Twitch streamer Sydeon exposes sexist abuse in Valorant matches
Cosplay content creator Sydney “Sydeon” has come forward with some concerning experiences had while playing Valorant.
Sydeon, who has notably played Among Us alongside Rachell “Valkyrae” Hoffstetter, has experienced severe harassment from toxic players while solo queuing in Valorant. The sexism Sydeon faced is unfortunately something that a lot of female Valorant players have shared in over the past year.
On June 22, Sydeon explained that she was “held hostage” by teammates who kept yelling at her to “get back in the kitchen.” The experience left Sydeon shaking with frustration.
“I’ve never been so upset. People either call me boosted for playing with friends or I get flamed because of my fucking gender,” Sydeon said.
Queued one solo q game. Got held hostage after they yelled at me telling me to get back in the kitchen and asking why I even q up to play games. I’m shaking I’ve never been so upset people either call me boosted for playing with friends or I get flamed cause of my fucking gender
— Sydney???? (@Sydeon) June 22, 2021
When women have brought up this concern in the past, some in the gaming community have stated that female players should simply “mute” the other players or not use voice chat in the game to begin with. Others have said that “talking shit” is a normal part of playing any game online. But for many women, this doesn’t address the actual issue.
“Also saying ‘it’s videos games, shit talk is normal get used to it.’ It’s not it. If that’s the culture then fucking change it,” Sydeon said.
Female contenet creator LilyPichu has admitted that she never uses chat in solo queue in order to avoid such harassment. Another female streamer, Complexity Gaming’s Electra, explained that there’s a difference between commenting on someone’s skill or gameplay versus their gender identity. At that point it’s just harassment and the gaming community should understand that, Electra offered.
Riot responds to sexism in Valorant
After expressing her concern, Sydeon directly tagged Valorant and called for action. She told the developers to listen to the comms of her being called a “whore.”
“It makes the atmosphere unsafe to have people like this playing,” Sydeon said, offering to provide more information if needed.
Anyways, @PlayVALORANT if you can listen to comms of me being called a “whore” and being told to go back to the kitchen that’d be rly cool. It makes the atmosphere unsafe to have people like this playing. Happy to provide more info if needed ???? pic.twitter.com/RqmZWDvpt4
— Sydney???? (@Sydeon) June 22, 2021
In response to the tag, Riot revenue lead for Valorant Joe “SWAGGERNAU7” Lee asked for the account name and tag in question. Sydeon swiftly responded, saying she would DM him the information.
It’s unclear if Riot ever took action against the players who harassed Sydeon. Either way, developers likely need to establish more safety features to keep players protected and allow them to enjoy the game without dealing with harassment if they decide to communicate in a team-based game.
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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