We’re Getting a Sequel to a Game So Toxic That 86 Percent of Players Have Been Harassed

86 percent. Wow. I still can’t believe that statistic is real. Like, I’ve heard more than enough abusive and derogatory comments over voice to know online harassment is a common occurrence in first-person shooters. But wow, nearly 100 percent of players have experienced harassment while playing just one game? What the hell?

It’s true. Earlier this year, Valve announced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is getting a sequel, Counter-Strike 2, slated for summer 2023. While the summer is just about over, a new tweet from the official CS2 Twitter account (sorry, the official X account) implied we might just see Counter-Strike 2’s official launch next Wednesday or Thursday.

However, you might want to keep your mic off in CS2—or outright mute voice and text chat altogether. According to a survey report from both the Anti-Defamation League and gaming industry research group Newzoo, 86 percent of adult players reported that they experienced some form of harassment while playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

White supremacists on Counter-Strike?

While Riot Games’ League of Legends saw the sharpest year-over-year increase for harassment experienced by adult gamers (up 16 percent from 2021), Counter-Strike led as the game with the highest harassment rate in 2022’s survey, up from 74 percent in 2021. CS competitor Valorant stood second at an 84 percent harassment rate, followed by PUBG: Battlegrounds at 83 percent, 81 percent of League users, and 80 percent of Call of Duty players.

Valve also appeared on the list for a second time thanks to League competitor Dota 2, which saw an alarming 76 percent harassment rate among adult players (which, granted, is a drop from 2021’s 78 percent).

On the bright side, Counter-Strike isn’t nearly as toxic for young players as Valorant; only 61 percent of players aged 13 to 17 reported harassment in CS:GO, compared to 85 percent of Valorant gamers.

Still, Counter-Strike remains an incredibly toxic experience for players across ages, not just adults. It’s also a game where young kids are being exposed to far-right ideologies, too. According to the ADL and Newzoo survey, 29 percent of adult CS:GO players encountered some form of white supremacist rhetoric while playing Counter-Strike, as did 31 percent of kids aged 10 to 12. Valve also led for exposure to white supremacist rhetoric among players aged 13 to 17, as 29 percent of Dota 2 players experienced this kind of far-right content from other players.

Valve clearly needs to do better with community moderation. But don’t expect any changes in Counter-Strike 2. While the developer has touted all sorts of nifty new competitive gameplay features, like a better rank system, swanky new smoke physics, and a couple changes to the game’s netcode (that are likely still subpar), Valve remains radio silent on tools for combating harassment and abuse. Despite the fact that, you know, every Counter-Strike player knows the game’s community has a toxicity issue.

Valve might not be taking any new steps to halt that 86 percent harassment rate in CS, but it’s not exactly the company’s fault that harassment runs amok in Counter-Strike. The whole entire gaming industry has a problem with online abuse in multiplayer games. Across games, 77 percent of adult respondents to the ADL and Newzoo’s 2022 survey said they faced some form of extreme harassment. And abuse against Jewish, Latinx, and Muslim players went up in 2022. Even Minecraft had a 53 percent harassment rate among adults.

But still. Why bother playing the sequel to a game where 86 percent of players are having a shitty time?

(featured image: Fox)