Toxic voice chat is ruining gaming, gamers agree

Not to sound ancient, but gaming used to be simpler. Although simpler doesn’t equal better, there are some elements from the past we wish we could bring forward.

Any women out there will know this issue painfully well, as will other marginalised communities; for all the advancements in gaming, being respectful and having manners sure isn’t one of them. For a lot of gamers, this is at the heart of what’s ruining social gaming. It doesn't matter if you’re Team PlayStation or Team Xbox, the problem is unavoidable.

It’s gotten so bad that some players are struggling to trust people anymore. “Perhaps it’s the genre of video games I enjoy playing that draws the same angry people, or what, but I am instantly put off by people online who are vulgar, crude, unfunny, egotistical, and straight up jerks,” begins a Reddit post addressing the problem.

Let's say no to toxicity and hello to magical discoveries in The Cauldron Kids: The Summoning of Mr. Vermicelli

“What’s worse is when I can hear the person is my age (late 30s), and they are literally calling people idiots or worse. I don’t trust people anymore, when they act friendly in the beginning and then are calling you names in the next breath!”

We know there's always banter with friends, but this isn’t about banter, this is about abuse – to dress it up as anything else takes away from how rampant it is in certain gaming circles. Thank goodness for the cosy games that offer adorable adventures away from the toxicity.

The “nonstop” chatter of it all this disrespectful noise is deafening. “Played some TLOU multiplayer a few weeks back and had to drop after 20 minutes because there's a dude just nonstop running his toxic mouth about nonsense.” This gamer continued, “There is zero control over voice chat and mostly anonymous so people reveal their true selves.”

As a passionate gamer, I always champion the benefits of video games (and always will), however, there’s no escaping the fact that pockets of the community try their damnedest to make explaining those benefits harder and harder.