EA has announced that through their Positive Play Charter they have removed 3500 player-generated assets from their games. They have done this because they had "inappropriate and hurtful names and language". EA also took action against the players who originated the content, also pledging to continue to pursue players who do such things.
The Positive Play Charter are a set of community guidelines that ensure there are "clear consequences" for players who are jerks--jerks who say or otherwise do something that is homophobic, racist, and sexist. "Abusive acts" is also a no-no so don't go around beating up on little Timmy because he's bad at holding his lane. Little Timmy knows that already, there's no need to remind him of the fact.
The Positive Play Charter was started last year, when EA held a Building Healthy Communities Summit where 200 "Game Changers" that were composed of players, parents, and teachers that represented different specific game communities. EA made a commitment to try and make a better gaming experience for their players, which included promoting positivity and taking action against players who would seek to do the opposite.
EA reminds the reader that this isn't something that can be easily fixed, but rather something they'll always have to work to stay on top of. Eliminating toxicity isn't something that can be fully removed, but EA seems to be doing their utmost to keep on top of their communities and monitor them for toxicity.
If you're curious as to what EA considers toxic behavior and positive behavior, be sure to check out this handy page to see what's what. Until then, you stay classy San Diego TechRaptor.
What do you think of this news? Do you think EA is going overboard? Do you think EA hasn't gone far enough? Do you think EA is doing a pretty good job with this initiative? Let us know in the comments!
