Riot has a new way to tame toxic fans of its games
I am not a streamer, but Riot Games wants streamers to talk more about mental health, so this is where my idea of talking about mental health in the Hive Gaming community comes from.
With League of Legends and Valorant, Riot Games has managed to bring two titles to the table that are regulars on Twitch's most watched streams. According to the list of Most Wanted Games on TwitchTracker, the two games have been ranked 4th and 3rd in the TOP10 for the past 7 days, together attracting over 400 000 viewers.
However, with a buzz comes responsibility, and Riot Games is under pressure to do something about toxic players. To this end, the reporting system has already been overhauled, and in Valorant, voice messages are even recorded to make it easier to prove inappropriate behaviour.
Image source: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net.
These measures should be seen as a continuation of Riot Games' latest action to provide mental health education materials to content creators and streamers. The developer wants streamers to communicate more and more effectively with their viewers about the issue, and has teamed up with The Public Good Projects, a non-profit organisation that provides the expertise for the programme.
The free guide, published by Riot, includes statistics, discussion methods and advice on mental health issues, tailored specifically to the unique perspective of streamers and online content creators. The project is certainly welcome, as cyberbullying can have serious consequences for its victims, from eating disorders to drug addiction and suicide.
However, Riot Games could also benefit from positive press coverage, as the studio's reputation has been badly tarnished by the sexual harassment scandal surrounding CEO Nicolo Laurent last year.
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