Ubisoft has joined forces with UK-based video game mental health charity, Safe In Our World, to promote positive in-game interactions.
Together, they aim to address disruptive in-game behaviour and provide tools to help players navigate it.
Drawing on Safe In Our World’s understanding of mental health in the gaming community and Ubisoft’s ‘commitment to create positive gaming experiences’, they have co-developed the Good Game Playbook, a guide designed to equip players to identify, counter and shield themselves from in-game toxicity.
Whether players have witnessed, experienced, or been the source of disruptive behaviour, this handbook aims to offers guidance and will be provided to any player reporting or reported for such behaviour in Ubisoft games from today, November 2nd 2023.
It features advice on understanding tilt, coping with anger and developing self-awareness.
The Good Game Playbook will be sent out automatically to players reporting or reported for disruptive behaviour in Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor. It will be available in English and French at launch and will be translated to more languages and extended to other Ubisoft games in the future.
“From self-care practices and recognising one’s triggers to understanding the broader implications of disruptive gameplay on players, the playbook is holistic in its approach,” according to a press release.
This collaboration builds on the Fair Play Program, Ubisoft’s online learning platform to promote positive in-game interactions and the ‘Zero Harm in Comms’ research project launched with Riot Games this time last year.
“At Ubisoft, our key objective is to create games that foster positive online experiences. Partnering with Safe In Our World has enabled us to provide our players with an expert’s approach and advice on a very complex topic,“ said Jérémy Marchadier, Director of Player Safety at Ubisoft.
“While the challenge of in-game toxicity is multifaceted, we remain steadfast in our belief that with a collaborative and comprehensive strategy, we can usher in meaningful change.”
Jérémy Marchadier, Ubisoft
Rosie Taylor, Content & Community Manager at Safe In Our World, added: “We’re delighted to see more proactive approaches to combatting in-game toxicity from Ubisoft, and hope that this empowers fellow game companies to put in place these types of measures to protect their player bases.
“Safe In Our World exists to create safer spaces in gaming, and this is a brilliant step contributing towards that.”
You can access The Good Game Playbook here
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
