Video games get rated for their in-game content, not their online community. So we surveyed hundreds gamers in the biggest gaming communities to create the Toxicity Rating. The world's first rating system for online gaming.
We're on a mission to create a gaming community where everyone feels welcome
And no one has to hear racist language while they play
Be an ally in the fight against racism in gaming
Together we can get game developers to take real action
The end game:
We want Activision and other game developers to come to the table and work with us to make getting racism out of gaming a top priority. This means more transparent reporting, tougher enforcement for in-game racism, and regular engagement with community members.
Help fight racism in gaming:
1) Watch streamers playing Call of Duty on Twitch
2) If you hear racist language in the background of the stream, clip it using Twitch’s built-in clip function
3) DM us a link of the clip on Twitter
@HelpKeepWatch
to make an anonymous submission
Muting racist language is not a real solution. It just masks the problem instead of solving it and forces already marginalized gamers to accept a worse gaming experience. We want to work with game developers to create meaningful change that goes beyond the mute button.
The goal is to show game developers how widespread racist language is in their games. We don’t want to target any gamers individually and are asking all submissions to be DM’d to us so no bullying takes place. Let’s come together as a community to get racism out of gaming.
Trash talking is a part of gaming, but racist language and abuse crosses the line. We don’t want to choose what you can or can’t say, we just want to help
@CallofDuty
enforce their existing rules against racism and encourage them to take enforcement more seriously.
Racist language doesn’t belong anywhere, but it’s everywhere in gaming. Help us build our case to game developers and encourage them to do more to address racism in their games by sending us clips of racist language you hear on Twitch.
Don’t let racism hide behind a headset. Join The Watch and get racism out of gaming. Just watch Twitch, clip racist language when you hear it in the background of a stream, and send it to us here. Together, let’s show game developers they need to take real action.
Answer the call to get racism off
@CallofDuty
. Just watch Twitch, clip racism when you hear it in the background of a stream, and DM it to us. Together we can show game developers like
@Activision
they need to do more to address racism in gaming.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
@dadogg0
@CallofDuty
There are lots of different types of toxic behavior in gaming, but we're focused on the most prevalent form of harassment to start. We won’t turn away clips of other forms of abuse, but right now our focus is on combatting racism.
What's even worse? Hearing racist language while you play. But racism doesn't have to be a part of
@CallofDuty
culture. DM us if you want to help get racism out of gaming together.
The
#CODfessions
no one wants to speak about is the culture of racism that has grown in games like
@CallofDuty
. Here’s a thread of just a few of the instances that happen every day in CoD.
And over 80% of those gamers get harassed while they play. That’s why we started The Watch: a community watch fighting racism in gaming.
To join our mission, just watch Twitch, clip racism when you hear it in the background of a stream, and DM it to us.
Change is happening.
@CallofDuty
is listening. By continuing to collaborate with the CoD community to develop concrete changes, together, we can get racism out of gaming.
.
@JakeSucky
moments like this are why we started The Watch: a community watch fighting racism in gaming. We want to encourage game developers to take real action by showing them how widespread racist language is in games. DM us to see how you can help get racism out of gaming.
Coverage of our mission continues. Thanks to
@WSJ
for your work uncovering the culture of racism in Call of Duty with a quote from our founder
@Anzy_aa
Hey
@cecianasta
we are The Watch: a community watch fighting racism in gaming. Together we can encourage game developers like
@Activision
to take real action against racism in their games. DM us to see how you can help.
Allies are joining our mission. We’re proud to announce
@afrogameuses
, a French community of black female gamers and professionals, are now official members of The Watch and supporters of the fight to get racism out of gaming.
How much longer until we get:
✅ A more transparent and effective reporting process
✅ Tougher enforcement for in-game racism
✅ Regular engagement with the community
✅ A clear plan to combat racism in
@CallofDuty
#CODNEXT
Hey
@MikeIsaac
Gaming has a racism problem. Don’t believe us? Just look at our page. If you want to join our fight to get racism out of gaming, DM us and let’s talk about how to spread the word.
The more people are tired of hearing racist language on
@CallofDuty
, the less active users there will be.
@Activision
– let’s bring gamers back to the games they love by fighting racism in gaming together. DM us to see how we can help.
Activision monthly active users over the last year:
June 2021: 127 million
September 2021: 119 million
December 2021: 107 million
March 2022: 100 million
June 2022: 94 million
This is what goes into making a new
#ModernWarfare2
character. What can we do to get the racist language out of the game?
@Activision
DM us if you want to talk to people who have experienced racism while playing first-hand, and let's stop it together.
This fight is too big to take on alone. We’re also joining forces with
@mayamada
, who has pledged to get racism out of gaming as a member of The Watch. With more organizations on board, our movement has never been stronger.
Hey
@benfritz
gaming has a racism problem. Don’t believe us? Just look at our page. If you want to join our fight to get racism out of gaming, DM us and let’s talk about how to spread the word.
@BepDelta
The goal of this campaign is to show game developers how widespread racist language is in their games. We don’t want to target any gamers individually and we are asking all submissions to be DM’d to us
@HelpKeepWatch
so no bullying takes place.
@cmvalentineb
@CallofDuty
There are lots of different types of toxic behavior in gaming, but we’re focused on the most prevalent form of harassment to start. We won’t turn away clips of other forms of abuse, but right now our focus is on combatting racism.
