Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is headed to gamers on November 10th, and fans keep getting exciting news about the upcoming title. Gamescom 2023 revealed the highly anticipated FPS will feature “open combat missions” and will mark the first occasion a zombies game mode has been included in Modern Warfare. The fate of the world and the cruelty of infamous Call of Duty antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, is just a few months away, promising a fresh new story and gameplay.
The most recent update concerning Modern Warfare 3 comes in the form of Activision attempting to combat toxic behavior. In the future, when you get into an online game and start chatting it up with fellow players, Activision will be listening. However, the video game company will not be spying on you by real human means, instead it will be done through the use of AI technology. The video game company will be implementing ToxMod from Modulate, which is an AI-powered model that picks up on inappropriate discussions among players.
Activision has tried to assure players excited about Modern Warfare 3 that the AI system will not be listening to everything they say. The model will work by listening for specific keywords and try to pick up on language it does not deem allowable, such as discriminatory and hate-based speech. It is likely since the Call of Duty text based system can detect these words in 14 different languages, the AI model will work similarly across more than just English.
There has certainly been more of a push towards eliminating toxicity in gaming, and Activision wants to take the “one small step for man” with Modern Warfare 3.
Why AI Monitoring in Modern Warfare 3 Could Be Good and Bad
When it comes to hurting others through derogatory language for the purpose of verbal abuse, it’s probably safe to say most people are against it. There is definitely a large portion of the gaming community that is encouraging and quite wholesome in the way players address eachother. However, on the other side of the coin exists those who are fueled by hateful speech. These are the people who throw around statements of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. with the sole purpose of isolating and traumatizing those groups of people.
The good part of Activision’s new Modern Warfare 3 AI technology is that overtime it will likely stop the worst kinds of toxic verbal behavior. It is important for gamers from all walks of life to feel comfortable playing the games they love, and this will potentially accomplish that goal. FandomWire previously reported on new data that shows 60% of gamers have quit a game session due to the toxicity in a particular community. This shows just how important it is to try to reduce these interactions, especially in platforms available to the general public.
The possible bad side of Activision’s AI move, is that it could lead to a questionable precedent of censorship not only for Modern Warfare 3, but to gaming as a whole. While this definitely seems to be starting with good intentions, it might become to a much larger issue as it relates to speech. Toxic gamers will inevitably change their terminology to avoid AI detection, and if the system continues to try to adapt it could go too far. The ultimate goal is to limit the worst kinds of behavior, but it could come at an overall cost.
According to Activision, when it comes to Call of Duty games, hate speech is unacceptable. The company says the following about such conduct:
“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.
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.”
Clearly Activision is determined to make its gaming communities more comfortable for players. However, as AI continues to infect various industries, and as censorship in video games is always controversial, it will be interesting to see what happens next.
What do you think of the use of AI to moderate toxic behavior in Modern Warfare 3? Is Activision setting an important example or will this test get out of hand fast? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
Source: Call of Duty
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