When it comes to the term ‘griefing,’ I was unfamiliar with what it entailed, what it meant, and its effects on the gamer when it comes to irritation, harassment, and targeting, specifically at the hands of females, women of color and sexual minorities. As someone who is unfamiliar with gaming culture/community, this course has taught me the ins and outs of those who share a passion for gaming in regards to connection and shared interest. The gaming community can serve as a beneficial environment for adults of all ages, as well as youth, who utilize the community as a way to bridge the gap between distance and difference. The community has the ability to allow individuals to connect on a deeply personal level or a deeper, more emotional level based on the players’ interest and intention. But as positive as the community can be, it can also serve as a dangerous and detrimental environment for fellow gamers as ‘griefers’ threaten and target individuals of their choosing based on stereotype, prejudice, and judgment. In Chapter 2 of the book, “Diversifying Barbie and Mortal Kombat,” the chapter, “Gaming’s Many Social Justice Warriors and the Quest for Accessible Games,” by Lisa Nakamura, states the definition of griefing: “Griefing, the purposeful use of digital affordances to destroy another user’s pleasure or freedom of movement, is a perennial practice, and women, people of color, and sexual minorities are targeted more than others” (p.35).

Nakamura states that as GamerGate emerged, the harassment experienced on social media towards female users served as the platform for mainstream exposure in regards to targeted and intentional griefing, specifically at the hands of female gamers. Only when news of this behavior became popularized did society no longer turn a blind eye to this griefing behavior. As a young woman myself, this type of deliberate harassment and pleasure stemming from annoyance and nuisance in the form of multiplayer video gameplay, is both frightening and considerably threatening to my safety and willingness to participate in video gameplay. Although I have never personally experienced griefing, I would not know how to handle the behavior nor how to avoid it. When playing with others, running the risk of harassment and judgment comes as both an expectation and a realistic fear. Why is this our reality? Why do women, minorities, and those who differ from the ‘societal norm’ face harsh treatment? How can this be changed or avoided?

In an additional article, “Toxicity and Abuse When Gaming Online: Flaming and Game Rage,” from the website The Cybersmile Foundation: Gaming, griefing is listed as the disruption of other players on purpose with an intent to annoy other players. The article states that certain players who engage in gameplay amongst griefers actually enjoy playing with these individuals due to the challenge presented in an attempt to overrule one another through who can cause the utmost damage or annoyance in the game. Although this behavior can be interpreted in that manner, the article blatantly also states that griefing is usually recognized as a toxic behavior that can reasonably be reported to game moderators or administration teams.

In conclusion, the behavior and intention of ‘griefing’ lies in the desire to troll, to disrupt, to annoy, to throw off, and to essentially, hurt another player’s ability to succeed within gameplay. But these intentions can also translate as a way to channel behavior that is labeled as cruel, damaging, and morally unjust. It is best when analyzing any type of potentially dangerous and servile behavior to determine the intentions. Are they purely due to game strategy or are they a cause of an underlying target towards a specific individual?

Works Cited:

Kafai, Y. B., Richard, G. T., Tynes, B. M., & Nakamura, L. (2017). Chapter 2. “Putting Our Hearts Into It”: Gaming’s Many Social Justice Warriors and the Quest for Accessible Games. In Diversifying Barbie and Mortal Kombat: Intersectional Perspectives and Inclusive Designs in Gaming (pp. 35–47). Lulu.com.

Solutions, M. W. (2020, April 5). Types Of In-Game Abuse – Cybersmile. Retrieved from https://www.cybersmile.org/advice-help/gaming/types-of-abuse.