Assassinos vs. sobreviventes : um estudo sobre comportamentos tóxicos presenciados em Dead by Daylight a partir da ótica da comunidade do jogo eletrônico

Abstract

In the current scenario, where human interactions expand into the virtual environment, online communities have become significant spaces both for building positive social bonds and for the manifestation of toxic behaviors. These behaviors are widely recognized as forms of aggressive and abusive interactions that occur both within the digital realm and beyond. Despite various initiatives by developers, such as the implementation of monitoring tools during matches and codes of conduct aimed at discouraging hostile habits, toxic behaviors persist and remain part of the everyday experience of many players. Considering the discussions about the impact of online games and their communities on the perpetuation of violent conduct, which affect players emotionally, socially, and even in their in-game performance, this work aims to analyze how toxic behaviors are perceived, debated, and tolerated within the Brazilian community of Dead by Daylight, an asymmetric multiplayer horror game in which participants assume the role of survivor or killer. The central objective of the matches is for survivors to cooperate with each other to escape the scenario before being captured by the killer, while the killer’s primary role is to prevent these escape attempts by employing violent strategies to locate, chase, and eliminate opposing players. However, given the dynamics established between these two roles, a problematic issue often pointed out by the community arises, in which the game’s own mechanics and sadistic narrative contribute to the perpetuation of toxicity within its structure. Therefore, to achieve a deeper understanding of this research proposal, a netnographic approach will be adopted based on qualitative and quantitative methods, with the goal of examining interactions within virtual communities and identifying recurring patterns of toxic behavior. In this sense, the investigation seeks to categorize and understand the distinct manifestations of hostile conduct in the game’s context, analyzing their implications both on the dynamics of matches and on the broader community.