Riot Games Will Work to Eliminate In-Game Sexual Harassment

Photo: Riot Games Inc.

Riot Games says it will take steps to limit in-game communication and curtail sexual harassment after a UX designer employed at the company documented a disturbing and sexually harassing exchange with a fellow gamer.

The designer, who uses the handle Greenily, posted a clip last week of her playing Riot Games’ new multiplayer shooter game, “Valorant.” In the clip, Greenily is repeatedly harassed by a male opponent in the game who both calls her a list of derogatory and sexist names while also referring to her as his “girlfriend.”

“It’s like this MOST of the time on solo queue voice comms REGARDLESS of the game I’m playing,” she tweeted. “I usually don’t give in to this like in the video; I’m silent in an attempt to not incite more. Inevitably you get to a point where you have to mute them.”

Riot Games says it is prioritizing chat functions within the “Valorant” beta that does not rely on voice communication. “With any competitive game, we expect spirits to get high and things to get tense (and) we’re not going to ban someone just because they got passionate about winning or losing,” Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon told TheWrap Tuesday.

Also Read: Riot Games Cancels 'League of Legends' Mid-Season Invitational Tournament

Donlon continued, “I also know that some experiences can go beyond enthusiasm; sometimes they extend into harassment (and) what I’m not okay with. The reality is that, for the harassed, it can be challenging to play a game competitively because you need to first protect yourself from ‘inviting’ harassment, and so you mute someone because they’re screaming slurs into the mic, or you mute yourself because that seems to keep the peace.”

Donlon said it would be “irresponsible accepting this as the status quo,” and said Riot has “prioritized developing non-voice communications, like character voice callouts for game events and the in-game ping system.” These efforts are “just the start,” Donlon said.

“We will continue to prioritize and invest resources into this space,” Donlon said, but would not immediately provide further details. The game does have a feature that lets players report offenders to Riot for review.

Also Read: Why Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Riot Games Has New Life

Greenily elaborated on the incident in a series of tweets and said it is a common experience she endures regularly as a female gamer. Because of the voice chat and multiplayer match functions in the game, she was basically stuck with the offending player for the duration of the match, which made the situation even more uncomfortable.

“Please don’t be this dude who shouted ‘OH MY GOD IT’S A GIRL’ the moment I talked; who called me his ‘babe’ (and) acted like I was his girlfriend throughout the whole game,” she said.

The underlying issue of sexual harassment towards female video gamers extends beyond Riot Games or “Valorant” — frequently games that allow general voice communications where anyone playing can opt-in and chat are also rife with men seeking to take advantage of any female-identified player they encounter.

Also Read: Riot Games Acquires Indie Game Developer Hypixel Studios

“I want to live in a world where this guy doesn’t go and ruin other peoples’ games. Where people feel safe to speak up. But reality is that in general voice comms land, for a ton of females, their safety mechanism is identifying ppl like this early and remaining silent or muting,” Greenily added.

Valorant is in closed beta mode with a limited number of participants playing on PCs globally. Riot said the full game will launch in Summer 2020.

Today's????: It's like this MOST of the time on solo queue voice comms REGARDLESS of the game I'm playing. I usually don't give in to this like in the video; I'm silent in an attempt to not incite more. Inevitably you get to a point where you have to mute them. More perspective: pic.twitter.com/7ruWcI78tL

— Tea! ???? (@Evergreenily) April 24, 2020

Bored at Home? Here's Where You Can Watch Most of AFI's Top 25 Films (Photos)

Check out where you watch most of the films (yes, four are not available, unfortunately) on AFI's list.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962)

Since you can’t see Aaron Sorkin’s new adaptation on Broadway right now, you can check out the classic film with an impeccable and honorable performance by Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. We should just say, watch everything on Amazon Prime.
Universal
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982)

Another Spielberg classic, it feels like every kids movie or nostalgia show or movie of the last 20 years owes a big debt to “E.T.” And if you watched that adorable holiday ad from last year, it’s worth checking out just how well the original holds up. Again, you can watch this on Amazon Prime in collaboration with Starz.
Universal
23. "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940)

John Ford’s adaptation of the classic John Steinbeck novel is unfortunately not available for streaming at present.
20th Century Fox
22. "Some Like It Hot" (1959)

