16-Sep-2024 | Taha Kisat
Background Checks in the Gaming Industry
The rise in smartphone users, low-cost data, fantasy games, and the growth of digital infrastructure has led to an increased demand for online games. Consequently, the frauds in the gaming industry have witnessed an upward curve too.
The gaming industry has taken the internet by storm, which has necessitated the need for compliance and vigilance. Background checks in the gaming industry allow owners to grow exponentially while assuring the safety of the players by protecting their identity and money.
Unique Challenges and Requirements for Conducting Background Checks in the Gaming Industry
Since its commercial birth almost five decades ago, gaming has become one of the most profitable industries in the world. Take Angry Birds, Farmville, and Candy Crush, for example. From young children to grandparents — gaming has captivated all generations alike. It’s estimated that more than one billion people use online gambling sites and apps worldwide. With online gamers spending around $21.1 billion in the last year, it’s easy to see why online gaming has attracted the attention of fraudsters and organized crime gangs involved with money laundering.
Gaming is no longer just about entertainment. It’s an industry where millions of people, often strangers, interact daily. From developers to moderators and even community volunteers, the gaming ecosystem involves a web of individuals. Unlike other industries where a background check might focus on a corporate environment, gaming demands something broader, more nuanced.
The industry faces distinct threats, such as money laundering, intellectual property theft, and cybercrime. For instance, organized crime gangs have used gaming platforms for money laundering purposes, making the need for Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols and background verification essential. KYC ensures that players and employees are properly verified, reducing fraud and maintaining a trustworthy environment.
Why does this matter? Without stringent KYC and identity verification protocols, both employees and players remain at risk, particularly minors who frequent these platforms. Just imagine a minor engaging with a gaming community filled with anonymous individuals! Background checks, once just limited to the corporate sector, are now equally obligatory in the gaming arena too.
Protecting Minors: More Than Just a Game
It’s one thing to play a game. It’s another to trust that those running the game are ensuring the child’s safety. With millions of minors participating in online gaming, the need for stringent background checks becomes more pressing. Nearly 25% of online users aged 8 to 17 report being approached with unsolicited, inappropriate content during their gaming experiences.
In 2022, a gaming community in the U.S. was rocked by a scandal where a game moderator, someone with direct contact with players—many of them minors—was found to be a registered sex offender. This incident led to a public outcry and highlighted the urgent need for companies to conduct more robust background checks for those interacting with vulnerable populations.
What can be done to prevent such incidents? The answer lies in conducting specific background screenings targeting individuals involved with the minors, such as:
- Criminal record checks for offenses related to children
- Sex offender registry checks to ensure no one with a history of exploitation slips through the cracks
- KYC Procedures: Gaming companies use KYC not only for identity verification but also to ensure that those interacting with minors are who they claim to be, helping filter out bad actors right from the start
Isn’t it reassuring to know that companies like Check Xperts are on hand to protect minors? In Pakistan’s rapidly growing gaming industry, ensuring the safety of younger players is not just an option but a necessity.
Combating Harassment and Toxicity: How Background Checks Help
After spending five minutes in an online game lobby, one gets to know how quickly things can get toxic. Harassment, cyberbullying, and verbal abuse have become major issues in gaming communities. It's more than just "trash talk"; it can have real-world consequences, and companies are finally realizing it.
By incorporating background screening into the hiring and onboarding process for community managers, developers, and even streamers, gaming companies can weed out individuals with a history of harassment or inappropriate behavior. Want to know what that looks like in practice?
- Social Media Check: A quick look at an individual’s past behavior on platforms like X or Instagram can tell you a lot about whether they’ll be a positive or toxic presence in the community.
- Behavioral Assessments: While not foolproof, psychological evaluations can help identify potential tendencies for aggression or inappropriate conduct.
The horror stories of harassment in gaming are not unheard of, and the GTA VI leak made it even clearer how vulnerable the gaming space is to those looking to harm.
Preventing Theft and Safeguarding Game Development Integrity
After spending tedious hours developing the next hit game, someone inside the company—someone who passed off as ‘trustworthy’—decides to leak the entire project online. Wouldn't that be nightmarish? Exactly, that’s a reality no developer wants to face. Background checks, especially in key positions like software development, are essential for preventing internal theft, be it financial or intellectual property theft.
Take the GTA VI leak again. One of the largest breaches in gaming history where a criminal hacking group exposed internal footage and development details, causing a storm of bad press and financial loss for Rockstar Games. Could thorough background checks or stricter security protocols have helped mitigate this? Quite possibly.
- Financial Background Checks: Are key team members in financial difficulty or have a history of fraud? This could raise red flags.
- Confidentiality and Compliance Screening: Ensuring adherence to intellectual property laws and confidentiality agreements. No one wants their game’s big reveal spoiled by an internal leak.
- KYC for Developers and Contractors: Verifying not only the identity but also the trustworthiness of key personnel involved in sensitive game development projects
By ensuring these checks, background screening companies, like Check Xperts in Pakistan, can provide globally compliant, cost-effective background checks that ensure that the game’s secrets remain, well, secret. Companies, like Check Xperts in Pakistan, are stepping in to provide globally compliant, cost-effective background checks that ensure your game’s secrets remain, well, secret.
Conclusion
The gaming world has grown from a niche hobby into a multi-billion-dollar industry, connecting people globally. With this growth comes responsibility. Ensuring safe spaces for minors, preventing harassment, and safeguarding intellectual property should be a top priority for gaming companies.
Background checks, particularly when tailored to the unique challenges of the gaming industry, are essential tools in creating a secure, welcoming environment. Check Xperts, based in Pakistan, offers cutting-edge background screening services that can help your gaming company thrive. Because at the end of the day, every gamer—whether a kid or an adult—deserves to play in peace.
F.A.Qs
- Why are background checks important in the gaming industry?
The gaming industry is evolving, this growth necessitates background checks as money laundering, fraud and harassment of minors is prevalent in the gaming industry. - What types of background checks are commonly used in the gaming industry?
It is very important to know the clients and customers well, especially in the gaming arena, where most people are anonymous. Hence, KYC, Identity Check, Criminal Record checks, Credit checks, and social media checks are very important. - How often should gaming companies conduct background checks on their employees?
Background checks should be an ongoing process in the gaming industry to ensure the safety of the players and the integrity of the employees.
