You've probably heard it all before while playing Rainbow Six Siege. Name-calling, screaming, insults aimed at your mom... You've probably experienced it all before, too. Team killing, throwing...
While most of us are immune to this kind of behavior, it still leaves us wondering: Why is Rainbow Six Siege so toxic?
What is toxicity in video games?
The sad truth is that almost every video game has toxic players online. You're bound to run into a teammate who keeps screaming over you or refuses to participate in strategy. You're bound to get a barrage of abusive messages from an opponent you beat in a competitive match.
Toxicity is negative behavior that's often meant to insult or bully someone in-game. It's often meant to be hurtful or annoying. The dictionary defines toxicity as: "The quality of being very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way."
Is Rainbow Six Siege more toxic than other games?
It's hard to measure how toxic Rainbow Six Siege is compared to other online multiplayer games. What makes Rainbow Six Siege toxic, however, is how competitive it is. Unlike more casual shooters, Rainbow Six Siege has a heavy focus on ranked gameplay and serious matches.
This focus on competitiveness can make Rainbow Six Siege a more stressful and tense environment for some. Losing a match can feel devastating, leaving players angry at teammates and annoyed at opponents.
Like most competitive titles, Rainbow Six Siege players don't have a lot of options when it comes to dealing with toxicity, which can make it feel even worse. There are not many ways to combat toxic players other than report them. It's sometimes thrown around that annoying players can be muted but this ruins the communication aspect of Rainbow Six Siege.
Not only that, but most toxic behavior is more than just yelling out swears. These are the usual toxic things players run into in competitive Rainbow Six Siege that can't be solved by simply muting a player:
- A teammate going AFK, basically throwing the game
- A player purposely playing terribly or ignoring clear obstacles, sometimes avoiding the objective
- A teammate using gadgets and traps inefficiently, throwing the game
- A teammate purposely killing another teammate
- Multiple players harassing a solo queuing player with injuries and destroying gadgets
Cheating continues to be a problem in Rainbow Six Siege
Another major form of toxicity is cheating. A lot of times you'll notice a teammate using a hack, allowing them to have perfect aim or see through walls. If they are caught, your win doesn't carry much weight. It's also frustrating simply having a cheater on your team, ruining the competitive integrity of the match.
Ubisoft attempted to make about 10,000 bans a month in 2021 but it's unclear how many cheaters are left. All we know is, it's a lot. It's really not that uncommon to run into a cheater every time you decide to play ranked Rainbow Six Siege.
How to deal with Rainbow Six Siege toxicity
For now, all you can do is report a toxic player.
Ubisoft's policy is a bit hit or miss right now. Expressing simple frustration can lead to a temporary ban. There is also zero tolerance for insults, slurs, and swears. But players have found ways around this, taunting and behaving badly to remain toxic without consequence.