Game On, Hate Off

A Study of Toxicity in Online Multiplayer Environments

Zachary YangNicolas Grenen-GodboutRaihaneh Rabbany

August 12, 2024,

Research, Research Article

The advent of online spaces, particularly social media platforms and video games, has brought forth a significant challenge: the detection and mitigation of toxic and harmful speech. This issue is not only pervasive but also detrimental to the overall user experience. In this study, we leverage small language models to reliably detect toxicity, achieving an average precision of 0.95. Analyzing eight months of chat data from two Ubisoft games, we uncover patterns and trends in toxic behavior. The insights derived from our research will con- tribute to the development of healthier online communities and inform preventive measures against toxicity.

Tags: , ,
Zachary Yang

Zachary Yang

Nicolas Grenen-Godbout

Nicolas Grenen-Godbout

Data scientist with a strong background in statistics, machine learning and algorithmics. Passionate about educating and empowering colleagues from all horizons, and am always looking for opportunities to exchange knowledge and experience in that ever changing field. Leading a team of data scientists within the Ubisoft Data Office.

Raihaneh Rabbany

Raihaneh Rabbany

With my group, at Complex Data Lab, we work on designing methods for analyzing such data; building on techniques for graph mining, graph representation learning, unsupervised and self-supervised learning, anomaly detection, learning with weak and/or uncertain labels, and active and human-in-the-loop learning.

Share this story. Choose your platform.

Want more updates and information from ACM? Sign up for our Newsletter.

Related Articles

  • close-up of a person's eyes through black eyeglasses

    The Toxic Cost of Cheap Usernames

    Toxicity in video games, acting in a rude, abusive, bullying, or deliberately losing manner, ruins competitive team-based video game experiences for everyone involved.

    Sarah Chen

    August 12, 2024,

    Research, Research Article

  • A very young person visits the metaverse with goggles and a handheld controller.

    What Are the Points of Concern for Players about VR Games

    In recent years, the VR boom has signaled fruitful applications in fields such as education, industry, animation, and entertainment.

    Jiong DongKaoru OtaMianxiong Dong

    August 22, 2024,

    Research, Research Article

  • An Empirical Study of VR Head-Mounted Displays Based on VR Games Reviews

    In recent years, the VR tech boom has signaled fruitful applications in various fields.

    Yijun LuKaoru OtaMianxiong Dong

    August 22, 2024,

    Research, Research Article

  • A young person wearing a headset is tired with hands on head.

    The Trouble with Burnout

    Burnout sadly remains an evergreen topic in the games industry.

    Raffael Boccamazzo

    August 12, 2024,

    Opinion, Viewpoint