Ubisoft, the gaming developer behind titles like Assassin’s Creed, says it’s tackling “toxicity” in gaming by collaborating with the police.
At a Customer Relationship Center in Newcastle, England, Ubisoft is collaborating with the Northumbria Police. Experts in the force share their expertise and knowledge in “harmful” interactions online with the team at the center, who then apply what they learn to their everyday work.
“We have millions of players, and tens of millions of interactions – so how can we spot incidents?” said the senior director of the center, Damien Glorieux, to the BBC.
“It is daunting, but at the same time it is very important, which is why we wanted to sign this deal and try to make things right.
“We wanted to focus on the most extreme cases, make sure we do the right thing there because it gives us a solid foundation to build the rest of our work around.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Deborah Alderson, who has been leading the Northumbria Police force’s work at the Ubisoft center, said police work “is about prioritizing protecting the vulnerable.”
“That means all of our communities, not just the ones that we see in person, but our online communities as well,” she adds.
“Policing changes continually, demands evolve and we have different challenges all the time – our job is to evolve with it.”
Alderson suggested other gaming companies and police forces should replicate Ubisoft’s deal with the Northumbria Police. She is also working with the police sciences department at Northumbria University to provide a framework that can be adopted by others.
