"Pls Uninstall": On the Interplay of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Toxic Player Behavior in Competitive Gaming

Win or lose---the beauty of competitive games lies in the challenge, accompanied by the rush of adrenaline. Unfortunately, another loyal companion is toxic player behavior, which can ruin a game even before the winner is decided. Yet what happens when opponents suddenly face a much more dangerous, common enemy in the form of a pandemic outbreak? Does such a situation act as common ground, uniting the players and increasing their social awareness? Or do players abuse the game (and other players) even more to release their frustration caused by the pandemic? The results of our ongoing work support the latter hypothesis: in most competitive games, players perceive a notable increase of toxicity, which is an alarming sign and a clear call for more detailed explorations.