Gaming

Online gaming in 2021: A new survey of gamers shows toxicity, misogyny, and a lack of effective moderation risks becoming normalized

Published

5 years ago

November 11, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A new joint report by consumer research platform PickFu and AI-based moderation specialist Utopia Analytics finds 70% of online gamers have experienced or witnessed harassment while playing games online. The majority of experienced abuse towards women was reported as misogynistic

Consumer research platform PickFu and AI-based moderation specialist Utopia Analytics have partnered to publish a report based on insights drawn from 1,000 U.S.-based gamers, which lays bare the concerning state of online gaming in 2021.

The report, Playing games online in 2021: Toxicity, misogyny and missing moderation, asked gamers to share their first-hand experiences of toxicity in online games. It found that 38% have been the direct target of abusive remarks from other gamers, and a further 32% had witnessed abuse but had not endured it themselves. In total, a worrying 70% of the gamers polled had been negatively affected by the behavior of other gamers.

With the levels of abuse and toxicity across social media reaching endemic levels, toxicity in games is still represented in the mainstream media as something affecting only a minority of gamers playing ‘hardcore’ FPS titles such as Counter Strike or Call of Duty. However, the experiences of the gamers polled in this report suggest that online abuse is far more widespread, and effective moderation of game communities and online play is sorely lacking.

Key findings include:

Nearly half (49%) of the toxic behavior towards respondents centered around their personal or perceived identity, including factors such as ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.
Of the 49%:
- 37% said they had been verbally harassed in an online game specifically because of their gender
- 31% had been harassed because of their ethnicity
- 32% had received harassment due to their sexual orientation
30% of the 489 women polled – almost one in three – said they had experienced abuse and toxicity when gaming online
- Of this 30%, the majority (72%) said the abuse was misogynistic. By comparison, none of the male respondents reported any gender-based discrimination or abuse
MMO RPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games) were the most toxic game genre according to our respondents. More than half reported witnessing or experiencing toxicity while playing these games.

“People turn to gaming to escape, assuming the virtual worlds they enter will be safe and fun. The reality, in gamers’ own words, is that these negative interactions significantly impact their mental health and enjoyment of games. This should be a wake-up call for the industry to make gaming a safe space for everyone,” said John Li, co-founder of PickFu.

“With so many people turning to games as a way to get through a year of lockdowns and upheaval, there is a risk that many of these new players will be bitterly disappointed if we cannot do more to reduce the ability of this toxic minority to disrupt the enjoyment of the majority, and as an industry take the issue of moderation far more seriously,” said Dr. Mari-Sanna Paukkeri, CEO of Utopia Analytics.

Using PickFu’s online platform, the poll collected feedback from 1,000 U.S.-based adults between ages 18–74 who self-identify as gamers across console, PC, and mobile platforms. The poll collected responses from May 6, 2021, to June 5, 2021. The data was analyzed jointly by PickFu and Utopia Analytics

Gaming

Geckos Games Launches Momentum – The Most Adrenaline-Charged Live Sports Game Ever Built

Published

1 hour ago

June 16, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

geckos-games-launches-momentum-–-the-most-adrenaline-charged-live-sports-game-ever-built

Geckos Games launched Momentum, a patent-pending real-time sports prediction game unlike anything in the market. THRILLZZ Free Social Sportsbook gone live as the exclusive launch partner on the opening day of the world’s biggest Soccer tournament.

Five Minutes. One Question. Pure Adrenaline.

Every five minutes of a live match, Momentum asks players one question: which team has the Momentum right now? Not who will win the game. Not what the final score will be. Who has the upper hand – this minute, on this pitch – based on every pass, attack, and pressure play happening in real time.

Makes it different from anything that has come before: the Momentum shift on a single event. A yellow card. A saved shot. A dangerous run. Every on-field event recalculates the balance – and players watch their position move with it in real time. It is not a black box. Players see each event land inside the game – the moment it happens on the pitch.

Then comes the timer. As the five-minute window counts down to zero, the tension becomes almost unbearable. Players who are in the win zone are watching every second, knowing a single event in the dying moments can flip everything. The last few seconds of every round are unlike anything else in sports gaming – raw, unscripted, impossible to put down.

Zero Latency. Official Data. Real Stakes.

