The Video Game Industry Is Finally Getting Serious About Player Safety

In 2025 we will enter a new era of security in creating our digital playgrounds.

Online gaming is a place where billions of people around the world gather to play, socialize and relax. However, they are also places where people tend to be harassed, hate speech, and prepare for violence and explore sexual issues. Today, many online game players claim to be a target or witness one or more of these. The 2024 report is available 82 percent of players say they have been directly abused, and 88 percent show evidence of some kind of so-called “poisoning”. Sexual harassment and hate speech are very common, and more than 70 percent of gamers say they have witnessed these behaviors while playing.

In extreme cases, players face violations of their privacy and their right to life, for example, when their personal information is maliciously shared online with the intention of threatening, which is called doxxing. In early 2024, for example, an they created a hate campaign He started against the design of the studio Sweet Baby Inc. Believed to be pushing an “awakening process” in the sport with their advice, their staff received numerous rape and death threats.

There are a number of reasons why sport has become associated with hatred and racism. More important, however, is the lack of industry expertise. For example, video games and they are often on the sidelines for discussions on cyber security. Proprietary data is ownerand (understandably) no company wants to be the first to speak publicly about online harm and security issues. Sports are also, at the end of the day, businesses. Talking about a person’s weaknesses may not be something that gets the owners help.

However, in 2025, we will begin to see corporate efforts to prioritize security. Some of these changes will be due to the power of the government. Although video games have not been mentioned in the regulatory discussions, they are seen in some of the new products that have been launched recently. For example, a Digital Services Act in the European Union requires gaming companies that operate there to provide transparent reports about online harm within their premises and the effectiveness of their tools to deal with them. For the first time, this will allow the company to be informed of all the methods and performance of the game.

In 2025, we will again start to see the results of what the game industry is trying to control. Over the past few years, there have been many trust and security initiatives led by individual gaming companies from a natural, corporate approach. For example, in 2024 we saw the release of Digital Thriving Playbook from the Thriving in Games Group, which provides training materials and step-by-step instructions for game developers on how to create sustainable environments, as well as reliable and safe practices in games. It also includes guidelines for maintaining content and community management, as well as working with design, building trust, and building quality in gaming communities.

Last year saw another success, with the partnership between Epic Games and the International Age Rating Coalition creating world-renowned ratings for all user-generated content Fortnite. Previously, content created by players was not rated, leaving users to guess their age from their name, photo, and description. The integration of a rating system for user-generated content will allow players (and parents) to make informed decisions about what to play and how to play it. In 2025, some game developers will follow suit to help players make informed choices about which (out of billions of pieces) of user-generated content is safe and appropriate for them to engage with.

To be clear, a safe community does not mean that there is no danger. Hate, violence, and any other harm online will always exist. But in 2025, the video game industry will have coordinated measures to better protect players from injury. As the largest media sector in the world, the video game industry has been slow to act, and to prioritize player safety and well-being. As I see it, 2025 promises to be a revolutionary year that sets a new level of security in our digital playground.