It’s a nice summer evening. I’ve just finished a long, rough day of work at my internship and I want to spend time with my boyfriend. We decided to play Valorant together. We get three random teammates. Random teammates are always a tossup–they could be really great, or they could be horribly toxic. I pray for the former. 10 minutes later, I get told to kill myself, multiple times. My headphones are filled with insults attacking me and making fun of my gameplay. My day had already been rough, and this was my final straw. I quit the game and shut off my laptop, well aware that I would get a penalty on my account for it. My boyfriend told me that the teammates felt bad after I quit, and wanted me to get back on, but I refused. I had had enough. Video games are supposed to be fun. That doesn’t apply to Valorant.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Valorant, it is a 5v5 FPS (first person shooter) video game. There are 4 different character types–controller, duelist, initiator, sentinel–and 28 characters split between them. Each character type has a different role. The controller “smokes” areas of the map to either protect teammates or make it harder for the enemy to enter the site. Duelists are characters that are supposed to enter onto site using their abilities. Generally, they should be your top fraggers (meaning they get the most kills). Anyone who plays Valorant will tell you that is not always the case (looking at you, insta-locking Reyna players). The initiators gather intel and make space for the team. The sentinels are known for their defense, and locking down a site. The goal is to be the first team to win 13 rounds.Â
I started playing Valorant a year ago. The Valorant community is extremely male-dominated. This has resulted in some horrible experiences, which many other girls can relate to. I’ve heard it all–from sexist, misogynist insults to slurs to ridiculing my skills. My personal favorite is when I get told to go back to the kitchen.
I’ve had teammates refuse to continue playing a game because I’m a girl. Or they would purposely sabotage our team. Just because of my gender. Female players’ skills are also constantly questioned. I’ve seen instances where female players are asked if their boyfriend is playing or if they’re on their boyfriend’s account because there’s no way they’re that good. I have never seen a male player get treated in such a way. It’s gotten to the point where I refuse to use my microphone when I play with random teammates. Using your mic is important in this game, so you can communicate with your team. I have resorted to using text chat. I’ve found that if you sound even slightly feminine, there’s a good chance that you will get attacked. This isn’t always the case, but I’ve seen and heard it happen far too often.
It’s clear that there is a great deal of sexism in Valorant. This is because there are no repercussions to these people’s actions. You can report toxic teammates in the game, but that’s about it. People have become too comfortable saying horrible things to others just because they’re hidden by a screen. And other teammates tend to stay quiet when female players are being harassed. Words hold a lot of meaning and this much bullying and harassment really impacts a person. If they act like this to a random woman playing a video game, I can’t imagine how they treat their mother, sister, or partner in real life. This behavior needs to be shut down. A lot of male players don’t realize the power they have by just calling out these toxic players. These players would never listen to a woman, but they would listen to a man. It’s a small action, but it can make a big difference, and a lot of women, myself included, would appreciate it. There will always be bad people, but by doing small things, we can work to make the gaming community a better place.