Gamer Trash Talk Research Paper

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COMM 3P90 Essay
When does gamer trash talk go too far?
Taylor McLeod

Today, online video gaming consoles give participants the ability to not only virtually communicate with other players through text, but also verbally communicate through microphones. The limited amount of social cues and increased anonymity of computer-mediated communication results in the breaching of social boundaries. For as long as games have been around, trash talking is something that has always been involved. Whether you’re competing with other players for personal satisfaction, or attempting to move up leaderboard rankings, insults and put-downs are regular occurrences, and something online gamers deal with on a regular basis. This is especially truthful for female …show more content…

Although integrated voice chat is a neat feature intended to improve quality of online play, it is becoming more of a negative aspect as time advances. This gives virtual bullies the ability to call out female gamers in front of an audience, degrading them in little time. Another medium for online harassment is private messaging. This method was more popular when online gaming services were first introduced, as there was no integrated voice chat feature. Virtual bullies continually spam their target until they get a response back, sending explicit messages, pictures, and cruel messages. Ultimately, whether the abuse comes verbally, or through text, most abusers simply have nothing better to do, and they ensure that their message has been received one way or another. Muting players within game chatting, and blocking players are things female gamers can do to combat the abuse. In Kishonna Gray’s article, “Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Xbox Live: Examining Minority Gamers’ Responses and Rate of Adoption to Changes in Xbox Live” she examines the response of minority gamers as they adopt new changes to the Xbox Live service. Gray concludes that female participants are often forgotten when updates are released. Through virtual ethnography, observations, and interviews, she reveals Xbox live intentionally targets males as the default gamer using the service. In order for female gamers to successfully fit into the dynamic of the online gaming community, the developers ultimately need to make appropriate revisions to their services. Suspensions, termination of service, and warnings would all be welcomed changes to the online gaming community to ensure the decline of

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