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Other literature type . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Other literature type . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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From Toxicity to Transformative Solidarity: A Case Study of Disability Exclusion and Community Mobilisation in Competitive Online Gaming

Authors: Revista, Zen;

From Toxicity to Transformative Solidarity: A Case Study of Disability Exclusion and Community Mobilisation in Competitive Online Gaming

Abstract

This paper presents a qualitative case study analysis of an incident involving Adam “Loop” Bahriz, a 17-year-old Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) streamer living with Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type II (HSAN2)—a rare genetic disorder causing legal blindness, deafness, and the inability to perceive pain. In April 2017, Bahriz was vote-kicked from a competitive pick-up-game (PUG) match on the ESEA platform after teammates misconstrued his disability-related speech impairment as deliberate trolling. The incident, witnessed live on Twitch and subsequently amplified across Reddit and other social media channels, catalysed an unprecedented wave of community solidarity—resulting in over $10,000 in donations for medical procedures, a Twitch partnership, and a professional streaming contract with Team EnVyUs. Drawing on online disinhibition theory, restorative justice frameworks, and inclusive governance literature, this study examines: the structural conditions that enable disability-based exclusion in competitive digital environments; the mechanisms through which decentralised online communities exercise moral agency; and the policy implications for esports organisations seeking to cultivate genuinely inclusive ecosystems. The Loop incident thus serves as an empirical landmark, illustrating both the destructive capacity of systemic toxicity and the regenerative potential of collective empathy.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
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