If ever you’re the type of gamer who thinks spouting racial or homophobic slurs is fine, then Rainbow Six Siege is not for you. Ubisoft has started banning players who would type these things in the chatbox. The game will boot them in the middle of the match as seen in this gameplay video. A notification tells the player the reason for their ban, “Toxic Behavior,” followed by the duration.
Rainbow Team’s decisive response
Their move to start banning Rainbow Six Siege players outright for any hateful, toxic, and derogatory slurs isn’t some random change. It did not come from a whim or without warning. This has been part of their plan all along to improve Rainbow Six Siege’s community. In their dev blog last April, Ubisoft clearly outlined their rules on chat monitoring and giving out bans:
We are currently tracking the frequency at which racial or homophobic slurs are used by individual players, and will be applying bans with increasing severity on a case-by-case basis.
This is clearly outlined in the following section of the Code of Conduct:
“Any language or content deemed illegal, dangerous, threatening, abusive, obscene, vulgar, defamatory, hateful, racist, sexist, ethically offensive or constituting harassment is forbidden.”
The bans for this will fall within the following durations, depending on severity:
- 2 Days
- 7 Days
- 15 Days
- Permanent
Above all, permanent bans await the worst offenders. There’s no need for a warning or a temporary ban. The banhammer strikes and takes the rotten apples out of Rainbow Six Siege for good.
Fighting against toxicity and cleaning up the Siege environment is a very real and important issue.
— Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) July 13, 2018
Curbing toxicity around the industry
Ubisoft has taken strict measures. Likewise, they have been answering player complaints in a direct and concise manner.
It’s not just Ubisoft and Rainbow Six Siege who’ve taken this approach. In addition to that, numerous developers have been pushing to curb toxicity in online games. There’s a good chance we’ll encounter toxic gamers on the internet. After all, online anonymity makes people a lot more insensitive, hence why no rating for online interactions.
Blizzard, Riot Games, and many other developers are spearheading the Fairplay Alliance. It’s an organization which aims to promote good gaming behaviour and fighting angst and hate during online competitions. Blizzard mentioned in the past how toxicity has delayed game updates for Overwatch. In the same vein, Riot Games monitored and researched League of Legends player behaviours in previous years. Meanwhile, EverQuest II sends the most egregious and abusive offenders to Dunder, its “prison server.” That’s their form of exile.
Ubisoft’s response, however, is more swift and decisive. Just like the original Rainbow Team from Tom Clancy’s novels, Jack Ryan probably won’t tolerate your BS either. Besides, it’s totally possible to enjoy the inaugural US Nationals and Rainbow Six Siege as a whole without the need to be edgy.
