In-game toxicity is a phrase we seem to hear more and more about in 2019, as the gaming population grows in number and influence, and to be honest here at Luckbox we are all in favour of making online play a nicer place to be. The occasional flash of frustration is something we’ve all experienced in-game, but those people who set out with the intent of making sure nobody else has fun are another level, and add nothing to the gaming ecosystem.
In Rainbow Six Siege, team damage and trolling is a particular problem, with the game rewarding the sort of small-minded trolling that seems to appeal to a certain selection of players, and developers Ubisoft have struggled to get a handle on the issue. However, they have finally announced the rollout of a new system, dubbed "Stop Hitting Yourself" in the Luckbox office.
For a full explanation, you can read the blog posted by the developers, but essentially the game will now attempt to identify people who damage their team mates maliciously, and reflect the damage back upon the offender themselves as a form of deterrent. Anyone who has played online in any game can probably think of a number of ways this could be abused, but we would first like to praise the makers of the game for actually trying to solve the issue at all, as many developers just ignore it outright.
Victim, judge and executioner
One of the most interesting aspects of the new scheme is the fact the victim themselves will be asked to decide if the team killing was "bad" or not. In the process of setting up the site or engaging the enemy it is not difficult to accidentally wound or kill a member of your own squad, so this is a necessary part of the plan, but it relies upon the toxicity that causes the initial issue evaporating before the victim has time to vote, possibly with their head, or maybe with their spleen.
It will be fascinating to see how the plan plays out over the coming months, and the developers have a lot more work to do after some of the world’s top players tweeted to inform them of how broken other aspects of their game are, but it’s a start. Ubisoft receive a lot of abuse in the gaming world, some justified, so today we should take the time to praise them for actually admitting they have an issue, and trying to give players some help.
Image: Ubisoft
