Riot Addresses Valorant Player Behavior and Harassment
Riot Games executive producer Anna Donlon stirred up a serious conversation recently after she mentioned on Twitter that she wasn't willing to solo-queue in Valorant, the game she works on, due to harassment concerns. Donlon has since written a lengthy post discussing Riot's views on player behavior and what it's doing moving toward Valorant's launch.
"This is why I can't solo," wrote Donlon on Twitter, replying to a Twitch clip from another Rioter in which a Valorant player sexually harassed her mid-game. But Donlon isn't comfortable with that status quo. In her post Donlon says, speaking for not just women but gamers in general, "We've learned to but others who are harassing us. We've learned to mute ourselves in order to keep the peace. And as a result, we have a competitive experience that can feel compromised." Donlon goes on to say Riot owes its community a commitment to do better and then makes that commitment.
However, Donlon admits immediately that, "This is a very hard space to take on. I can't solve society, and some of these issues are really, really deeply entrenched." But Donlon says that Riot is taking the issue seriously and has also formed a "Central Player Dynamics" team for Valorant to address the science and research behind promoting fair teamplay.
What Donlon doesn't offer are immediate solutions or details regarding punishment for harassment, particularly through voice chat. In fact, recently a Riot support representative for League of Legends said that Riot is leaving all player punishment up to automation due to limitations from the COVID-19 pandemic. It's odd to consider Donlon promising Riot's taking this seriously while harassment is potentially only being dealt with through automated systems.
Nevertheless, Donlon says as long as she's the leader of the Valorant team, player behavior is a priority and it will receive all necessary resources. Hopefully, she continues to carry a conversation with Valorant players on the issue.
Valorant is currently in closed beta and releases this summer on PC.
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