Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward has announced that the company will be issuing more bans for racist usernames, and will begin taking more steps to monitor racist content in-game in the future.
The Call of Duty series of games has become infamous for hosting a large number of trolls who use racist insults to harass other players, usually via voice chat.
“There is no place for racist content in our game. This is an effort we began with launch and we need to do a better job. We’re issuing thousands of daily bans of racist and hate-oriented names,” Infinity Ward says in a tweet.
— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) June 3, 2020
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Infinity Ward will also add more ways for the company to filter racist content and ban players for it – including new and improved reporting tools. These new features and promises come in the wake of a Reddit user calling out the developer via a video showing dozens of accounts using the n-word as their usernames. While racial slurs on their own are not allowed to be set as usernames, players had been using symbols to bypass existing filters.
Polygon suggests that these oversights are being especially highlighted amidst the ongoing protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Video Game Developers Support #BlackLivesMatter
Many other video game companies have also come forward with statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as donations to related causes and promises to diversity the gaming industry.
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/wOvXXYK6AW
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) June 3, 2020
Pokémon International pledged $100,000 to the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), saying in a Tweet that it “…[stands] in solidarity with [its] Black employees, fans and families who continue to be impacted by systemic racism and senseless violence.”
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) June 1, 2020
The Last of Us developers Naughty Dog, critically lauded for their highly inclusive and progressive video games has leant its voice to the movement.
Even huge companies like Ubisoft and PlayStation have weighed in.
We stand in solidarity with Black team members, players, and the Black community. We are making a $100,000 contribution to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter and encourage those who are able to, to donate. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/KpHZCF6VWx
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) June 2, 2020
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 1, 2020
Edited by Luis Monzon
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