Study shows Dota 2 has most toxic online gaming community

Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Published 28/07/2019

A study on harassment in online gaming has been released and the results are exactly what one would expect.

Well over half of those who have played popular multiplayer titles have experienced some form of harassment while playing, per the Anti-Defamation League. In a study of 15 games, Dota 2 was found to have possibly the most toxic gaming community of all, with 79% of players responding that they had been harassed. 38% went a step further and responded that they were harassed frequently.

The MOBA is closely followed by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, League of Legends, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds which all had 75% rates of harassment. Also included in the study were Fortnite, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Madden NFL, Grand Theft Auto, and Minecraft. All reported in at higher than 50%.

The most toxic games are all team-based, putting players into a position where they need to actively communicate with others in order to succeed. This forces players to weigh their options between enduring potentially abusive language from teammates or decreasing their chances of winning.

Racial and gender discrimination in online gaming

Players mostly experience identity-based harassment. According to the study over 30% of the female and LGBTQ+ player base say they were specifically targeted due to their gender or sexual orientation. Different races and religions are targeted too, with many African-Americans, Latinx, Muslim, and Jewish people reporting harassment. 23% of players stated that they have faced with discussions on “superiority of whites and inferiority of non-whites”
and “white identity/a home for the white race.”

The study also goes into other negative interactions including sexual harassment, threats of violence, and stalking.

The study also discussed positive interactions between players. About half of the online player base has made new friends by playing, while a smaller percentage even found their current romantic partners.

World of Warcraft and Minecraft seem to be the games with the most positive environments.

Read Also

Dota 2

BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview Michael Hassall It’s been a long road, but after a strangely-formatted group stage, and a decidedly anticlimactic playoffs, we’re down to the final three teams in BLAST SLAM VIII. The finals are today (Oct. 11) and we’ll see the premier teams in Dota 2 clash. Perhaps disappointingly, we’re not seeing a new wave of top-teams at the pinnacle of Dota 2 competition, with the three final teams being the same trio we’ve ...

Dota 2

Who will prevail?: BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall After a week of intense Group Stage, Last Chance and Seeding stage matches, and a few days of rest, BLAST SLAM VIII returns tomorrow (Oct. 8) with the Playoffs. If we’re honest, there haven’t been too many surprises. We’d liked to have seen a BetBoom or Team Liquid make the cut, but ultimately these aren’t the teams of earlier in the year, and with new rosters comes new uncertainty. That's ...

Dota 2

Dota 2’s new Tidehunter Arcana is mind-blowing, but prepare to spend $200+ to get it Michael Hassall Night owls in North America and early risers in Europe woke up to a brand new Dota 2 Arcana, the first new release of Dota’s rarest and most-coveted cosmetics since 2024. The recipient? Tidehunter, whose Maw of the Megladon Arcana transforms the already selachian sea-dweller into a full-blown shark. But while Arcana’s have traditionally been part of big events in Dota 2, either the now-discontinued Battle Passes, or most recently, ...

Dota 2

Yandex to repeat?: BLAST SLAM VIII preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall If you can believe it, we’re already on the eighth edition of BLAST SLAM, as BLAST SLAM VIII kicks off tomorrow (Sep. 29) pitting 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams against each other in what promises to be the first big challenge of this young season. Let’s face it: At PGL Wallachia, we were missing a lot of the heavy hitters. No TI15 champs, no PARIVISION, not BetBoom, ...

Dota 2

Unstoppable Yandex crush NAVI in one-sided PGL Wallachia finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex has swept the grand finals of the PGL Wallachia Season 9 Dota 2 tournament, defeating Natus Vincere (NAVI) in a 3-0 drubbing this past weekend (Sep. 27). As predicted, the revitalized Yandex, hot off the signing of former Team Falcons star Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, crushed their youthful opponents in a three-game sweep in the best-of-five finals. Here’s how it happened: After upsetting the star-studded LGD Gaming roster (albeit ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex to win it all? PGL Wallachia Season 9 Finals preview and predictions Michael Hassall The first big event after TI15, PGL Wallachia Season 9, wraps up this Sunday, Sep. 27, and it’s set to be a hell of a show. After a solid week of action, with some surprise eliminations along the way, we’re down to just three teams from the original 16. Team Yandex, LGD Gaming, and Natus Vincere (NAVI) remain, having battled through some big upsets to get there. Yandex are hot ...

Dota 2

MidOne to Play for Team Liquid at BLAST Slam 8, Replacing Nisha: Permanent or Stand-in? Owen Harsono Like most other Dota 2 teams, Team Liquid have also undergone roster changes after The International 2026, replacing Ace for Wisper. However, a swap in offlaners wasn’t the end, as veteran mid-laner MidOne has been registered under the team ahead of BLAST Slam 8, taking Nisha’s spot. Is MidOne only acting as a stand-in, or is this going to be a permanent move? Here’s what we know. On September 25, ...