Toxicity in esports is very common and many parents are concerned with their children raging while playing video games. I agree it is an issue, but I do not think the issue is as bad as parents might think. If you have read some of my previous blog posts you will know that I am a former athlete. When asked whether esports or sports were more toxic, the answer is this: it depends on the sport/esport. How is slamming a controller any different then someone throwing their helmet down after frustration? It’s not. It’s that it is more accepted by society. They see pro athletes do it so parents see no problem with their children copying it. The issue with esports is parents don’t experience how professional esports gamers actually are. You see and hear what Arod, Michael Jordan, and Serena Williams say and do. If that was the case for esports I don’t think parents would be all that concerned about it. I do believe it is an issue in both sports and esports, but there cannot be this double standard.

As far as the harsh language being used in sports – we are less likely to use that language because there is a referee or official that will eject us from the game and we try to avoid the risk of getting punched by someone. That is not the case while playing a video game at home with someone 100 miles away who is not aware of your location. In sports I got upset with my teammates when they didn’t play well and upset with myself when I made mistakes. This led to raging. By no means am I saying that it is okay and should be tolerated, but the thinking of “video games promote violence” is ignorant and people need to understand it is just our competitive nature.