US politicians have criticized Sony Interactive Entertainment for its response to growing extremism in playstation multiplayer games. Sony is among several major video game companies that have come under scrutiny for not doing enough to combat “hate, harassment and extremism” in their online communities.
How Sony responded to lawmakers’ concerns over PlayStation multiplayer games
The letter in question was sent to all major gaming companies by seven lawmakers in December 2022, an effort led by Congresswoman Lori Trahan. In an update posted last week, Trahan said nearly all of the companies’ responses were inadequate and failed to address their policies regarding extremism in online gaming and transparency in reporting such issues. .
With the company’s confidential information redacted, a summary of responses from all companies (including Microsoft, Epic Games, Valve, and more) can be found on Trahan’s official website.
Sony said it works to educate parents about the safety features of its consoles and shares its commitment to the “Safer Gaming” initiative with Microsoft and Nintendo. The company highlighted its reporting mechanisms, saying all reports of harassment are seen by human moderators. Sony also said it uses communications technology to filter out hate speech and profanity.
While politicians say companies aren’t doing enough, the Entertainment Software Association has warned against false alarms related to video games.