Cyberbullying is the usage of electronic communication to bully a person. It may happen through texts, social media platforms, or even gaming. Cyberbullying entails sending, posting, or sharing harmful or mean content about someone. It is very important to talk about cyberbullying. Research shows that 90 percent of gamers reported experiencing cyberbullying in-game. It includes racism, hate speech, and extremist content.
In the modern world, online gaming has become prevalent. The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to this. Adolescents play games on computers, laptops, gaming consoles, tablets, and smartphones. Practically, on any device they have. More online gamers mean more cyberbullies. The calculation is clear. But what can we do to decrease cyberbullying in gaming communities?
Cyberbullying in Online Gaming Communities
Adolescents and adults usually play online games in groups. Thus the opportunity for harassment and bullying of one person is much higher. Also, gamers play anonymously – under nicknames and avatars. It makes them easier to persecute and bother other users.
It often happens that a group of gamers rejects playing with one particular person. Also, when someone doesn’t bring wins for the team, the group can make fun, and even worse – harass and bully them. There is such a thing as doxing. Doxing is a form of cyberbullying. It includes invading the privacy of individuals and their families. It entails leaving addresses, social security, credit card, and phone numbers. Not to mention usernames, passwords, and other private information.
Other forms of cyberbullying in gaming include sending inappropriate and unpleasant content. There’s also hacking, sending malware and viruses, and unauthorized in-game spending. Hacking entails compromising a digital device by gaining illegal access to an account. Malware and viruses are malicious programs or code that can harm a PC. These can also endanger entire networks or servers. Furthermore, unauthorized in-game spending includes making a series of small charges on victims account.
Impact on Student Well-being
Students may experience diverse psychological consequences from cyberbullying. Some of those are anxiety, depression, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Victims usually avoid social contact. They experience a lack of self-esteem. They start to shut in and rarely talk about the situation they are going through. They don’t want to go to school or have trouble concentrating on class. Some of them lose aspirations to study and this greatly affects their grades. It can help if they write a cyberbullying essay to express their feelings and problems. Writing a diary can also be a helpful tool to cope with the pressure within.
Contributing Factors
As we said, anonymity plays the main role in online gaming cyberbullying. Anonymous, players dare to say things they would never say in person. They feel secure behind the glass. Toxic behavior in the gaming community entails harassment in the first place. That includes trolling, calling players offensive names, stalking, and making physical threats. Some gamers are very competitive and they don’t like to lose. This can easily lead to cyberbullying. Players are rivals to each other in most video games. But this rivalry can be toxic too. The desire to win must not influence the player’s behavior toward other users.
A lack of effective moderation can be a fertile ground for cyberbullying. Exposing adolescents to inappropriate content and pornography can hinder their healthy development. Effective content moderation in gaming entails creating a safe and inclusive community. It also includes creating a safe and inclusive community. As well as promoting fair play and competitive integrity. Game developers should enhance the player experience and engagement.
Coping Strategies and Prevention
Setting high privacy measures for your games and apps can prevent cyber harassment. Prevention also entails not clicking on links from strangers. As well as not downloading bots (software for automated tasks). Players should not click random links on gaming forums. They should not share personal information like emails, phone numbers, addresses, and passwords.
Players can use the following coping strategies if they experience cyberbullying. They can block the bully in-game, on social media platforms, and within the gaming community. They can also report the player who is bullying to the game group, platform, or developers. Telling adults and people of trust about bullying problems is also a good idea. Adults should encourage open communication about every issue, especially bullying and cyberbullying. Furthermore, gamers can promote digital empathy and respect. They can reject to participate in the bullying behavior of other players.
Game developers are responsible for strengthening moderation and reporting systems. The reporting system should be as efficient as possible. Solving problems like cyberbullying should be a primary obligation. Colleges can organize educational workshops and lectures about cyberbullying risks. They should place the greatest emphasis on prevention and coping strategies.
Supportive Resources and Services
Victims of cyberbullying in gaming community should not hesitate to seek professional help. They can speak to school psychologists and other counselors. The former victims of cyber harassment are great interlocutors. They know exactly how the sufferer feels. Collaboration between educational institutions and parents is crucial. It plays the main role in creating safer online gaming spaces. Parents should be open to any kind of conversation.
They should also provide support in overcoming the problems of cyberbullying. Institutions can arrange peer-to-peer lectures about cyberbullying. Former victims should talk about their experiences. They can give examples of toxic behavior among gamers. Only together parents and educational institutions can provide prevention and problem-solving.
Conclusion
Cyberbullying has a great impact on students’ well-being. It entails their mental, emotional, and physical state. It can lead to anxiety, depression, self-isolation, lack of self-confidence, and self-esteem. It also influences students’ academic performance. Victims of cyberbullying often experience lack of sleep. They can also have headaches and stomach aches.
Technology companies and game developers try to address cyberbullying. They attempt better protect their users with tools to report online abuse. Yet, they should make access to the reporting systems more efficient. And also increase the penalties for cyber bullies.