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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsPlayers who signal a religious, ethnic, or national identity in an online game can face abuse aimed specifically at that identity—not just ordinary trash talk or disruptive play. A 2025 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) experiment documented identity-based harassment in one-third of its observed gameplay sessions, but its small, controlled sample is not a measure of how often all players experience it.
What counts as identity-targeted harassment?
Harassment can range from insults and trash talk to conduct that disrupts a match. Identity-based harassment is narrower: it targets someone, at least partly, because of an actual or perceived identity. ADL’s 2022 report uses that working definition for categories including race or ethnicity and religion, among others; it is not a universal legal definition. This article focuses on religious, ethnic, and national identities.
The distinction matters. A hostile exchange is not automatically identity-based, and a disrupted match does not by itself show that a player was targeted for an identity. The 2025 ADL study tracked both broad harassment and incidents it judged definitely or possibly identity-based.
What the 2025 ADL gameplay study observed
ADL’s 2025 study followed 15 student researchers, recent graduates, and young adults playing Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite. Participants used usernames expressing pride in Jewish, Muslim, Chinese, Mexican, or Israeli identity. ADL’s press release describes nearly 250 cumulative hours of recorded gameplay, with sessions played in one-hour increments. The sample was small and purposive, so the results describe these observed sessions—not the prevalence of harassment among all players or a definitive safety ranking of the four games.
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- Across identity-expressive sessions: 49% included some degree of harassment. ADL classified 33% as definitely or possibly identity-based, including 22% it classified as definitely identity-based.
- By game: ADL recorded identity-based harassment in 8% of Overwatch 2 sessions and 20% of Fortnite sessions. Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 each had some form of harassment in about two-thirds of sessions, with identity-based harassment in about half.
- By username and game: 57% of sessions using “Proud2bJewish” in Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 included some level of Jewish identity-based harassment.
These percentages have sessions—not people—as their denominator. They should not be read as the share of players who experience abuse, or as evidence that one title is generally safer than another. The study also recorded positive or prosocial behavior in around half of sessions. That finding documents a meaningful part of online play, but it does not negate the harm in sessions where abuse occurred. The study does not isolate the causal effect of any particular game design or moderation intervention.
How broader surveys differ from the experiment
A survey asks people to report their experiences; a controlled gameplay study records behavior in a defined set of sessions. Their figures answer different questions and should not be combined.
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ADL and Newzoo surveyed 1,971 US gamers aged 10–45 from August 4 to 17, 2023. In the results ADL published in 2024, 76% of adult respondents said they had experienced harassment in online multiplayer games. Among Jewish adult respondents, 70% reported some form of harassment; ADL notes that these data were collected before October 7. The survey also found that 20% of adult and teen players reported spending less money in online game spaces because of hate and harassment. These are self-reported results from that survey’s population and period, not findings from the 2025 gameplay experiment.
Earlier ADL surveys provide historical context, not a substitute for newer measurements. ADL’s 2022 report said more than four in five adult gamers surveyed had experienced harassment, estimating that at over 67 million American adults. In 2019, 53% of surveyed online multiplayer gamers who had experienced harassment believed they had been targeted on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, ability, gender, or sexual orientation. Differences in survey year, question wording, and population mean these figures should not be treated as a single trend line.
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How harassment can change the way people play
ADL’s reports describe consequences beyond a bad match. Some players become more selective about whom they play with, change how they use voice chat or choose usernames, avoid games they regard as hostile, or stop playing. The 2019 report also recorded social isolation and other reported effects. These are reported experiences, not outcomes that happen to every target; the available findings do not justify assuming a uniform response.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What players and platforms can do
Options available to players
Where a game provides them, blocking, muting, reporting, and trusted-party controls can help players limit contact or flag conduct. Features and exact steps vary by title, so check the game’s current in-game or support guidance. These controls are practical options, not a guarantee that harassment will stop.
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Changes recommended for the industry
ADL’s recommendations focus on platform and industry responsibility as well as individual tools. They include clearer, more inclusive rules; reporting systems that work better and support for people targeted; voice-chat moderation; design choices that encourage prosocial behavior; regular transparency reports; and independent audits. These are recommendations, not interventions shown by the cited studies to guarantee safety.
The central issue is not whether players should conceal identity signals to avoid abuse. ADL’s 2025 report states: “No member of a marginalized group should have to hide their identity in online or offline communities for fear of being targeted with hate and harassment.”
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