The army community, as competitive as it is, can be toxic at times. We explore what the community would be like if it were less toxic.
Designed by Kedi Wain
Background
Toxicity is a common occurrence in the army community. It can show up in actions like defacing, doxxing, and hacking, or simply being rude or demeaning to others in public. Because every Club Penguin group in this community is described as an “army,” the community is even more likely to recruit more toxic people. “Armies” and “battling” tend to attract those that are more competitive and wish to win against others. It is unlikely that they make it into staff ranks if non-toxic people are able to balance out the toxicity, but it is not always possible. As a result, moderators and administrators in armies and leagues should help reduce toxicity in their own Discord servers.
I have personal experience from my time in Trojans in late 2021, when there was heavy toxicity and bannable offenses among some troops and in staff chats, which was not properly handled at the time. This caused demotivation amongst some staff who were more sensitive to such toxicity. Additionally, this turned off some who might have legitimately loved the army but didn’t appreciate this offensive language.
This sort of toxicity spreads to the public inter-army community chats, such as in the Club Penguin Armies main chat. While not all armies oppose members exploring the wider community, many recommend that their troops avoid it.
Armies have also faced consequences. The Dark Vikings were disqualified in 2023 over inappropriate tactics, while Magma Clan leaders were banned for similar reasons less than a couple of months later. These incidents demonstrate how toxicity can extend beyond individual interactions and affect the wider competitive environment.
Dark Vikings disqualified in 2023 for inappropriate tactics
Magma Clan leaders banned for inappropriate tactics less than a couple of months later
What if People became Less Toxic?
Club Penguin Armies features an experienced moderation team, like its partner, Club Penguin Army Battleground. But it is hard for moderators to distinguish toxic behavior from a joke. Everything would be much easier if people treated each other better.
Probably, less toxic behavior would lead to a friendlier community atmosphere. There would be less rivalry between armies and rivalry between people. In addition, “moral” wars would appear less often. However, there could be fewer wars overall, as fewer personal issues would escalate into larger conflicts.
This does not mean there would be no competition in the community. Armies would try to occupy better positions in the rankings and participate in tournaments in order to show their power. The thing is, competition would be less emotional because armies would fight just to prove something.
Unfortunately, judging would also be affected. With fewer wars, the need for judges would be lower. Judges who were not part of an army and participated only to serve the larger community would have fewer opportunities. Nonetheless, judges would still be needed in the tournaments.
What if the Community Banned Toxic People?
Some people will still act badly even after being warned and punished. So why not just ban them? It would definitely help improve the community, as it would mean that any members who are brave enough to do this will get banned by the moderators. This would also stop any other members from doing this. However, this could be difficult for moderators to enforce.
This would also cause an issue, as banned members could still do everything. They can create new accounts and join unauthorized army servers. Additionally, banned or alienated members can still cause trouble, like the situation that led to the end of Club Penguin Army Hub. As far as I know, this was one of the biggest incidents involving banned members in the Club Penguin Private Server army era.
Would this really help? It could cause the issue to move to other servers. Other community members could start doing this. However, it would definitely make the community a safer place by banning the most toxic members. That said, if the issue really is as big as it’s made out to be, there needs to be a longer-term solution.
Personal Opinion
I don’t think this is a problem that needs solving. Toxicity is never a good thing, but toxicity is definitely less prevalent than it was in the past. Those who were present agree, with armies before 2020 having even more toxicity than they do now. The people who largely contributed to the toxicity grew up and either got into legal trouble or faced other real-life consequences. People who avoided the toxicity, or matured and became less toxic, may still be here or have moved on with their lives and past armies. I feel all that needs to be said is the following messages from Eden and Pjayo:
Eden’s and Pjayo’s takes on the toxicity in the community
CPA can still get toxic, but it is not as much of a problem that needs addressing. When it does get nasty, the appropriate authority figures handle it, and the moderators largely ignore less harmful behavior, aside from occasional warnings.
In conclusion, minimizing toxicity does not necessarily mean reducing the competitiveness that makes the army community fun. We can achieve this as a community through generic behavior change and increased moderation, for instance. Is a completely toxicity-free army community even realistic? Could the army community actually be more successful with reduced toxicity?
Pranav
Senior Reporter
More Information
Eternal Lord of All Sith Empires. "Life is the enemy. Death is our solace. Darth Marr's creed. It is you who fears death, 'Valkorion'. I do not" - Darth Marr.