Ever found yourself shouting at the screen, furiously typing out a reply, or cursing under your breath during an intense gaming session? Gaming isn’t just about play; it’s an emotional rollercoaster where feelings of frustration, competitiveness, and exhilaration can drive users to say things they wouldn’t normally say.
This intense involvement creates a unique challenge for moderation and affects the user experience negatively. How do you maintain the thrill of the game while ensuring that the environment remains respectful and inclusive for everyone?
In this blog, we’ll dive into the world of gaming content moderation, exploring how moderators tackle these emotional highs and lows to keep our gaming experiences both exhilarating and safe.
What aspects of the game need to be moderated?
1. Private and public chat
When it comes to content moderation in games, chat, whether private or public, is the most critical element that demands strict attention. Player-to-player in-app chat is often the primary way people interact in games, and this communication can easily become toxic if not properly moderated.
Private chat: Moderation on a smaller scale
Some games are designed to include only private chats, where players can communicate exclusively with their friends or teammates. In these situations, the risk of inappropriate content being shared is generally lower, as interactions are limited to a known group.
However, even private chats aren’t immune to issues. While the need for heavy moderation may be reduced, it’s still essential to ensure that harmful behavior like harassment, inappropriate language, or unwanted advances doesn't occur, especially given that some users might exploit the privacy aspect to engage in bullying.
Public and global chat: A broader risk
In contrast, games with public or global chat systems, where any player can send messages to the entire gaming community or a large portion of it, introduce a far greater risk of toxic and abusive behavior.
Without effective moderation, users might flood the chat with racial slurs, sexist remarks, threats, or other inappropriate content that can quickly degrade the gaming atmosphere. This creates a toxic environment that discourages new players and potentially drives away existing users, which can be disastrous for the long-term success of a game.
Protecting a vulnerable population: Kids and teens
One of the most crucial considerations when moderating chat in games is the player base itself. Unlike other online platforms, gaming communities often consist of younger players, many of them children and teenagers. This demographic is particularly vulnerable to online bullying and harassment, making it imperative that moderation systems in games are stringent and proactive.
Moderation in gaming must go beyond simple content filtering, it must be tailored to the specific needs of the player base. For instance, games that are marketed to children and teens should have age-appropriate content filters in place. Offensive language, mature themes, and potentially harmful discussions must be filtered out to maintain a positive experience for all users
2. User-generated content
Many games give players the freedom to modify aspects of the game world or characters, fostering a creative and engaged community. However, this openness also introduces the risk of inappropriate or harmful content being shared within the game, necessitating vigilant and thorough content moderation strategies.
One of the most popular forms of UGC in games is custom skins, avatars and mods. Players often enjoy customizing the appearance of their characters or creating new ones that represent their personalities.
Mods allow players to change or add elements to a game, offering endless creative possibilities, such as new storylines, enhanced mechanics, or even entirely new game modes.
While this is largely harmless and enhances player engagement, issues arise when skins or avatars depict offensive or inappropriate imagery. Some mods can introduce themes that are inappropriate for younger audiences, such as extreme violence, sexual content, or discriminatory ideas.
3. User profiles
User profiles serve as a player’s identity within the game. These profiles typically include usernames, avatars, bios, and sometimes other customizable features like in-game achievements or social links. While profiles are meant to reflect a player's personality and style, they can also become platforms for inappropriate or harmful behavior if not moderated effectively.
Usernames
Whether visible during gameplay, on leaderboards, or in chat, usernames are a core part of the gaming experience. Prevent players from creating usernames containing racial slurs, derogatory terms, sexual content, or hate speech.
Avatars
While many games offer pre-designed avatars, others allow players to upload custom images or even create avatars using in-game tools. Make sure that custom avatars don't include explicit content, offensive symbols, or inappropriate jokes that violate community standards.
Bios and status messages
User bios and status messages add a personal touch to profiles, where players can write a brief description about themselves. Unlike usernames or avatars, which are more visible, inappropriate content in bios or status messages can be subtler but equally harmful. Players might include discriminatory remarks, inappropriate jokes, or even links to harmful or malicious websites.
What will happen if content is left unmoderated
1. Loss of subscribers and revenue
One of the most immediate impacts of failing to moderate a gaming community is the potential loss of subscribers and, consequently, a significant hit to revenue.
Players invest both time and money into games, whether through purchasing in-game content, subscribing to premium services, or simply spending countless hours in a game’s community. When that investment is met with an unpleasant or hostile experience, it leads to dissatisfaction. Over time, players will either stop playing or avoid renewing subscriptions, directly affecting the game’s profitability.
Additionally, when influential streamers or content creators begin to encounter or call out issues like trolling or harassment,, it can lead to an exodus of players.
In short, a failure to prioritize moderation creates a downward spiral: as more players leave due to a toxic environment, revenues drop, and the game becomes increasingly difficult to sustain
2. Legal troubles for the gaming studio
Beyond financial losses, gaming studios that fail to moderate their communities can find themselves facing legal troubles.
Various regulations and laws govern online spaces, especially those that host user-generated content or cater to a younger audience.
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in heavy fines, lawsuits, or even the game being banned in certain regions.
