Destructive or “toxic” behaviors in online gaming have received increased attention in recent years. These are forms of verbal harassment or behavioral misconduct which disrupt another’s experience of the game. While previous explanations have explained toxic behaviors as intentional acts of deviant individuals or a larger online “trickster” culture, this article provides empirical support for a recent “tilt”-based explanation in the literature. Toxic behavior is seen as situated within and emergent from specific social contexts—as a spur-of-the-moment loss of control (associated with the term “tilt”), triggered by contextual factors within the game. Based on interview data on the popular multiplayer game League of Legends, it is shown how weak normative and relational structures within a gaming context can lead to negative emotions in players, prompting toxic behaviors. Avenues for future research and implications for improving online social spaces are discussed.

中文翻译：

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倾斜的结构：理解在线游戏中的“有毒”行为


近年来，在线游戏中的破坏性或“有毒”行为受到越来越多的关注。这些是言语骚扰或不当行为的形式，会扰乱他人的游戏体验。虽然之前的解释将有毒行为解释为异常个体的故意行为或更大的在线“骗子”文化，但本文为最近文献中基于“倾斜”的解释提供了实证支持。有毒行为被视为位于特定社会环境中并从特定社会环境中产生——作为由游戏中的环境因素触发的一时冲动的失控（与术语“倾斜”相关）。基于流行的多人游戏《英雄联盟》的采访数据表明，游戏环境中薄弱的规范和关系结构会如何导致玩家产生负面情绪，从而引发有毒行为。讨论了未来研究的途径以及改善在线社交空间的影响。