How perceived toxicity of gaming communities is associated with social capital, satisfaction of relatedness, and loneliness

Abstract

There are various benefits of playing multiplayer games, such as enjoyment, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, facilitation of social relationships, and coping and recovery. However, these benefits to online game players are often undermined by the presence of in-game toxicity. Toxicity can be detrimental for game developers when players leave their games. For the players, toxicity can be harmful, by causing distress; however, effects of toxicity on the wellbeing of players are not yet fully understood nor substantiated with empirical evidence. To close this gap, we conducted a study partially replicating and extending findings from prior work. We conducted two online surveys, using validated scales, to explore relationships between the perceived toxicity of gaming communities and social connectedness outcomes. We found that toxicity was associated with lower in-game social capital, need satisfaction of relatedness, and higher loneliness. Our findings provide further evidence that toxicity poses a problem for multiplayer game communities.