Inside the Largest Virtual Psychology Lab In the World

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday January 27, 2015 @11:35AM from the encouraging-gamers-to-not-mention-your-mom dept.

bearhuntz writes: Riot Games has been using League of Legends as a psychology lab to run scientific experiments and reduce toxic player behavior for a while now. This article explains some of the experiments they're doing, and what the results have been. "For example, one product is a restricted chat mode that limits the number of messages abusive players can type per match. It’s a temporary punishment that has led to a noticeable improvement in player behavior afterward —on average, individuals who went through a period of restricted chat saw 20 percent fewer abuse reports filed by other players. The restricted chat approach also proved 4 percent more effective at improving player behavior than the usual punishment method of temporarily banning toxic players. Even the smallest improvements in player behavior can make a huge difference in an online game that attracts 67 million players every month."

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first to post Clockwork Orange by turkeydance · 2015-01-27 11:39 · Score: 3, Insightful

ah. that's better.
1. Re:first to post Clockwork Orange by Skidborg · 2015-01-27 17:46 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Why, exactly should Riot Games be obliged to spend their resources supporting a toxic player that their other (profitable) players find distasteful? They have a business to run. Don't pretend that LoL matches are some kind of forum for enlightened and creative thought. It's a game. A game which is made worse for all involved when enraged ranting is allowed to fill the chat in place of useful tactical communication.
  
  --
  Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
2. Re:first to post Clockwork Orange by geminidomino · 2015-01-28 04:15 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Except it's not terribly insightful, nor is it particularly truthful. There's a big gap between "abridging freedom of speech" and "not giving assholes a platform for their bullshit." Let them provide their own, with hookers and blackjack, etc.etc.
  It's not any different dropping spammers and that asshole who keeps trying to dictionary attack your SSH teergrube into a blocklist: crying "censorship" because you get smacked down for behaving like a tit isn't "insightful," it just makes you look like a 12 year old.