3.Trolls, toxicity, and harassment damaging the game's reputation
Games thrive on community interaction, whether through cooperative gameplay, competitive matches, or social features like chat and forums. When these spaces are dominated by toxic behavior, they cease to be enjoyable for the majority of players.
The damage doesn’t stop with individual players. Once a game becomes known for its toxic community, it develops a reputation that is hard to shake off. New players might avoid joining, and experienced players may warn others to steer clear. Popular gaming forums, social media, and review sites will quickly highlight any toxicity issues, potentially causing long-term reputational damage.
Gaming content moderation best practices
1. Moderating the chat module
Automated filtering in chat for detecting inappropriate behavior
Use automated chat moderation tools to ensure real-time filtering and enforcement of chat rules. These tools use AI-driven content filters to proactively scan messages for harmful keywords and offensive languages. These systems can flag and remove harmful messages before they’re ever seen by other players, reducing the chances of exposure to inappropriate content.
More advanced automated tools can also learn over time, identifying not just obvious keywords but more subtle forms of harassment or manipulation. They can also take context into account, improving accuracy and minimizing false positives. For instance, the system could differentiate between a playful joke among friends in private chat and a targeted attack in public chat, allowing for a more nuanced moderation strategy.
Enable user and message reporting
Allow players to report inappropriate messages or harassment directly through the chat interface. Have a quick process in place to review flagged messages and act swiftly.
Proactive human moderation in key channels
For global or public chats, supplement automated systems with human moderators, especially during peak gaming hours. Human moderation helps catch nuances and context that AI might miss.
Age-appropriate filters
Consider creating separate chat channels for different age groups. Apply stricter moderation to channels frequented by younger players, and provide safe communication zones where younger users can’t be exposed to inappropriate content.
Profanity filters with opt-in options
Allow users to enable or disable profanity filters in private chats while keeping public chat channels strictly moderated. This respects user autonomy while maintaining safety in broader communication spaces.
2. Moderating user-generated content (mods, skins, avatars)
Pre-approval for custom content
Require pre-approval for custom skins, mods, and avatars before they can be shared or used in public spaces. This allows moderators to review content for explicit, inappropriate, or copyrighted material before it is distributed.
Automated content scanning tools with flagging mechanism
Use AI-driven content moderation tools to scan for offensive images, symbols, or content in custom avatars or skins. For content that isn’t caught by automated systems but is flagged by users, have a moderation team review and respond promptly. Ensure that flagged content is reviewed within a set timeframe (e.g., within 24-48 hours).
Copyright and licensing compliance
Implement strict policies around copyrighted materials in mods, skins, or customizations. Inform users that content based on unauthorized intellectual property (IP) will not be approved or allowed within the game.
User ratings and peer review systems
Establish a peer review system where players can rate user-generated content, with the highest-rated content being featured or highlighted. Content that is repeatedly flagged or downvoted should automatically be reviewed by moderators.
Transparent guidelines for content creation
Provide clear, easy-to-understand guidelines for what is considered acceptable in user-generated content. This includes defining what types of imagery, language, or modifications are allowed, as well as giving examples of inappropriate content.
Separate safe zones for younger players:
n games with mixed-age audiences, allow younger users to only access pre-approved or developer-created content. Avoid exposing children and teens to user-generated content that hasn’t been thoroughly vetted.
3. Moderating user profiles
Implement a robust filter or create rules that block offensive or inappropriate usernames and bios, much like the chat module.
Clearly define and enforce rules regarding what is allowed in display names. Ensure that offensive or suggestive names are prohibited and implement forced name changes if a violation occurs.
Allow players to report offensive profiles easily, whether it’s inappropriate usernames, avatars, or bio content. Integrate this with a backend moderation system for swift review and enforcement.
For games with large communities or eSports players, introduce a verification system for high-profile users or content creators. This helps prevent impersonation and builds trust among the community.
Set up a system where all new accounts undergo a preliminary review, especially for the first week or month. This is particularly important for games catering to younger audiences or competitive environments.
If your game attracts a younger audience, ensure that profile pictures, names, and bios are age-appropriate. Establish stricter filters for users under a certain age, and enforce child-friendly settings where necessary.
Make it clear in your community guidelines what actions will result in bans or profile suspensions.
Profiles violating these standards should be immediately suspended, with visible consequences to demonstrate your commitment to moderation.
4. General best practices across all areas
Regular audits of moderation systems
Regularly audit and update your moderation tools to stay ahead of new forms of trolling, offensive language, and harmful content. This includes updating filters, training AI tools on evolving language, and ensuring moderators are well-informed of new trends.
Transparency with the community
Communicate openly with players about your moderation practices. Publish community guidelines that clearly explain what is acceptable, how content is reviewed, and what consequences will follow for violations.
Promote positive behavior
Use in-game incentives to reward positive behavior. Create systems where players who consistently follow guidelines or contribute positively to the community receive badges, special privileges, or in-game rewards.
Establish Clear Community Guidelines
Define specific rules for acceptable behavior, covering aspects such as language, harassment, cheating, and respectful interaction. Make these guidelines easily accessible to all players.
Aarathy Sundaresan
Content Marketer , CometChat