Marvel Rivals introduces harsher penalties for toxic voice and text chat

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NetEase is taking a tougher line on toxic communication in Marvel Rivals. GamesRadar reports that the team has announced stronger penalties for abusive voice and text chat. The developers said they will absolutely not treat these behaviours as acceptable simply because they are unfortunately common

That line stands out. Online shooters have long had a reputation for abusive chat, and many players have simply learned to mute everyone. Saying that common does not mean acceptable is a clear statement of intent from the studio

Marvel Rivals has been a big success since launch, with a large and very active player base. Team based hero shooters can get heated, because one player's mistakes affect everyone. That pressure often spills over into abuse aimed at teammates

Stronger penalties only work if the reporting and detection systems are good enough to back them up. Players will want to see reports acted on quickly and consistently. False reports from angry opponents also need to be filtered out fairly

This is a positive step, and it is good to see a big studio taking the problem seriously. A friendlier community keeps more players coming back, particularly newcomers who are easily put off. Other online games could learn from this

Do you use voice chat in competitive games, or mute everyone? And do harsher penalties change behaviour?

Marvel Rivals addresses the gamewww.gamesradar.com