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NSFW: New Research Looks At Hate Speech On Xbox Live
If you're a white, 18-to-35-year-old male with a nondescript Xbox Live Gamertag, then you probably face a fairly normal, more or less manageable amount of harassment when playing multiplayer games. But a new study proves what I'm sure comes as no shock to gamers familiar with Xbox Live's rowdy reputation: The more upfront you are with your gender, race, sexuality, or religion the more your online opponents will scream at you about it.
This study originates from the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab, where a group of gamers changed their Xbox Live screennames to PROUD_2B_MUSLIM, GayPride90, and Black_N_Proud90 while playing Halo Reach to see how other players reacted.
The study also finds some sexist insanity on the forums for League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and Defense of the Ancients.
You can see this study's results for yourself in the video below, which was showcased during PAX East. In all seriousness, though, given the subject matter there is some extremely harsh language used here. If you're at all sensitive to hate speech or swear words, do not watch it.
Also, a personal request: If you're one of the idiots saying the stupid nonsense being spewed in these case studies, or if you've ever said anything similar on a forum or during a multiplayer game, just stop. Everyone deserves better, including you.
[via Kotaku]
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