Over 2 Million Call of Duty: MW3 Players Have Been Punished for "Disruptive" Voice Chats

Call of Duty's ongoing efforts to make itself a less toxic online game appears to be working. Call of Duty is one of the biggest video game franchises out there and it has managed to become that thanks to its fast-paced, satisfying, and somewhat addicting multiplayer. Activision has created a game that seems almost scientifically designed to constantly be giving you shots of dopamine. However, it's also very competitive and hostile. Voice chat in Call of Duty has become known for being one of the most vile, vulgar places on the internet as you will hear slurs, incredibly personal insults, and other horrific obscenities. Given the extreme level of toxicity, Activision has opted to put measures in place to fix this. On top of in-game reporting, Call of Duty has implemented an AI moderation feature which flags potentially toxic game chat and then it's moderated by humans.

This feature was fully implemented back in November with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Since then, over 2 million players have been punished for "disruptive" voice chat. In a new blog post, Activision reported its findings with the new moderation system and noted that the system is more effective, as only 1 in 5 players actively report toxic game chat when it occurs. Of course, this does raise the question on how much players are actually bothered by toxic game chat, but nevertheless, the moderation system is cracking down pretty hard. Since the rollout of this system, Call of Duty has seen an 8% reduction in repeat offenders when it comes to toxic voice chat. Call of Duty also saw a 50% reduction as a whole in "disruptive" voice chat since the roll out of this system.

On top of this, Call of Duty has also updated its code of conduct when it comes to player communications. You can view the updated code of conduct below:

"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."