Introduction to Disruptive Behaviors

Disruptive behaviors are actions that undermine digital thriving. They can be mitigated, and even avoided, through proactive design that empowers individuals, groups, and communities.  

What are disruptive behaviors?

Disruptive behaviors are generally the kinds of actions people DON’T want to see in digital spaces. Though not an exhaustive list, disruptive behavior can include:

• Competitive harm — Undermining competitive integrity by cheating, match-fixing, intentional feeding, etc.
• Direct harm — Intentionally targeting a specific person or group with harm. Includes harassment, sexual harassment, hate speech, and more. 
• Disruptive communications — Using communication tools to pester, bother, annoy, grief, or otherwise inhibit another player’s enjoyment. 
• Disruptive play — Acting in ways that are antithetical to a game’s intended spirit, and are unprompted or retaliatory. For example, rage quitting and body blocking. 
• Fraudulent activity — Acting in ways intended to deceive others. Includes using stolen credit cards and employee impersonation. 
• Inappropriate sharing — Sharing sexual, graphic, violent, or illegal content.

For a more complete breakdown, see Disruption and Harm in Online Gaming Framework.

Are we talking about toxicity?

Not exactly — and exactness is a big part of the problem. In terms of design, “toxicity” is problematic for a number of reasons:

• “Toxicity” is too broad — You can’t target “toxicity” because it means too many things. You always have to get more specific. 
• “Toxicity” is too subjective — Is trash talking okay? 
• “Toxicity” is symptomatic — What many consider bad behavior is often due to situational constraints which stem from design.  

For practical purposes, we generally say “disruptive behavior” and “harmful conduct” instead of toxicity because these don’t have the same challenges outlined above. 

See Disruption and Harm in Online Gaming Framework for more information. 

What does disruptive behavior mean to developers?

Disruptive behavior is simply bad for business. As a developer, it’s in your best interest to take proactive steps to address disruptive behavior and its byproducts:

• Churn — Disruptive behavior will drive players away and you’ll lose revenue. 
• Costly support — Reacting to disruptive behavior gets expensive. You will likely need a sizable investment in everything from evaluation systems to support staff.
• Negative reputation — Though it may be inaccurate and unfair, a “toxic” reputation is a difficult one to shake. 

Game developers should:

• Reduce unintended social friction that can lead to disruptive behavior early in design.
• Promote prosocial behavior through design, narrative, communication, and more.
• Set clear expectations for what good behavior looks like. 
• Be ready to intervene on players’ behalf where necessary.
• Provide players with tools that give them at least some agency over disruption. 

What does agency over disruption look like?

To know whether you’ve adequately equipped your audience to handle disruptive behavior, consider the following success and warning signs:

Now what?

Continue reading about other kinds of behavior in Introduction to Productive Behaviors.

References

• Fair Play Alliance / Anti-Defamation League. (2020). Disruption and Harms in Online Gaming Framework.