Momentum is powered by an official match data with zero latency. Every event flows instantly into the game engine. There is no delay, no approximation. What players see is what is happening on the field right now.

This is not a simulation. It is not a simplified model. It is live sport, translated into a game in real time and that distinction is everything.

The post Geckos Games Launches Momentum – The Most Adrenaline-Charged Live Sports Game Ever Built appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Conferences

Xsolla joins Gamesforum Hamburg 2026 with D2C commerce keynote and panel

Published

7 days ago

June 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

xsolla-joins-gamesforum-hamburg-2026-with-d2c-commerce-keynote-and-panel

Xsolla will take part in Gamesforum Hamburg 2026 on June 9–10 at NORD EVENT Panoramadeck in Hamburg, Germany, with Jane Startseva, Vice President of Business Development, EMEA, scheduled for a keynote and a panel focused on direct-to-consumer (D2C) web shops and measurement.

On June 9 at 10:00 AM, Startseva is set to join Adam Smart, Global Director of Product – Gaming at AppsFlyer, for a 30-minute keynote titled “Web Shops and Attribution: Closing the Revenue Gap.” The session will focus on how developers track revenue performance for web shops and how attribution impacts user acquisition targets and growth planning, according to the company.

Later that day at 4:30 PM, Startseva will appear on a panel titled “The Belonging Economy: How Mobile Games Build Value Through Player Relationships” alongside Oliver Lindahl, Strategist & Behavioural Scientist at Sagely, and Pedro Alvin, Marketing Lead at Supercell. Xsolla said the discussion will cover player messaging, store optimization, new monetization opportunities, and trust in out-of-game purchase experiences.

“Being an Exclusive Global Partner of the Gamesforum series reflects how seriously Xsolla takes the European games market and the developers building here,” said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Xsolla. “The shift to direct-to-consumer commerce is one of the most important things happening in this industry. Showing up at events like Hamburg, with partners like AppsFlyer, is how we help the industry move the conversation forward and build D2C businesses on a foundation video game studios and developers can actually measure.”

The post Xsolla joins Gamesforum Hamburg 2026 with D2C commerce keynote and panel appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Amusnet

Amusnet Brings Football Passion to New Heights with Stoichkov #8 Crash Edition

Published

1 week ago

June 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

amusnet-brings-football-passion-to-new-heights-with-stoichkov-#8-crash-edition

Feel the intensity of the stadium lights and the thrill of split-second decisions with Stoichkov #8 Crash Edition, a high-energy crash game from Amusnet where football excitement and rising multipliers collide. Inspired by legendary football icon Hristo Stoichkov, this adrenaline-fuelled experience places players right at the heart of the action, where instinct, timing and courage define every round.

From kickoff, the tension builds fast. Players place their wager and watch as the multiplier begins climbing higher and higher, increasing with every passing second. The challenge is simple but intense: cash out before the multiplier crashes. Wait too long, and the opportunity disappears in an instant.

Adding a strategic twist to the gameplay, the 50% Cash Out feature allows players to secure half of their progress mid-round while leaving the rest in play. It creates a dynamic balance between cautious play and daring ambition, turning every decision into a defining moment on the virtual pitch.

Driven by a Provably Fair algorithm, every round delivers transparent gameplay and unpredictable excitement, ensuring that each multiplier rise feels authentic and engaging. Combined with energetic visuals, football-inspired design and the unmistakable presence of the football legend Hristo Stoichkov himself, the game captures the emotion and pressure of a decisive match moment.

Fast-paced, competitive and packed with atmosphere, Stoichkov #8 Crash Edition transforms every round into a battle of nerves where football spirit meets high-voltage crash action. The whistle has blown, the crowd is roaring and the next legendary moment is only seconds away.

Multipliers

The game starts with a multiplier set at 1x and rises gradually and can go up to a max coefficient of 1,000,000. Multiplier can potentially crash at 1x, ending the game round.

50% Cash Out

Players can cash out 50% of their bet during the game round and continue playing with the remaining 50%.

Gamble

Play the game and multiply the winnings through the Gambling feature.

Jackpot Cards

The Jackpot Cards bonus game is triggered at random during the gameplay to allow players to win impressive jackpots.

The post Amusnet Brings Football Passion to New Heights with Stoichkov #8 Crash Edition appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.