OMG I still remember the first time I dared to use voice chat in Valorant back in the beta days. The second I said "hello," the team went dead silent—then exploded. One guy started screaming "OH MY GOD IT'S A GIRL," and another immediately started calling me "babe" and asking for my Snap. I was just trying to play Sage and keep everyone alive, but suddenly I became their in-game girlfriend 🙄. I muted them, but I still had to heal them because, you know, I actually wanted to win.

That memory came flooding back this week when I saw the old clip from Riot Greenily—a UX designer who shared her identical experience back in 2020. Her video made me feel so seen, but also so angry. A teammate literally "acted like I was his girlfriend throughout the whole game" just because she used voice comms.

It wasn't just us, either. Katie Chironis, a senior game designer at Riot, revealed she had to add "#RIOT" to her handle just to reduce the harassment. A player named Kirsty said the level of abuse she got over voice comms was "disgusting." And a crazy stat from a 2020 survey showed that 98% of League of Legends players had faced some kind of harassment. Ninety-eight percent. Let that sink in.

And no, Valorant wasn't the only toxic playground. A study by the Anti-Defamation League found that 74% of adult gamers experience harassment in online games, with titles like League, Dota 2, and CS:GO being some of the worst offenders. Valorant, often compared to CS:GO, was shaping up to be just as bad.

But something actually changed 🔄

Here's where the story gets interesting. After that video went viral, Anna Donlon, Valorant's executive producer, publicly called the behavior "gross" and "creepy as hell." She even admitted she never played solo queue because of experiences like that. Most importantly, she promised the team was "absolutely looking into long-term solutions for making it safe to play."

I'll be honest, I rolled my eyes at first. Game companies promise things all the time. But Riot was already taking aggressive actions against cheaters and even paying huge bounties for anti-cheat vulnerabilities, so maybe—just maybe—they were serious.

Fast forward to 2026, and I can genuinely say Valorant feels like a different game. No, toxicity hasn't been erased from the internet (lol imagine), but the tools we have now are so much better.

✅ Voice evaluation system – Riot introduced a system that records and reviews voice comms from reported players. Knowing that your voice is literally being checked keeps a lot of creeps quiet.

✅ Improved reporting & punishments – Reports are taken seriously, and I've seen people get banned mid-game. The feedback system now tells you when action is taken, which makes reporting feel worth it.

✅ Commendations & honor system – Borrowing from League, Valorant now has a commendation system that rewards positive players. I've actually made friends from random teams just because someone was extra chill.

✅ Party-only voice chat default – Not everyone loves this, but you can set voice chat to team or party by default, so you can avoid solo queue chaos unless you opt in.

My personal tips for safer gaming as a woman 🛡️

After thousands of hours in Valorant (help), here's what I've learned:

🎧 Use voice comms on your terms. I start with pings and text. If the team seems normal, I'll unmute. One creepy comment? Instantly back to pings, no guilt.

👯‍♀️ Find a duo or squad. Playing with even one trusted friend changes the whole dynamic. Bullies are less bold when you're not isolated.

📸 Clip and report. If someone crosses the line, I clip it and send a detailed report. In 2026, those reports actually lead to consequences.

🧘 Take breaks when needed. Your mental health matters more than RR.

The bigger picture 🌍

I'm not saying Valorant is some utopia now. We still deal with sexist nonsense, and the problem is way bigger than one game. But the conversation that Riot Greenily's experience sparked back in 2020 led to real, lasting improvements. Seeing a female executive producer like Anna Donlon openly address the issue and push for change was a turning point.

To any girl, non-binary, or femme-presenting player reading this: your voice belongs in the game. It took a lot of noise (pun intended) to get here, but the spaces are slowly but surely getting safer.

And to the creeps? We'll still heal you, because we're trying to win. But we're also muting you. 💅

Now go queue up and slay—in all the ways 💜.

Have you noticed a change in Valorant's community? Tell me your story below!