Riot Dev Responds to Reddit Post on Sexist Toxicity in Valorant

Female Valorant players have been dealing with sexist toxicity since the launch of the game's beta in early 2020. Valorant features a voice communication system that allows teammates to talk to one another during a match. While it was meant to make gameplay more enjoyable, it has made female players feel hesitant to speak up over fear of harassment. There are numerous clips from female Valorant pros and streamers where they experience sexism and toxicity over the voice communications system from male players.

Valorant is perhaps the most popular esport with female gamers. Several esports organizations have created all-female Valorant teams to compete in tournament play. These include esteemed names such as GODSENT, Dignitas, and Cloud9.

Riot Dev Responds to Reddit Post on Sexist Toxicity in Valorant

A recent Reddit post by user ShamefulPlep addressed the toxicity that female gamers frequently experience while playing ranked in Valorant. The post was removed by moderators, but not before it was noticed by user Aeneia, who happens to be a developer at Riot Games. Aeneia assured that Riot was working on combating sexism in Valorant and encouraged players to report any toxic behavior.

Aeneia also expressed hope that one day female gamers can play their favorite games without the fear of sexist toxicity. She claims that in many games she plays women are hesitant to talk until she does so herself. She expressed this concern not just for women, but for any minority groups experiencing harassment in gaming.

Numerous comments on the same Reddit post suggest that female players struggle with using voice communications in Valorant due to fear of sexist toxicity. Many comments are from female players who say they refrain from speaking during matches or resort to using a voice changer. Sadly, many of the comments suggest that a voice changer is currently the best solution for female players wanting to use Valorant's voice communications.

There is no room for sexist toxicity in Valorant or any other game. Here's hoping that Riot's commitment to getting rid of this behavior becomes standard in the gaming and esports industries.