Why Do Players Believe 'Rainbow Six Siege' Is So Toxic?

When it comes to toxic behavior in video games, players often find that there are bad seeds among several communities. Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege appears to be one of the games in question, as it's been labeled as toxic several times over both by members of the industry and gamers alike.

But what is it about Rainbow Six Siege that makes people feel this way? Are there certain behaviors or aspects that have brought this kind of talk on in the past? 

As it turns out, many players, both casual and pro, have taken to social media in the past to lament about how they've been treated in-game as well as how the culture surrounding the game appears to support the behavior they've seen. We've taken a look at some of the reports to put together the pieces on what makes Rainbow Six Siege's player base such a frustration for various members of the community. Hopefully it can lead to some sort of change within so people feel a bit more welcome. 

As is usually the case when players are dissatisfied with the treatment they receive in-game, Rainbow Six Siege users report behavior that's inherently problematic from others. This includes hurtful language, unsportsmanlike gameplay including team killing, and other frustrating communication that should really be nipped in the bud. Much of the comments and actions that stem from "toxic" players seems to come from a place of elitism in-game and thinking oneself is better than others. 

As Reddit user 316927 commented, "I immediately got team killed last weekend in the first round. I sent him a message asking why, and he replied 'ur not epic'." This essentially is a non-reason, of course. "I love the game, but hate most of the player base," concluded 316927. 

Team killing is frustrating enough when done on accident, but if you're not being allowed to play for an inane reason, that's a whole other story entirely, and behavior that needs to be stopped. 

"I [was] teamkilled for 'not taking the game seriously' on a casual match we were losing 2-0," added another Redditor named Dankish_258. These behaviors are echoed by several other players throughout Reddit threads and social media. Players are cajoled for not being serious about the game, for not being a certain rank, and for wanting to do something as simple as have fun. Obviously, these problems aren't localized to Siege, but they've become prevalent issues as of late.

While there's no definitive answer about Siege's overall toxicity, it's easy to see and understand why these behaviors are a problem. The answer? It's unclear, but it certainly starts with being more than just a garbage person and being a decent human being. These are issues that won't be easily resolved, but if we call attention to the problems, perhaps we'll see a reduction in them going forward – though we won't hold our breath.