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VR Cyberbullying And Abuse

It’s important to remember that support is available for cyberbullying and abuse on VR, whichever platform you are using.

With growing numbers of gamers contacting Cybersmile to ensure that they are fully prepared for the launch of VR, we wanted to let you know…relax and enjoy the virtual reality experience without the concern of cyberbullying and abuse – we’ve got your back if you need us!

In what has been hailed as the next generation in gaming, Virtual Reality is now red hot property with PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive leading the charge with new headsets that put the players inside the game itself. Combined with features such as 3D sound, this brings a new level of realism to games as players can interact with each other completely immersed in the game environment (if you are affected by any form of abuse in gaming we have a great section on coping strategies for gaming abuse).

Although we are all nearly reaching fever pitch with excitement for the release dates, questions are being asked as to how much more realistic cyberbullying and abuse on VR will be? We understand how competitive and combative gaming environments can be, and how many players thrive in these intense environments, so will someone actually coming face to face with an aggressive or abusive VR player find this, ‘in your face’ experience too up close and personal?

Players who normally encounter abuse or aggression have a number of options to block or mute the player so they do not have to see or hear what is being said. With VR, the person will be interacting directly with you, visually, which you may not be able to get away from easily. This new environment will certainly raise the bar for interaction with other players, but providing you know that our trained cyberbullying and digital abuse support advisors are available for you 24/7 wherever you are in the world – you will be fine to enjoy the future of gaming without the fear of next level cyberbullying and abuse.

We know how tough community management can sometimes be for existing platforms, so this new advancement in gaming presents a big challenge for developers. However we have also seen how technological advancements can enhance solutions, such as the amazing work of Riot Games in the use of artificial intelligence to track player behavior on their huge League of Legends game.

We expect this challenge to have been on the developers minds when designing the latest VR experience for players and hope that as this technology evolves, everyone will be able to enjoy this new and exciting gaming experience. We expect to be working with VR companies and users more and more so will obviously keep you posted of all developments in the area of Virtual Reality abuse and cyberbullying.

If you are affected by abuse or harassment in gaming, whatever the platform please explore our Gaming Support Center or Total Access Support Services. For further information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the suggestions below.

What do you think about VR? Tweet us @CybersmileHQ!