Riot testing email-based reports to fight Valorant toxicity

Fariha Bhatti Published 10/02/2022

Toxicity complaints in Valorant have increased tremendously in the past few months and Riot Games is experimenting with a new program called Alarmbot to target trolls.

The number of trolls in Valorant is growing with the game’s popularity. Despite Riot’s effort to minimize toxicity, player complaints are through the roof. The developer has encouraged players to report malicious actors so that an automated system can deal with them. However, it’s now considering a more direct approach.

In a recent Valorant system health series, Riot discussed the state of voice and chat toxicity.

“We’re dedicated to being a strong force in paving the way for a brighter future for all when it comes to comms-related toxicity in gaming. There’s been what we believe to be healthy progress in this area, however, we can see there is more to do,” members of the Valorant social and player dynamics team said.

Riot informed that it has already rendered about 400,000 text and voice chat mutes to the offenders in January alone. The developer has also dished out 40,000 bans against repeat offenders and those who commit “no tolerance” violations. Though Riot says it’s been aggressive on this front, there’s still space to improve.

Evident from community posts, players continue to encounter offenders in ranked games. Riot has already launched a direct report line in Turkey to tackle rampant toxicity. The new Alarmbot system is currently in beta and would likely be implemented across all regions upon success.

What’s Valorant Alarmbot reporting system?

Alarmbot system is Riot’s direct reporting line that’s only active in Turkey for now. Using this system, players can report wrongdoers via email directly to Riot with proof. After evaluation, the developer may take strict actions.

Riot has activated the [email protected] in Turkey, where players send their complaints along with screenshots or video recordings. As a result, Riot will permanently suspend accounts that perpetrate “zero tolerance” behaviors. Others may see a seven or 14-day ban and could face permanent bans for repeat offenses.

After evaluating the results, Riot may implement this system across all regions. This would mean that players will have a direct line of contact with Riot Games. It’s worth noting that the developer would only consider extreme harassment cases under this system. Whatever the case, it’s a great initiative, and players could definitely use a direct complaint system considering rampant toxicity in Valorant.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

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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