After an incident of bullying, where a developer from League of Legends was harassed in the online shooter Valorant, Riot Games is now treating this issue as a priority.
What happened in the game? UX designer Tea “Greenily” C. from Riot Games actually works on League of Legends, but was harassed during a match in the online shooter Valorant. When she did not respond to a player’s advances, he even became aggressive.
A difficult situation
How does Riot Games respond to this? The development studio takes the incident very seriously. No wonder, as the company has previously dealt with accusations of harassment from some employees and had to fight hard for its image. Investigations were even launched back then.
Valorant’s executive producer, Anna Donlon, has now stated on Twitter that she feels very uncomfortable about the situation but also wants to do something about it.
I will be super realistic here: Harassment and bullying in games are not a status quo that I can accept. We have learned to mute those who harass us. And we have learned to remain silent ourselves to keep the peace. That is why we have a competitive environment that can feel detrimental.
Anna Donlon
What does Riot want to do now? According to Anna Donlon, this is a very difficult situation. Because it is also related to a deeply ingrained societal problem. However, she wants to ensure that players who are in Valorant to win and respect others are also treated with respect.
This is a very difficult topic. I cannot change society, and some of these issues are really very, very deeply rooted. But what I can say is that Riot takes this seriously. That’s why we have established a dedicated Central Player Dynamics team to promote research that fosters fair gameplay (it’s not always about punishment!).
This is a priority for us. Not just short-term, but as long as it takes to reassure a player – any player – that they can expect a similar experience as long as they play to win in Valorant and respect their fellow players.
Anna Donlon
Is this a fight against windmills? This already sounds like a Sisyphean task and very utopian. Especially in competitions, emotions can run high, and insults can occur. However, Anna Donlon has also commented on this.
In every competition, we expect tensions to run high and the situation to be tense. We will not ban anyone just because they are passionately involved when they win or lose. But I also know that some experiences can go beyond excitement. Sometimes they lead to harassment. We do not agree with that.
Anna Donlon
What happens now? Anna Donlon explains that the first step will be to introduce codes of conduct. Players must adhere to these, or they will face penalties. But that’s not the end of it. Further measures are needed. However, the producer cannot say yet what these will look like and when they will arrive.
Do you play Valorant and want to know which of the agents is the best? MeinMMO author and Valorant expert Jürgen Horn explains in the tier list which of the 10 agents you should choose in the matches of the online shooter.
