players to build and explore together, rather than fight. It also has a user-based skewed toward younger children and family audiences.
It is in competitive online shooters like Halo and Call of Duty where bigoted abuse and harassment are more of a problem. In 2012, video game website IGN polled its readers and found that a third had stopped playing competitive online modes due to abuse.
Potts suggested however that in all cases, the game publishers themselves could set examples for communities through their own communications and activities.
“If game producers don’t take the lead in working against harassment, then it is much harder for communities to organise themselves positively and powerfully,” she said.
“Not creating and promoting an inclusive environment as a producer leads to a lack of inclusiveness in fandom.”
