Valorant players say chat bans are bad for competitive play

Olivia Richman Published 26/12/2020

Valorant players are frustrated with the game’s chat restriction punishment system.

Players can be banned from using voice and text chat in-game if they break the game’s Community Code. This is something players agree to when they first launch Riot’s first-person shooter, acknowledging that they won’t use certain words and phrases or display a negative attitude.

When the game detects that inappropriate words and phrases are being used, whether they are typed or spoken out loud, the player will automatically receive a 72-hour ban from chatting in any form. This includes typing or talking.

“My hope is that, if you do receive such a restriction, you’ll use that time to reconsider how to best communicate with your allies and enemies alike,” Valorant support stated in an official blog on the matter.

Valorant chat ban

While it may seem like a positive to prevent toxic players from harassing and insulting others once more, the Valorant community has started to find great fault with the banning system.

A lot of competitive players have noticed that players with chat bans are still able to join parties and compete in ranked matches. This has led to a multitude of problems.

It forces teams to try working together with a player who can’t communicate, or risk joining a banned player’s own party, where they will then be subject to their potentially toxic comms. When a party invite goes unanswered by weary teammates, more immature banned players will begin to spam invites and sometimes even sabotage the game.

For many players, the consensus solution seems to be banning players from competitive completely when they say or do something toxic. Most players don’t find the voice ban to be harsh enough or otherwise productive. It ultimately seems to hurt other the other people playing in competitive more than the offending user.

Some Valorant fans have expressed that the chat ban should remain. They feel that banning someone from playing competitive entirely shouldn’t be an automatic punishment. Instead, the player should be reported and then reviewed by some type of panel or by a Riot employee. Meanwhile, the automated system should remain for chat banning to ensure there is a punishment either way.

Most Valorant players seem to agree that competitors who repeatedly get chat bans should ultimately be banned from competitive entirely.

Can you get unbanned from Valorant?

If a player believes they received a 72-hour chat ban unfairly, they can submit an unban appeal to Riot. Head to the developer’s official website. Click the support link at the top left of the page. This will take players to the Support Center. Within the Support Center is the option to submit an appeal.

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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