Sandra Sanmartín Feijóo, MSCA DOROTHY COFUND fellow at the University of Galway (Ireland) and the University of Antwerp (Belgium).

The following research work was presented at the 14th EUSPR Conference, which took place in Sarajevo in 2023.

A collaboration between researchers at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), DCU Anti-Bullying Centre, and Cognitive and Affective Regulation Lab (CARLA) from the University of Lausanne, analysed the potential link between online toxic behaviour in video games and higher rates of school bullying.

The empirical study was carried out in Galicia, a northern region of Spain known for its delicious cuisine and breathtaking landscapes. A sample of 8,817 post-primary students was collected through the collaboration of 59 schools. Their ages ranged from 12 to 18, with an average age of 14.71 years (give or take a few growth spurts, Standard Deviation = 1.84), and they represented a diverse mix of genders, with 49.8% identifying as male, 47.2% as female and 3% as other identities. Data were collected using an online survey including items on toxic gaming behaviours, while the European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (EBIPQ) was used to screen for school bullying. The EBIPQ helps identify three distinct bullying profiles: those who are solely targets, those who are solely perpetrators, and those who have experienced both victimisation and perpetration (known as bully-victims).

The findings were anything but child’s play. A sizable portion of gamers—40.2% to be exact—admitted to being on the receiving end of insults while gaming online, while 28.6% confessed to dishing them out themselves. Additionally, 42.7% of respondents pointed fingers at fellow players for toxic behaviour via reporting them in-app, with 15.2% facing penalties for their own misdeeds. When it came to school bullying, 20.7% found themselves being targeted, 4% were perpetrators, and 14.8% were bully-victims.

 

The study uncovered significantly higher rates of bullying victimisation and perpetration among those who experience and/or engage in gaming toxicity. Those who are not involved in school bullying tend to experience less toxic behaviours, while targets and perpetrators were more likely to find themselves embroiled in online toxicity. Bully-victims appear to have the highest rates of victimization in video games. However, even those who aren’t involved in school bullying may still experience the sting of online vitriol, with a third of players non-involved in bullying reporting at least one of the toxic behaviours explored.

Although these findings align with prior research pointing out the pervasiveness of toxic behaviour, it’s important to note that toxic online disinhibition is only part of the whole story. Perpetrators in video games are more likely to be perpetrators offline as well. This underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to violence prevention, one that addresses aggression in all its forms, online and offline.

Moreover, the research team performed a correspondence analysis that confirmed that targets and those not involved in school bullying profiles were closer to targets of video game victimization, while perpetrators and especially bully-victims showed higher correspondence with toxic gaming behaviour perpetration. The perpetration roles were even closer among themselves than the victimization roles were. This echoes previous findings on “trans-contextual aggression”, suggesting that bullying perpetrators might moonlight as video game villains, and vice versa. It’s a sobering reminder of the interconnectedness of our social spheres, as a potential explanation could be that aggression would transfer from one setting to the other if they are playing with their classmates or other acquaintances. Perpetrators may expand the reach of school bullying while their targets may potentially retaliate through the online setting.

Finally, although the prevention of trans-contextual aggression requires a holistic approach, it is also important to take concrete actions in the specific context where different aggressions occur. Schools need to have anti-bullying policies in place and it has been recommended that we move away from individual preventive efforts and adopt a comprehensive ‘whole-education’ approach that involves all stakeholders in education, not just individual schools. Similarly, it’s imperative to consider the entire gaming setting in a comprehensive approach to tackle toxic behaviours. While the gaming industry has taken steps to curb unruly behaviour, implementing report systems to weed out troublemakers and reduce online toxicity, players constantly find loopholes to evade detection. Perhaps a dual approach, combining incentives for positive behaviour with consequences for misconduct, could foster a more harmonious gaming environment.

The research team is currently crafting a paper to document and share their findings in detail, but they would be keen to receive inputs and answer any questions. Do not hesitate to contact Dr. Sandra Sanmartín Feijóo at sandra.sanmartinfeijoo[at]universityofgalway.ie.

 

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