All those memes about the voice chat getting leaked are actually true. In an effort to be more welcoming, Call of Duty has revised its Code of Conduct and released findings from its ongoing voice chat moderation beta. Basically, they listened in on voice chats and noticed a trend.
The key update to the Code of Conduct is all about treating everyone with respect. Anyone who has been in a Call of Duty lobby knows this isn’t something that happens. However, this is specifically prohibiting the use of Call of Duty games to promote discrimination or violence. This expansion clarifies that derogatory comments based on protected characteristics and amplifying harmful ideologies are unacceptable.
Treat Everyone with Respect
We do not tolerate bullying or harassment, including derogatory comments based on race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, culture, faith, mental or physical abilities, or country of origin, or the amplification of any person, agenda, or movement that promotes discrimination or violence based on the above.
All members of our community should be treated with dignity and respect.
Communication with others, whether using text or voice chat, must be free of offensive or harmful language. Hate speech and discriminatory language is offensive and unacceptable, as is harassment and threatening another player.
The updated language from the Code of Conduct
Initially rolled out in North America for Modern Warfare II, voice chat moderation has since expanded globally (excluding Asia) and now supports English, Spanish, and Portuguese languages. Analysis of data gathered during the beta and post-launch of Modern Warfare III revealed several key trends.
According to the report, over 2 million accounts have faced in-game penalties for disruptive voice chat behavior violating the Code of Conduct. However, Only 20% of disruptive behavior encounters were reported by players, which makes total sense. You’d miss out on playing if you reported every bad thing you heard in a Call of Duty lobby. What’s interesting is that there was an 8% reduction in repeat offenders.
It seems like the moderation automatically reports those who break the rules instead of waiting for a player to report it. This is a unique way of enforcing moderation. The update post said this was ongoing and will continue to improve to make the environment safer. Future plans include expanding voice moderation to additional languages and providing players with more feedback regarding reported incidents.
I can’t imagine that Call of Duty will be able to stop all of the game’s toxicity, especially with how heated it is. Personally, I don’t think it’s that bad, but I was around during the original MW2 lobbies, so I know how bad it used to get. Still, a world where no one is mean in Call of Duty seems to be what the current mission is.
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