Counter-Strike 2 players can be toxic, it’s not a secret. But, sexism has been a long-standing issue that rarely gets attention. But, now pro players are speaking out on the issue after a clip of a female streamer getting bullied in-game goes viral.
CS2 has many issues, but toxicity remains on the top. The game doesn’t have a strong penalty system in place for trolls and malicious players who ruin serious games, which has only enabled them even more. While trolls are equally insufferable for everyone, they can be incredibly toxic to women.
On August 15, a female streamer named Haley shared an in-game clip from CS2 map Mirage where she was bullied and harassed simply for being a woman. The clip gained thousands of views on X, gaining the attention of CS2 pro Justinas “jL” Lekavičius.
Quoting the post, jL condemned the sexist players and called Valve out for not banning them.
CS2 pro jL calls out Valve for ignoring sexist trolls
According to jL, a big chunk of player base in CS2 is sexist so it’s understandable why Valve won’t want to diminish its player count by punishing them. The pro player then revealed that his fiance deals with similar treatment in the game.
He also explained why women stay away from CS2 because if he had to deal with such behavior, he’d stop playing the game at all.
“This is the harsh reality of girls not playing 5-man stacks. My fiance goes through the same shit every day, I would honestly just leave the game after round 3, but my ban would probably be longer than his.” jL said.
Haley’s video has elicited mixed reactions from the community, with some calling it “everyday CS2 toxicity,” even though it’s far from that. Instead of regular trolls throwing the game out of spite, Haley can be seen getting bullied solely because of her gender.
It remains to be seen if this video reaches Valve and results in any positive steps. Previously, a similar incident in Valorant caused mayhem and instantly prompted a response from Riot, who then took action against the sexist troll.
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
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