Player toxicity remains a major problem in video gaming and many studios are doing everything to reduce this problem. Ubisoft is contributing via the Fair Play Program, a new platform launched today and now available on Ubisoft Connect.
It's designed to increase awareness of disruptive behaviors present in the gaming community. It's also a way for players to recognize their own triggers and how they can better understand the roots of those behaviors so they could overcome them.
The program is composed of five learning capsules with nine videos, one quiz, one self-assessment, and one commitment, which take around 25 minutes to complete. The modules are planned to help players understand situations that cause negative behaviors, the behaviors themselves, and of course, the impact they have on others.
One main feature of the Fair Play Program is to teach by example instead of providing an exact definition of what toxic behaviors are, leaving no room for nuance. The videos showcase disruptive behavior that's expected to help players think differently about their own interactions while playing. There are also tools which players can use if they are exposed to disruptive behaviors.
The Fair Play Program is projected to benefit players of all genres, from multiplayer FPS to single-player RPG. Ubisoft hopes that players think of the program as something that can be used both in gaming and in everyday digital interaction.
In a statement, director of player safety at Ubisoft Jeremy Marchadier shared that in coming up with this new program, they noticed that negative behaviors in gaming had an extremely disruptive effect. He added that in studies they looked into, players understood that cheating was a disruptive behavior since it means not playing by the same rules. However, there are also other forms of disruptive behavior like talking offensively in chat or harassing other players, he continued.
For Marchadier, this new program will spread some of the seeds to help people understand the root cause of being disruptive. He admitted that "we don't have a glossary," which means it's all about the positive conduct expected from communities. Once players finish watching the videos and completing the assessment, they're given the chance to sign a commitment to act appropriately and promote positive behaviors in Ubisoft games.
What do you think about this move by Ubisoft?
