Exploring the Relationship Between Offline Cultural Environments and Toxic Behavior Tendencies in Multiplayer Online Games

Kordyaka B, Park S, Krath J, Laato S (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

ACM Journal on Educational Resources in Computing Association for Computing Machinary, Inc.

Original Authors: Bastian Kordyaka, Solip Park, Jeanine Krath, Samuli Laato

Book Volume: 6

Pages Range: 1-20

Issue: 1-2

DOI: 10.1145/3580346

Abstract

In multiplayer online games, players from different cultural backgrounds come together to cooperate and compete in real time. Although these games are enjoyed by billions of players globally, behavioral issues such as toxic behavior (TB) have become rampant in some games, perhaps most infamously in multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, such as League of Legends and Dota 2. A crucial step in curbing TB lies in understanding its drivers and antecedents. In the present work, we contribute to this field of research by considering the regional offline cultural environment in which players live. We draw both on Hofstede's Cultural Dimension Framework and on Kordyaka et al.’s Unified Theory of Toxic Behavior (UTTB) to compare two cross-sectional samples of MOBA players: one from North America (n = 155) and one from India (n = 119). Our analysis reveals significant differences between the samples for all UTTB variables. Additional analyses also indicate the relevance of national culture in relation to other dispositions (i.e., age) and characteristics (i.e., game-related culture). Our findings underscore the role that the offline cultural environments play in TB in MOBAs and additionally open avenues for further research that takes dimensions of national culture in the study of online behavior into account.

Authors with CRIS profile

Jeanine Kirchner-Krath

Involved external institutions

Universität Siegen DE Germany (DE) Universität Koblenz-Landau DE Germany (DE) Tampere University of Technology FI Finland (FI) Aalto University Espoo FI Finland (FI)

How to cite

APA:

Kordyaka, B., Park, S., Krath, J., & Laato, S. (2023). Exploring the Relationship Between Offline Cultural Environments and Toxic Behavior Tendencies in Multiplayer Online Games. ACM Journal on Educational Resources in Computing, 6, 1-20. https://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3580346

MLA:

Kordyaka, Bastian, et al. "Exploring the Relationship Between Offline Cultural Environments and Toxic Behavior Tendencies in Multiplayer Online Games." ACM Journal on Educational Resources in Computing 6 (2023): 1-20.

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