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Given that attribution to external factors can reinforce and normalize toxic behavior in esports, this study investigates the timely topic of associations between toxic behavior and player attributions. To do so, we conducted an online survey with 217 League of Legends players. Our stepwise regression analysis indicates that players\u2019 perceptions of external causality play a role in normalizing toxic behavior, whereas the perception that such behaviors are temporary enhances their execution. Additionally, the age of participants showed a substantial negative relationship with toxic normalization and toxic perpetration, indicating that older participants were significantly less likely to accept or engage in toxic behavior. In summary, players do not perceive toxic behavior as their responsibility, which explains the challenge of deriving effective intervention strategies against toxicity.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1145\/3748622","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,5]],"date-time":"2025-10-05T21:01:11Z","timestamp":1759698071000},"page":"786-808","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["\u201cIt\u2019s Not My Fault\u201d: Exploring Attributional Patterns in eSports Player Toxicity"],"prefix":"10.1145","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3495-6855","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bastian","family":"Kordyaka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"\u00c5bo Akademi University, Turku, Finland"}]}],"member":"320","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_1_1_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3270316.3271545"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2023.107828"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2019.106181"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_4_1","volume-title":"Normalization of Toxicity Scale: A Measure of Toxicity Normalization in the Online Gaming Community. 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