4 ms·

Sports? Arguably massively more toxic. People being murdered over sporting events is a truly ancient phenomenon and even destabilized empires clear back into an

Sports? Arguably massively more toxic. People being murdered over sporting events is a truly ancient phenomenon and even destabilized empires clear back into ancient times (Nearly Half of Constantinople was burned down to the ground in the Greens vs Blues Nika riots).

islanderfun 7y ago
Very good comparison and similarities can be drawn between the target audience. Unfortunately gaming sees deaths too with swatting and what not
- larsiusprime 7y ago
  If you want to draw a rigorously serious comparison you need to mathematically compare audience sizes and base rates. Don't know how it shakes out but my money is definitely on sports, if for no other reason than that video game fans don't congregate in huge arenas with heavy drinking as often as sports fans do
  - islanderfun 7y ago
    Completely agree. Though I can see a future where gaming gives it "competition" in this area. Especially with esports on the rise. Multi million dollar prizes and loyalties forming around these teams.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
orf 7y ago
I've not heard of the Nika riots, but from a brief reading it seems that it was about a bit more than sports: > The team associations had become a focus for various social and political issues for which the general Byzantine population lacked other forms of outlet And: > Some of the senators saw this as an opportunity to overthrow Justinian, as they were opposed to his new taxes and his lack of support for the nobility. The rioters, now armed and probably controlled by their allies in the Senate... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots
- larsiusprime 7y ago
  As if video game controversies are untouched by politics. And murder in sports continues to this day even when there isn't an emperor to overthrow. If you want to bring politics into sports, then i'll just say videogames are just as political as sports are, and the death count is still way way lower (hypothesis, but I'm pretty confident). I'm not saying "Video game toxicity is not a problem." it is, it's a big problem. But lets dispense with easily disprovable hyperbole like "it's the MOST toxic enthusiast culture"
tomatotomato37 7y ago
I can't really think of any other event where people riot when they are on the winning side just because they are over-excited

islanderfun 7y ago

Very good comparison and similarities can be drawn between the target audience. Unfortunately gaming sees deaths too with swatting and what not

larsiusprime 7y ago
If you want to draw a rigorously serious comparison you need to mathematically compare audience sizes and base rates. Don't know how it shakes out but my money is definitely on sports, if for no other reason than that video game fans don't congregate in huge arenas with heavy drinking as often as sports fans do
- islanderfun 7y ago
  Completely agree. Though I can see a future where gaming gives it "competition" in this area. Especially with esports on the rise. Multi million dollar prizes and loyalties forming around these teams.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

orf 7y ago

I've not heard of the Nika riots, but from a brief reading it seems that it was about a bit more than sports: > The team associations had become a focus for various social and political issues for which the general Byzantine population lacked other forms of outlet And: > Some of the senators saw this as an opportunity to overthrow Justinian, as they were opposed to his new taxes and his lack of support for the nobility. The rioters, now armed and probably controlled by their allies in the Senate... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots

larsiusprime 7y ago
As if video game controversies are untouched by politics. And murder in sports continues to this day even when there isn't an emperor to overthrow. If you want to bring politics into sports, then i'll just say videogames are just as political as sports are, and the death count is still way way lower (hypothesis, but I'm pretty confident). I'm not saying "Video game toxicity is not a problem." it is, it's a big problem. But lets dispense with easily disprovable hyperbole like "it's the MOST toxic enthusiast culture"

tomatotomato37 7y ago

I can't really think of any other event where people riot when they are on the winning side just because they are over-excited