Imane “Pokimane” Anys is no stranger to toxicity in Valorant, but she recently had to deal with teammates roasting her without knowing she could hear them, an entirely new experience for the star streamer.
Some in the community has often questioned if Pokimane is actually any good at Riot’s tactical shooter despite her reaching Immortal rank. But the questioning doesn’t end on Twitter, as Pokimane recently admitted that she struggles with toxicity in-game as well. In August 2021, Pokimane said that ranking up is hard for her because she
doesn’t want to talk in-game during matches
for fear of people “getting weird” about her being a woman.
A recent encounter with toxic teammates proved exactly why Pokimane will often remain silent while playing Valorant.
Pokimane reacts to teammates’ insults in Valorant
Pokimane decided to play some Valorant with her identity hidden from her teammates during a July 9 stream. Despite her trying to remain anonymous, the word got out that Pokimane was actually in the match. What her teammates didn’t realize was that Pokimane was on their team, not the enemy team.
Since her teammates believed Pokimane was on the opposing team and thus couldn’t hear them, they began to insult her. One teammate even said that he planned to “shaft” the enemy Sage, who he believed to be Pokimane. Pokimane went on to lead her team to victory despite their insults.
After winning the match for her toxic teammates, Pokimane seemed aggravated by the entire episode. When the chat asked her about what just happened, Pokimane said she didn’t want to talk about the “cringe” situation.
Are Valorant players sexist?
All games have their bad apples in them, but Valorant has continued to be in the spotlight for its toxic community as female players repeatedly report facing sexism in-game. Earlier this year, YouTuber IShowSpeed was
called out
for calling a female Valorant player a “bitch” and telling her to “do her husband’s dishes.”
Women, including Riot Games employees, have continued to speak up about the number of sexist players they run into while playing Valorant. Some feel that
Riot isn’t doing enough
regarding the ongoing in-game harassment and mistreatment of Valorant’s female players.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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