Photo: Valorant
Esport is a world that lies at the crossroads between the sphere of video game and that of sport. Both are very masculine and it is no coincidence that the world of esports does not make much room for women. A game like Valorant, however, tries to multiply initiatives to include female players and offers a well-structured competitive circuit with Games Changers. But as with the men, there are also toxicity issues and two players were caught by the patrol.
The two players in question are Dawn”dawn“Park and Vivian”Risorah“Dela Cruz. They were respectively banned for 3 and 9 months.
The origin of the drama
It all started over a quarrel that took place on the Community Discord Gallant. Originally, a heated debate was launched over tea-bagging and while tempers quickly heated, the moderators reportedly took a little too long to intervene. It must be said that the discussion touched on very sensitive subjects, especially for the players. Some consider that tea-bagging can be related to a form sexual harassment. Without judging the merits of the debate, we can easily understand why the exchange has soured given that many women have experienced horrible and uncomfortable situations in-game.
The Galorants Discord server was temporarily shut down, but that decision didn’t really end the drama. This one continued on Twitter and a player, anonymized (Player A) was the subject of attacks and of comments deemed derogatory by Riot Games. It was for this exact reason that Dawn and Risorah were sanctioned. The investigators took the time to do research and talk to the actors concerned (accused, victim, etc.). Supporting evidence (screenshots), they decided to take action.
Penalties for toxicity
dawn was pinned for making a vulgar and targeted comment via her personal social network. This is a violation of VALORANT Champions Tour Global Competition Policy Rule 7.3.1 (vulgar and hateful comments). She therefore took 3 months of suspension and will not be able to participate in an event organized by Riot Games during this period. The latter did not really receive the sanction well and defended herself with a TwitLonger. She also regretted that her identity was revealed, since she has been receiving IRL messages at her school now… The loop is decidedly hellish.
Risorah received a 9-month suspension for writing “repeated” comments. She broke rules 7.3.1 and 7.3.4 (harassment). She will not be able to return to competition before the end of 2022. Dawn with her lighter sentence will be able to play in September.