Panel: From Toxicity to Dignity (How Gamers Create a Communication Space)
Toxicity is so widespread in our online communities, it is hard to imagine a future without it. Multiplayer gaming is no different, but our research points to a solution: gamers are designers! For the love of the game and for self-preservation, many gamers bypass existing tools, and instead stitch together the safe spaces and friendly online communities they need. Utilizing a jumble of communication tools, gamers choose when to hide or reveal layers of their personal identities based on comfort level. Gamers are already designing systems with flexible, activity-based self-representation as a route to safer online communication–as designers and researchers, we can look to them for solutions to toxicity management in online spaces.
From this panel, you will learn:
- Gamers are already designing for their own dignity in online spaces.
- As designers, we need to listen to what gamers (and users) are telling us.
- Identity is at the core of how people communicate in online spaces.
- Expressing yourself online puts you at risk for marginalization, racism, sexism, and other toxic behavior.
- Dignity means designing tools to allow for identity expression while ensuring a safe space for our users.
- Design Anthropology help understand problems users encounter to go beyond surface-level fixes.