Beyond the Enforcer: Exploring Metaphors for Alternative AI Moderation in Online Games

Abstract

Online games increasingly rely on AI moderation systems that employ punitive approaches despite player dissatisfaction with these methods. This paper investigates how metaphorical frameworks can inform alternative approaches to AI moderation in gaming spaces. Through four co-design workshops with 16 online game players and AI experts, we explored how stakeholders conceptualise AI moderation beyond traditional punitive metaphors like ‘police officer’ or ‘enforcer’. We present three spotlight designs from these workshops based on the metaphors of the ‘all-seeing eye’, ‘non-player character/NPC’, and ‘cleaner’. Participants’ designs highlighted numerous unexplored applications of AI in the mode..