In a day where people are connected over their computers and phones, where people playing video games are able to find vast fan bases and earn a living from playing games. These people can be great members of not just the gaming community, but a positive influence on the world as a whole. However, these individuals can also perform negative actions that can make the gaming community or even larger groups appear insensitive or even worse. I feel that this is actually a point where a company should always step in and control who is uploading, streaming, or using their content to generate notoriety or income.
A game community is a family. The company serves as the parents, the glue that holds the family together, no matter what the connection. All those who play in the game are like the children. It’s up to the company to shape and guide the community. This responsibility means that the company needs to ensure that people with negative representations are not allowed to represent that community.
This does not mean that negative reviews or different opinions should be ostracized from the community, but those who make statements or take actions that make that community look bad should be the focus of the expulsion.
An example of what should be allowed would be an opinion saying they wish that a relationship was different in a game. At the time before Fable and before same sex marriage was a common ability in games, a gamer saying that they wish they could have a same sex relationship should not be blocked out even if the game was by a more traditional game developer. The same would apply in the opposite direction if someone said they didn’t like the relationship of Max and Chloe in Life is Strange, they shouldn't be banned by a more progressive developer.
What does need to be controlled is when a person acts similarly to Logan Paul when he went to Japan and intentionally threw their tradition and courtesies in their faces. This intentional and blatant disrespect for another person is a stain upon any community they are a part of. There is a difference between not knowing that you are breaking customs and then there is intentionally going against those customs so that you can garner more views. If the community that controls them properly takes steps to mold the community in a positive way, in this case completely banning and stopping payment to those bad actors, then people would be respectful, even if they ended up accidentally misunderstanding or incorrectly following local customs.
This would naturally go on to those who are calling for any sort of aggressive acts towards others. This would apply to white supremacists, terrorist organizations, or even people inciting gang violence or directs threats. Communities should track who does these unacceptable acts and should act to slow down or stop the growth of those who are bad actors.
At the same time, great community members should be showcased and promoted by those communities. A good community should find members who try to promote positive thoughts and emotions and should help get them a spotlight.
One group that does everything right is a group of several Destiny players who regularly do charity streams for St. Jude. This group is lead by King Gothalian and Professor Broman and is all about doing good as a community, having fun and not being a jerk to others. Bungie should always promote those who are doing more to influence the community in a positive way. Every year, Bungie should bring attention to the amount of money raised by this group before they host Guardiancon, which is often hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are many other examples of people similar to this.
Positive reinforcement is just as important and just as effective as punishing those who make the community look bad. Every positive community member should get a spotlight at some point. Whether that is retweeting when they are doing something good like a charity stream, giving them recognition through their website, or some other form of giving a good individual a spotlight shine.
Just like being a parent, you have to shape your family. You can’t reward bad behavior and should in fact punish it. Meanwhile, letting good go by without positive reinforcement is also a missed opportunity. Doing both of these things will not only give the community a positive feel, but will also draw people in due to those feelings, effectively extending the life of that community.