New game. Same racist language.
@KaiCenat
we saw your encounter with racists on
#ModernWarfare2
. Want to help get rid of racism in gaming for good? Join The Watch and let’s show game developers they need to do more to address racist language in their games.
Hey
@MikeIsaac
love your work covering
@Activision
for the
@nytimes
. Here’s another story just waiting to be broken: the culture of racism in games like
@CallofDuty
. DM us to learn how you can help.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Why do gaming updates fix bugs but not racism? Join The Watch and get racism out of gaming by encouraging game developers to take enforcement of racist language more seriously.
🛠️ A small
#Warzone
update has gone live!
Includes Bug Fixes for Fortune's Keep exploits, AI targeting Trophy Systems, and empty Loadouts when digging for buried treasure.
The Season Four Patch Notes have been amended:
.
@Ubisoft
and
@riotgames
make unlikely allies. But they are coming together in the fight against racism in gaming. Excited to see where this partnership goes from here.
🤝 We’re excited to share
@Ubisoft
's partnership with
@riotgames
!
🎮 Together, we hope to improve AI-based moderation tools that aim to keep players safe, while sustaining privacy.
For more info on the collaboration ➡
via
@MobileSyrup
Hey
@Megan_Nicolett
racism in gaming may not be new, but it’s definitely news. DM us to learn more about how we’re fighting racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
and how you can help.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Hey
@The_Katbot
racism in gaming is an underreported story that’s long overdue for investigation. That’s why we started The Watch, a community watch fighting racism in gaming. DM us to see how you can help show game developers like
@Activision
they need to do more.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Hey
@saraheneedleman
we are The Watch: a community watch fighting racism in gaming. Together we can encourage game developers like
@Activision
to take real action against racism in their games. DM us to see how you can help.
From
#TwitchCon
to Toronto, the word is spreading that racist language has no place in games. Check out this report from
@CityNewsTO
on how The Watch is fighting racism in gaming.
Hey
@tomwarren
there’s a culture of racism that has grown in games like
@CallofDuty
for years. DM us to learn more about how we’re getting racist language out of gaming and how you can help.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Hey
@PaulTassi
racist language lives on in online games. Want to help get rid of it for good? DM us to see how we’re fighting racism in gaming by showing developers they need to do more.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Hey
@duckvalentine
the biggest story in gaming has been under our ears this whole time. Want to get racism out of games like
@CallofDuty
? DM us and see how you can help.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Why we are focused just on racism:
Harassment in gaming takes many forms, including homophobia and misogyny, but we want to focus on just one to start. We won’t turn away clips of other types of abuse, but right now our goal is to show how widespread racism is in gaming.
Hey
@saraheneedleman
racist language has gone unchecked in games like
@CallofDuty
for far too long. DM us to learn more about how we’re fighting racism in gaming and how you can help.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Hey
@RealJtHolmes
we heard about the racism you encountered on
@CallOfDuty
. It’s been in games like this for far too long. Join The Watch and let's get game developers to do more to get the racist language out of their games.
Hey
@Kellen_Browning
here’s a story that could use a reporter like you: the culture of racism in games like
@CallofDuty
. DM us to hear how you can help get racism out of gaming.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Why growing thicker skin is not enough:
Muting your mic or ignoring abuse is a commonly suggested solution used to maintain the status quo. Or worse, it enables people to say vile, racist things and the minute you call them out on it, you are accused of not having thick skin.
Doing nothing changes nothing. If developers and policy makers won’t act, gamers must take on the fight themselves. Join The Watch and get racism out of gaming.
Hey
@cecianasta
gaming has a racism problem, but publishers have the power to change their games for the better. DM us to see how you can help convince developers to take real action and get racism out of gaming.
Stopping racism in gaming starts with recognizing there’s a problem. But the culture of racist language in games like
@CallofDuty
doesn’t have to continue.
@Activision
DM us if you want to get racism out of gaming together.
Why we’re asking game developers to do more:
Gamers can do their part, but developers must also take a more active role to combat racism in their games. We'll push for change until developers put their money where they promised their mouths were during every Black History month.
What we are doing with the clips we collect:
We are keeping a running tally of all the clips of racist language we receive so we can show game developers like
@Activision
how widespread of an issue this is and encourage them to do more to address racism in their games.
More eyes on The Watch. More people talking about our mission. Thanks
@MetroUK
for covering the work we’re doing to fight racism in gaming. More news is on the way.
A team of BIPCO (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) gamers want to change the way online abuse is handled in the gaming community 🎮
Online abuse has become normalised in the community and for Black gamers it often crosses the line into racism 👇
@Dinkeldash
@CallofDuty
We’ll forward all submitted clips directly to
@CallofDuty
so they can determine if a player has violated their terms and conditions. We’ll also keep track of all the racist language we’ve received to show
@CallofDuty
how frequently BIPoC gamers face racism in their games.
@AMusingMoose
@CallofDuty
@Activision
We’ll forward all submitted clips directly to
@CallofDuty
so they can determine if a player has violated their terms and conditions. We’ll also keep track of all the racist language we’ve received to show
@CallofDuty
how frequently BIPoC gamers face racism in their games.