It may be April Fool’s day, but the moderators on r/Games are certainly not messing around, as the entire subreddit has been closed to call attention to toxicity within game communities.
In an extended post, the moderation team explained their decision to shut the subreddit was motivated by an increase in “vitriolic attacks between individuals” and “condescending, dismissive, vindictive and pessimistic attitudes” towards minority groups in gaming.
“In recent times, it’s come to our attention that what has been intended to be a forum for the potential spread of knowledge and involvement in video games has instead become a battleground of conflicting ideas,” the post begins. “Though certain memes (such as ‘gamers rise up’) surrounding gaming are largely viewed as a humorous interpretation of a mindset, at the core of the humour is a set of very serious issues that affect all gaming enthusiasts.
Source: Eurogamer r/Games subreddit shuts for April Fool's to highlight toxicity in game communities