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Inside the Largest Virtual Psychology Lab In the World

Posted by Soulskill on 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."

6 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. first to post Clockwork Orange by turkeydance · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ah. that's better.

    1. Re:first to post Clockwork Orange by blue+trane · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Why can't you just use an /ignore function? Why impose your idea of what is abusive on everyone else? We have the technology to implement censorship at the client, without forcing prior restraint upon anyone.

    2. Re:first to post Clockwork Orange by Skidborg · · 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.

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      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
    3. Re:first to post Clockwork Orange by geminidomino · · 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.

  2. Re:I doubt it by zippthorne · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A/B testing is using feedback from your users to determine how to configure your product so that it is most useful to them. What LoL seems to be doing is using feedback from their product to change the users to be more useful...

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    Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  3. Oh man, I'd hate to see how your kids turn out. by Sowelu · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...addressing the common theme in the above comments collectively. Trying to make people act less anti-social, in a privately run setting, is horrible censorship and a terrible evil? Trying to get people to act civilly is more unethical than telling people to kill themselves? Are you serious? I hope you don't take that approach raising kids, or managing workers. Jesus Christ.