Anthem: Bioware Discusses Plans To Combat Toxicity
As with any online environment, there will always be players that take it upon themselves to ruin the fun of others be it out of spite or some twisted sense of enjoyment. Thankfully, developers have stepped up over the years by implementing tools thathelp combat toxic behavior in their online environments. With BioWare’s upcoming online game Anthem arriving, it’s no surprise fans want to know just how the team will be taking on the issue of toxicity. Thankfully the team has spoken out, explaining that the company is well prepared to address the problem.
Within the Anthem subreddit, a Redditor by the name of Hidden_Stapler asked developers what they plan to do to combat in-game toxicity. Senior Systems Designer Chris Schmidt responded, giving a little insight on just how the studio plans to go about the issue of toxicity. He began by explaining that there are a lot of moving parts to consider when talking about this particular issue, the first being the actual catching and punishing of players.
There has been quite a bit of talk about this recently in game development, led by the Fair Play Alliance. There are some great learnings about methods to combat toxicity that have been shared by several studios for the greater good. The tricky part is before you launch the game you don’t really know how much toxicity will surface in your player community.
The approach we have been taking is a proactive one: studying best practices and success stories around the game industry and applying some of those in Anthem. I can’t really speak to details at this point, but I’m working with a holistic plan with the ability to both be proactive and reactive to whatever flavor of community standards settle in around Anthem.
It’s an important issue, and i’m encouraged that game developers are openly talking about it and sharing solutions among the dev community.
Anthem is set to arrive on February 21st of next year for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. It’s good to see that BioWare is taking an active role in maintaining a positive player environment. Are you ready to experience all the upcoming sci-fi title has to offer? Let us know your thoughts on BioWare’s solution to combating toxic behavior in Anthem and more in the comments section below. As always, don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.
Chris Calles1560 Posts
Known as "Stash" or Yippee Calles. He's a student of everything, avid adrenaline junkie, and creator of random things. When he's not delving into a game, book, or movie - He's out teaching himself new things or taking part in some pretty epic adventures. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.
