Rising Tides of Online Gaming Harassment: A Troubling Trend

This article contains explicit descriptions of racist and white supremacist encounters in online games. The Anti-Defamation League's latest report on hate and harassment in online gaming reveals a fourth consecutive year of increased harassment, with 86% of adults aged 18-45 and 66% of teens experiencing online harassment in the past six months. The survey also notes a significant rise in white supremacist ideology, with 20% of adults and 15% of younger gamers reporting exposure. Certain games, such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto Online, were found to have higher instances of white supremacist extremism. The report highlights surges in harassment targeting Jewish, Latino, and Muslim players, with women, Black, Asian, and LGBTQ+ gamers being the most likely to experience identity-based harassment. The ADL CEO emphasizes the need for the gaming industry to address hate and harassment, citing the spread of extremist ideas and the negative impact on gamers. The survey polled over 2,100 American gamers, with a focus on underrepresented groups, and calls for the industry to implement policies and practices to combat white supremacy and release regular transparency reports on hate and harassment.