Riot Games is taking major steps to address toxicity and voice chat abuse in its popular game VALORANT, as announced by studio head Anna Donlon. The message to offenders is clear: if you engage in hateful behavior, you are not welcome.
In the recent dev update titled “Keeping Our Community Healthy,” Donlon acknowledged that the existing penalties were not effectively removing the most disruptive players from VALORANT. In response, Riot is implementing new changes to tackle this issue head-on. However, for those who persist in being hurtful regardless of the efforts made, Donlon and Riot firmly state that they should find another game to play.
By the end of June, one of the upcoming changes—the introduction of harsher and quicker penalties for bad behavior—should be complete. “Severe” offenders encompass those who employ text or voice chat to spread hate speech, unwanted sexual content, or threats of violence. Additionally, Riot will be introducing a new top level of punishment, namely hardware bans, but only in the most extreme cases.
Apart from these significant updates, Riot is also increasing support for manual reviews to identify and penalize more offenders. Furthermore, the automated voice evaluation system will be expanded to other regions later this year.
The issue of toxicity and voice chat abuse has been an ongoing concern in the gaming community. However, it garnered widespread attention when Twitch streamer Taylor Morgan shared a clip of her VALORANT teammates using offensive language. Shockingly, Morgan was the one penalized for leaving the game after being subjected to such comments.
This incident sparked crucial discussions about behavior in VALORANT and the shortcomings of the report system at the time. Donlon addressed the disappointing responses some players had to Morgan’s clip, emphasizing that no one should be forced to develop a thicker skin or endure threats of violence and hate speech.
Donlon acknowledged that the new solutions primarily deal with offenders after the fact. However, Riot is actively working on more proactive measures to tackle the most toxic players.
In conclusion, Riot Games is committed to creating a healthy and inclusive community within VALORANT. The measures they are implementing, such as stronger penalties, hardware bans, and increased support for manual reviews, aim to combat toxicity and voice chat abuse effectively. While there is still work to be done, Riot’s dedication to creating a safer gaming environment is commendable.