CW: Cyber bullying (including homophobia, racism and talk of self harm)
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit and socialising moved into the digital realm for most of the globe, I felt ideally suited to adapt as I spend the majority of my down time playing games with friends and with so many of us working from home or furloughed, a lot of free time was suddenly available.
Now, I survived the Salty Bastard Wars of yesteryear in Call Of Duty, Halo and a host of other games so i’m no stranger to being lambasted, it really doesn’t bother me on a personal level. What saddens me is the sheer level of hateful toxicity which seems to have become the norm in multiplayer gaming and the effect it has on the mental health of others. Over the past few weeks in particular, while playing Valorant and Heroes Of The Storm with friends, we’ve been screamed at, sworn at, threatened with harm and told to kill ourselves repeatedly, as well as being the subject of a torrent of homophobic and racial slurs. We’ve had enough.
Rather than go with my first instinct to build siege weapons and lay waste to these lands, I decided to go a different direction. After running the idea past my steadfast crew of gaming amigos, we decided it was time to counteract the toxicity with an injection of S.E.R.U.M.
Over the years, i’ve sunk countless hours into a variety of online multiplayer games. I’ve trudged the battlefields of various…well, Battlefield games. I’ve served alongside Spartans and Covenant in the neverending struggles of Red versus Blue. I’ve fallen into more ravines than I care to remember while running away from Creepers. Online multiplayer is a huge part of my life and one of my main avenues of social interaction when my mangled carcass decides walking is for losers. I no longer want to see this space spoiled by the ignorant and hateful.
We’ve only been up and running for a couple of days, but we’ve been constantly striving to hold ourselves to a high standard. In every round of Valorant and every battle in HoTS, we’ve wished the other team luck, complimented the gameplay of friend and foe alike and carefully encouraged others to curb any ire. Obviously, we get ignored by some and those are the people that we report, should their actions be report-worthy of course. We’re doing what we can and it does my ancient, blackened heart good to see that little by little, we’re actually seeing some results.
I hope to see you all on the digital battlefield some time. Good luck, have fun and don’t be a dick. Much love.