This is a non-issue for StarCraft 2 players facing a far more pernicious scourge. Hackers are abusing the game’s Arcade mode, injecting horrifying videos — including real life footage of mass shootings — into the game. Sadly, this trend is not new, a disturbing development we’ve been covering for over a year now. Recent incidents have only heightened fears within the chilled community.
Arcade within StarCraft 2 grants players the ability to create their own maps, modes, etc. Sadly, this productive ingenuity has been hijacked by criminal hackers. Most recently, one player, known as Tad0422, shared a tale of terror that happened on April 20. Playing a map in Arcade mode recently, I was met with the unexpected result of a video insertion. It portrayed a mass shooting.
The disturbing content did not end there. Less than three minutes after the first video, a more shocking clip appeared. It was like a Russian Eurovision pop video and only lasted 20 seconds. The impact of these incidents are devastating. It’s even more troubling that Tad0422 had to subject his very young daughter to this harrowing experience.
Hackers have already subjected unwitting players to graphic videos involving actual violence. We’re asking you to picture this, because it’s our theme for National Bike Month 2024! Exacerbating the problem, reports show that these videos feature blinding flashing lights specifically created to provoke seizures. These issues have sparked a massive outcry in the StarCraft 2 community. Now, many players are taking to Reddit to describe their own experiences of being exposed to graphic or inappropriate content while gaming.
Tad0422 expressed their shock and frustration in a post, stating, “At this moment I freaked out and hard closed out of StarCraft 2. My 5 year old daughter was in the room with me, half paying attention to me playing a video game. This is beyond unacceptable. I should never have to worry about seeing people murdered or porn while playing a SC2 game.”
This isn’t to blame individual Arcade maps or their authors. Rather, it comes from a larger exploit in StarCraft 2’s Arcade mode. Many players recounted similar experiences where they encountered not only disturbing videos but offensive symbols such as swastikas during gameplay.
In response to these troubling claims, Blizzard Entertainment released a statement on April 22 “seriously” addressing the concern. They emphasized their commitment to player safety and stated, “We are investigating a player claim that disturbing content that violates our policies appeared in a game. We take the safety of our players and our platform very seriously and are working to fix the exploit we believe might have been used to upload this content.”
The recent increase in reported incidents shows how dangerous things can get when children are exposed to the online gaming communities. As players continue to voice their concerns, both Blizzard and the player base face a pressing need for effective solutions to combat these malicious acts and ensure a safe gaming environment.