Suspecting Sarcasm: How League of Legends Players Dismiss Positive Communication in Toxic Environments

• DOI: 10.1145/3611020
• Publication Date: 2023-10-04T15:28:28Z
• Authors: Susanne Poeller; Martin Johannes D...; Madison Klarkowski; Regan L. Mandryk
• Keywords: Sarcasm; Blame; Negativity effect

Toxicity in multiplayer gaming is an ongoing problem that threatens the well-being of players, communities, and game developers. Meanwhile, interventions promote positive interactions proactively create spaces are still their infancy; little known about how players respond to positivity. In our study, 959 League Legends were presented with either 10 chat logs or negative logs, asked reflect on content representative such communication own experiences. We thematically coded participants' free-form answers (identifying themes normalize, acknowledge, downplay, cope, blame, make personal), compared conditions terms theme prevalence. Our findings show participants more likely normalize acknowledge toxic negativity than Furthermore, dominant response positivity consisted downplaying messages as not rare, even expressing suspicion must have been fabricated intended sarcasm. Participants overwhelmingly cope by muting chat, protecting them from interactions, but leaving unexposed other beneficial social within play.