Report: 53% of devs say toxic behavior has worsened in past year
New Unity survey also says that 76% of players avoid games known for their harmful communities
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53% of game developers have noticed a rise in toxic player behavior over the past year, according to a new report from Unity.
The 2023 Toxicity in Multiplayer Games Report also includes the survey responses of 2,522 consumers.
The survey's definition of toxic behavior included disruptive play, harassment, extremism, cheating, inappropriate content, and other behavior.
Players also reported encountering harmful activities across multiple game genres in the past year.
The top three genres where people encountered toxic experiences were FPSes at 51%, sports/racing titles at 49%, and battle royale games at 44%.
Meanwhile, the genres with the least toxicity were card/deck building at 23%, puzzle games at 29%, and adventure/platformers, where 30% of players encountered harmful behavior online.
The report says that almost all consumers surveyed have changed their behavior due to toxic players, for example, by reporting offenses or going out of their way to avoid games where they are a problem.
As for what Unity believes developers should do to combat online toxicity, it suggested recommendations that include encouraging positive behavior and collaborating across the industry to reduce toxicity.