More than 70 percent of online game users are subject to harassment and abuse in some way, and 65 percent of players are subject to serious harassment, including physical threats and ongoing harassment, according to a survey by the Center for Technology and Society of the American Anti-Defamation League. "Spreading hate over the Internet is causing real damage," said Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League. "Every time a player is involved in any multiplayer online game, Physically or repeatedly harass other players for reasons of belonging or belief. "
According to the study, 53% of online games practitioners said they were harassed for considerations of their race, religion, sex, ability or sexual orientation. Thirty percent of the practitioners said they were defamed over the Internet, where their personal data and information were published online without their will.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, a number of practitioners said they had been subjected to "extreme ideologies or hate propaganda" while playing these games.
Some 230 leading online games companies held a conference last month to discuss ways to counter harassment during the games.