According to the new report on the state of the video game industry released for GDC 2023, developers are increasingly afraid of gamers.
Developers are increasingly afraid of gamers . They said it themselves by responding to the survey with which the GDC draws up its annual report on the state of the video game industry. In 2023 therefore, things have not improved compared to previous years, but only worsened.
Heyyy Check Out This
More than 75% of the 2,300 interviewees answered the questions presented to them, so it is a very large and representative sample. The margin of error for the study was calculated at 3%. The problem is considered very serious by most of the respondents.
40% of developers said they have directly witnessed harassment, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community . 68% of respondents said their company has done something about harassment, while a fifth said nothing has been done.
Gamer violence against developers has been openly denounced for years now for the harmful effects it is having on the working conditions of many and the added psychological pressure on their lives. Gamers engage in harassment for any reason, whether it’s a delay, a change to a certain feature, or simply expressing a preference from the developer. Gender is also often a reason for harassment.
The toxicity has been fed into social media, where gamers experiment with all sorts of ways to harass developers. Some companies have responded more decisively to the phenomenon, such as Bungie which has reported a particularly toxic player , others have kept a lower profile.
According to respondents to the survey, companies, especially the larger ones, should do more, especially those that merely say that toxic players are a small number.
