DeMarco said hate speech has been a problem for years. Game makers, despite some serious efforts, can only seek to limit the amount.
"A lot of the problem lies within the players themselves," DeMarco said.
The widespread use of the slurs is partly fueled by the same anonymity that provides cover for abuse throughout cyberspace. Players can compete with people thousands of miles away, and know them only by the fictional "gamertags" they use to identify themselves.
After years of tolerating abusive players, gamers have become more diligent about noting the gametags of abusive players and reporting them to game companies. Abusive players can be punished or even banned, but the process is slow.
via msnbc.msn.com