Valorant has been one of the most popular games since its release in 2020. Similarities to CSGO and Overwatch appealed to fans of both games. One of my friend's boyfriends invited me to play on release day, but I was skeptical about even playing the game after learning that a lot of his CSGO community was actively migrating to his Valorant. became. Toxicity towards women was at an all-time high, especially when Valorant, like her CSGO, was dominated by men. Still, I decided to play with my friends.
And to my surprise, it went better than I expected.
I found myself enjoying Valorant's game style, especially when I was tired of Overwatch's toxicity and frustrating competitive METAS.
But how long did this honeymoon phase with Valorant last?
It's not very long. The moment I started playing solo, other men on the team started making vulgar comments and asking sexist questions.
“Do you have OnlyFans?”
“Are you an e-girl?”
“Go back to the kitchen!”
“I'm going to rape you.”
“Who supports you on the team?”
These questions were constantly thrown at me and all I could do was sit there confused and wondering why those things were important in the game.
No matter how good I was throughout the game or whether I won the team's MVP award, the mere fact that I was a woman was enough for my teammates to perceive me as inferior. Mistakes were not an option, and if you failed to defeat your opponent one-on-one, the ensuing harassment was enough to heighten your anxiety. But when his male teammates made mistakes or ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard, no one said anything.
“Sorry, I'm off-game.” Then everyone will understand. Of course, I didn't receive the same treatment either.
A question arises here. Is Valorant really “pro” women?
The short answer is that I think Valorant does a better job of protecting women, but it's not at the level of protection it should be.
Much of the toxicity I encountered occurred primarily in the game's first year of release. This is to be expected since the company's systems had not yet implemented a system to make it easier to ban players who are toxic and abusive towards women. My experience in his first year in the game doesn't compare to what I have now. The company takes reports very seriously and reported the male player's behavior towards me. Within 24 hours, you will receive a report that they have been kicked out of the game.
As the years went on, the toxicity also faded, especially during quarantine, and many women became interested in FPS games and gaming in general. I started lining up for the game and noticed that half of my teammates were either women or part of the LGBTQ+ community. Changes are starting to take place in the Valorant community, increasing diversity not only within the game, but also with the agents we play. Just last week, Riot (the company Valorant is owned by) released a new non-binary agent. Of course, the reaction to that agent was mixed, but that's for another article.
Valorant's changes have allowed me to go weeks without facing toxic teammates, allowing me to enjoy the game more. I have recommended Valorant to many women who want to get into video games.
Valorant, like any game, still has a toxic community, but compared to other games, it's less toxic as a woman, or at the very least, if other men on your team are sexually active. Even when we start fighting against discriminatory players, we become less toxic as women. In some cases, these harmful actions come from little boys rather than men, which makes them more likely to be banned the moment you say the slur.
Overwatch was released in 2016 and was one of the first games I fell in love with. I was only 16 when I started playing, but I knew I wasn't the same as my male teammates, and my company didn't protect me enough. As I researched gaming heroes, I realized that at the time, and probably still today, I was interested in playing the role of Tank, which was primarily played by men. Even though playing tanks was my main role, when I lined up during a competition, my teammates would just sigh and mutter, “Oh, no! “There's a woman on the team, gg.” It's as if just because you're in the game, you're bound to lose.
It didn't matter if I played my role perfectly, it was always my fault. They say, “Please just play a supporting role, that's a woman's role.'' I think that's why I avoided playing roles that are popular with women. I didn't have the freedom to play any hero I wanted for fear of being harassed by my male teammates.
Overwatch was a game I always played after school. Even though it was toxic, my fascination with this game was stronger than the treatment I received.
But what has the company Blizzard done to protect women?
I couldn't give you a concrete answer, especially when my account was completely banned while I was writing this article. This means you can no longer log in and play. You may be wondering what kind of cruelty I committed to deserve such harsh treatment.
This is my confession…
To protect yourself. I was defending myself from a toxic player, but the chat records probably show that I was hurling an insult or two at them, and I was trying to protect myself from a toxic player instead of the assailant. was enough to punish him. I wasn't sad, just disappointed. Overwatch has always been a game that you can play easily and relax, so to see it treated like this was… really disappointing. And we know that the other person is not and never will be punished. Not in Overwatch.
But I still think Overwatch is a good game to play if you want to relax for an hour or two. If you play in quick play mode, there will be no one to voice chat with, so it will be easier to escape from harsh actions. I might create a new account and play from time to time in the future, but I don't think Overwatch is a game I'd play consistently or competitively. While the game features a diverse cast of heroes, sometimes even better than Valorant, especially when it comes to body types and sexuality, that doesn't overshadow the reality of the game's toxic community. It seems like a waste compared to the heroes they offer players and the gameplay that is fun to play.
