Activision has been fighting a long battle to end destructive and harmful behavior in online games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Today, the company announced that it has updated the wording of its in-game code of conduct.
Also announced were findings from the North American beta of in-game audio moderation (handled by Modulate’s AI technology) and the global launch of Modern Warfare III. This is the first toxicity report from Activision Blizzard since it was acquired by Microsoft for $68.7 billion last October.
At GamesBeat, a recent Game Awards event, Johanna Fairies, general manager of Activision’s Call of Duty, talked about integrity of play, the Fair Play Alliance, Ricochet’s anti-cheating, anti-toxicity efforts, and how it actually works. He said that he is placing emphasis on “strengthening the This is something Activision is working on 24/7 to ensure that people, no matter who they are, have a positive, fair and inclusive experience when they come into our stores. ”
Code of Conduct Update
The “Treat everyone with respect” pillar of the Call of Duty Code of Conduct has been updated to better reflect our efforts to combat the use of games that promote discrimination and violence.
The updated contents are as follows.
treat everyone with respect
We do not tolerate bullying, including derogatory comments based on race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, culture, faith, mental or physical ability, national origin, or amplification of any person, agenda, or movement. We do not tolerate harassment. Anything that promotes discrimination or violence based on the above.
All members of our community should be treated with dignity and respect.
Communications with others, whether via text or voice chat, must be free of offensive or harmful language. Hate speech and discriminatory language are offensive, and harassment or intimidation of other players is equally unacceptable.
The updated Code of Conduct language can be found at CallofDuty.com/Values. This change has been omitted due to character restrictions, but will be reflected in-game after a title update at a later date.
Moderation survey results
Activision said it has introduced a new voice moderation system to North America (English only) as part of a rolling beta ahead of the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. When Modern Warfare III was released, the voice moderation system was expanded worldwide (excluding Asia) and added Spanish and Portuguese moderation. Audio moderation for English, Spanish, and Portuguese is active around the world, except in Asia. Voice moderation is available online for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
From the voice moderation beta period in North America starting August 30, 2023, to the global launch of Modern Warfare III, the company is identifying several trends that will help evolve its approach and methodology around moderation. He said he was able to identify it.
Enforce audio moderation: Over 2 million accounts are implementing disruptive in-game voice chat based on the Call of Duty Code of Conduct.
“For sabotage discovered by voice moderation, only 1 in 5 users reported the behavior. Activision said: “For cases that go unreported, our voice moderation system allows us to take action against players who violate our Code of Conduct. Proactive reporting allows players to report negative situations they encounter. It’s still important.”
To encourage more reporting, the company is rolling out messages thanking players for their reports and is considering providing additional feedback to players based on their reports in the future.
“Our voice moderation and reporting capabilities, combined with username and text chat moderation, provide players with both proactive and reactive protection against sabotage,” the company said.
Decrease in repeat offenders: Looking at month-over-month data, Call of Duty has seen an 8% decrease in repeat offenders since the rollout of in-game voice chat moderation.
If we detect a violation of our Code of Conduct, we may take actions such as muting voice and text chat altogether and restricting other social features. Repeat offenders will be further restricted and their communications on both voice and text channels within Call of Duty HQ will be muted.
Reduce exposure to harmful voice chat: Call of Duty has seen an approximately 50% decrease in players exposed to severe instances of disruptive voice chat since the launch of Modern Warfare III.
The company said, “If our voice moderation system detects a violation of the Call of Duty Code of Conduct, resulting in global voice chat restrictions, players will be muted globally.” . “Our tools will continue to evolve and expand over time, with future updates adding new languages to our voice moderation system.”
Activision concludes: “Call of Duty is dedicated to fighting in-game toxicity, and we are committed to helping our teams deploy and evolve moderation technology to combat destructive behavior, whether it’s voice or text chat. We understand this is a work in progress, but we are committed to working with the community to make Call of Duty fair and fun for everyone.”
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