Activision announced a new Code of Conduct to “combat toxicity” across Call of Duty titles, starting with Modern Warfare II‘s open beta.
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As per he developer’s “Commitment To Our Community” blogpost — published by unspecified “Call of Duty Staff” — Activision has committed to “delivering a positive gameplay experience” as the Code of Conduct is updated.
“We know addressing toxicity requires a 24/7 sustained effort. Since our last Call of Duty® community update, our enforcement and anti-toxicity teams have continued to progress, including scrubbing our global player database to remove toxic users,” Activision explained.
The company revealed that a total of 500,000 accounts had been already banned, with an additional 300,000 accounts having been “renamed since launching our automated filtering systems.” Further, developers “Added additional languages for in-game, text-based chat and name creation moderation bringing the total to 14 languages.”
The developer elaborated, “Call of Duty employs the use of new automated technology alongside human moderation to help filter text chat and account names from offensive language. In part, due to these efforts, we have seen a more than 55% drop in the number of offensive username and clan tags reports from our players, year-over-year, in the month of August alone in Call of Duty®: Warzone™.”
“We recognize battling toxicity will be an ongoing effort. We will continue to monitor our titles, address player-submitted reports, and expand our technology to combat toxic behavior.” As part of this endeavor, Activision then laid out the new “Call of Duty Values and Code of Conduct.”
“Today, we are launching a new unified Code of Conduct for the Call of Duty franchise. This effort is supported by three core values to promote a positive gaming experience for all,” the company dictated.
The first of these stipulations encourages players to “Treat Everyone With Respect.” Activision elaborated, “We do not tolerate bullying or harassment, including derogatory comments based on race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, culture, faith, mental or physical abilities, or country of origin. All members of our community should be treated with dignity and respect.”
“Communication with others, whether using text or voice chat, must be free of offensive or harmful language. Hate speech and discriminatory language is offensive and unacceptable, as is harassment and threatening another player,” the developer decried.
The second major core value requires players to “Compete With Integrity.” Activision insisted, “Competitive integrity is core to the Call of Duty experience. Progression is earned through good, clean gameplay. Cheating and griefing or other threats to fair play will not be tolerated.”
“You are responsible for how your account is used. The use of cheats, including third-party software, is unacceptable. Exploiting bugs or engaging in any activity that grants an unfair advantage is considered cheating.” The company reminded readers to check their previous comments on their Ricochet Anti-Cheat software.
“Stay Vigilant” is the third and final core value in the new Code of Conduct players are encouraged to follow, which states, “Working together we can keep the game fair and fun for all.To promote an enjoyable gameplay experience, utilize in-game tools to report any incidents or inappropriate behaviors you encounter.”
Activision then directed players to the Values webpage, reiterating much of the aforementioned, and how to report players in various titles across the Call of Duty series.
“As part of this initiative, players will be presented and asked to acknowledge the new Code of Conduct in-game beginning with the Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II Open Beta,” Activision revealed. “We know there is still a lot of work to do to combat toxicity and we look forward to making progress together as a community.”
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