A League of Legends developer has exposed the sexist abuse she faced during a Valorant Twitch stream, resulting in Riot pledging to find “long-term solutions.”
Valorant’s closed beta has been a massive success for Riot, garnering almost 300 million hours watched on Twitch alone since its launch.
This has partly been driven by Twitch-exclusive beta drops, but a smooth launch and fun gameplay has also played a big role. Riot has also promised to tackle the biggest threat to competitive integrity with their novel anti-cheat, and Valorant has been tipped to challenge the likes of Counter-Strike and Overwatch.
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Sexual harassment in Valorant
However, one aspect of online gaming that is continuing to impact gameplay for some, is griefing — or more specifically, harassment. While simple trolling is inevitable in the realm of online gaming, harassing someone based on their gender or other protected traits is an entirely separate facet of griefing which many still have to face.
And for LoL UX Designer, Riot Greenily, this is an experience that is all too familiar. Greenily posted a brief clip from her livestream, which highlighted in-game harassment from a match.
“It’s like this MOST of the time on solo queue voice comms REGARDLESS of the game I’m playing,” the developer explained. “I usually don’t give in to this like in the video; I’m silent in an attempt to not incite more. Inevitably you get to a point where you have to mute them.”
Today's?: It's like this MOST of the time on solo queue voice comms REGARDLESS of the game I'm playing. I usually don't give in to this like in the video; I'm silent in an attempt to not incite more. Inevitably you get to a point where you have to mute them. More perspective: pic.twitter.com/7ruWcI78tL
— Tea! ? (@Evergreenily) April 24, 2020
Please don't be this dude who shouted "OH MY GOD IT'S A GIRL" the moment I talked; who called me his "babe"/ acted like I was his girlfriend throughout the whole game. I had to heal this guy because I'm trying to win the game and that SUCKED.
— Tea! ? (@Evergreenily) April 24, 2020
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Riot dev vows to find a solution
There is currently an option to blow the whistle on this type of behavior, via Valorant’s in-game reporting system, but Riot isn’t stopping there.
Valorant’s Executive Producer, Anna ‘SuperCakes’ Donlon responded to Greenily’s post, explaining that they’re “absolutely looking into long-term solutions for making it safe to play Valorant,” adding that they’ll even be investigating how to improve solo-queuing.
Gross, this is creepy as hell. This is why I can’t solo. I’m so sorry. We’re absolutely looking into long-term solutions for making it safe to play VALORANT – even solo queue!
— Anna Donlon (@RiotSuperCakes) April 24, 2020
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This isn’t the first time a Riot dev has spoken out regarding in-game harassment. Valorant’s Insight & Strategy Analyst, Riot aeneia, detailed her first experience of a similar encounter with a griefer.
This dude just wouldn't let up. He kept calling me a liar, that I'm actually a dude. He told me to "save [my] ideas for the kitchen." About half way through the match, he asked if I'm single. By the end of the match, he repeatedly asked if he could add me. He proposed to me.
— Riot aeneia (@aeneiaa) April 24, 2020
As per aeneia’s thread, muting individuals who share their sexist remarks can be “strategic sabotage” and ruin the game for both themselves and their team. So being able to counter such behavior remains a difficult task.
