This article presents a systematic literature review examining the potential of restorative justice practices for addressing toxicity and interpersonal harm in online gaming environments. While current moderation systems rely heavily on punitive, exclusion-based sanctions, restorative approaches may offer more constructive and community-oriented responses to digital conflict. Following PRISMA guidelines, 16 studies met the final inclusion criteria after successive screening and full-text evaluation. The selected literature spans research on digital conflicts, online harm, dispute resolution, and restorative practices across virtual communities and adjacent online contexts. Findings reveal that although empirical applications of restorative justice within gaming remain scarce, the theoretical alignment is strong: implementing restorative practices is relevant to meet the needs of gamers and to increase conflict resolution skills. The review also identifies conceptual and practical challenges and suggestions for future research to further examine the possible application of restorative justice practices in online gaming environments.
Dijk et al. (Thu,) studied this question.