AFI in a separate list named Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot” the funniest movie ever made. It’s a riot featuring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as two musicians who disguise themselves as women in order to evade the mob. It also features Marilyn Monroe at her absolute best. Also watch this on Amazon Prime Video or The Criterion Channel.
United Artists
21. "Chinatown" (1974)

“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” That’s the capper to a near-perfect movie rich with a web of corruption, deceit and crime. It also has a masterful Jack Nicholson performance in which he’s in virtually every scene, not to mention wearing a bandage on his nose for most of the film. You can also see this on Amazon in collaboration with Starz.
Paramount Pictures
20. "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)

It’s usually a Christmas tradition, but Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a rousing, feel-good story at any time of year and is an especially poignant message about valuing life and others in these hard times. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
Liberty Films
19. "On the Waterfront" (1954)

Marlon Brando had already given titanic performances in films like “A Streetcar Named Desire,” but his sobering work in Elia Kazan’s “On the Waterfront” helped the film sweep the Oscars, including Best Picture. It’s a drama and crime film about an ex-prize fighter who “coulda been a contender” and helps stand up to his corrupt union bosses. Watch it on the Criterion Collection/Crackle.
Columbia Pictures
18. "The General" (1927)

Arguably Buster Keaton’s finest silent film (he also has a quick cameo in “Sunset Boulevard”), “The General” is different from Chaplin’s “City Lights” in that it doesn’t have the same sentimental side and is instead jammed with laughs and incredible stunts the likes of which only Keaton could do. It's on Amazon Prime.
United Artists
17. "The Graduate" (1967)

Mike Nichols’ “The Graduate” helped to herald the shift Old Hollywood to New Hollywood, introducing American audiences to a style of filmmaking popularized by European giants of the early ‘60s. But it also helped to shape a new kind of teen counterculture and made Dustin Hoffman a star. It's available on The Criterion Channel/CBS All Access.
Embassy PIctures
16. "Sunset Boulevard" (1950)

Billy Wilder’s film noir probes the fading glory of Old Hollywood with Gloria Swanson as an old star of silent pictures, Noram Desmond. It’s a perfect place to start exploring the noir genre, as the Top 100 also includes films like “Double Indemnity” and “The Maltese Falcon.” You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video and The Criterion Channel.
Paramount
15. "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)

Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi masterpiece was polarizing in its day (and still is), but it’s visually awe-inspiring, remarkably tense and a profound and spiritual story on the pursuit for higher meaning in life. Ideally it’s worth seeing on film in the biggest theater possible, but seeing as you’re not going anywhere during the coronavirus, streaming will do. It's available on DirecTV.
Warner Bros.
14. "Psycho" (1960)

Alfred Hitchock’s “Psycho” is as tightly wound of a thriller as you’ll ever see, using imposing black and white cinematography and Bernard Hermann’s riveting score to brilliantly set the mood. Just don’t take a shower afterwards. You can watch it on Amazon in collaboration with Starz.

Paramount Pictures
13. "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977)

Ok, we’re guessing you’ve seen this one already or maybe heard of it. But if you are doing a marathon of the AFI Top 100 list, it’s worth it to see the wonder, creativity and old-fashioned charms of George Lucas’ original “Star Wars” film in the context of all the other classics on this list. It’s available on Disney+.
Fox
12. "The Searchers" (1956)

You can watch John Ford's "The Searchers," starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood, on DirecTV.
Warner Bros.
11. "City Lights" (1931)

Charlie Chaplin's lovely "City Lights" is available for streaming on The Criterion Channel is a great place to start for anyone new to silent cinema.
United Artists
10. "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)

The famous movie about Dorothy and her journey to Oz, directed by Victor Fleming, is available for your viewing pleasure on Fubo.
MGM
9. "Vertigo" (1958)

Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo," starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, in collaboration with Starz.
Paramount Pictures
8. "Schindler's List" (1993)

Steven Spielberg's famous World War II drama is available on Amazon Prime Video, in collaboration with Starz.
Universal Pictures
7. "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)

David Lean's 3 hour 48 min drama is available on Crackle -- however, you'll have to watch it with ads.
Columbia Pictures
6. "Gone With the Wind" (1939)

It's not on streaming. Tough luck.

Warner Bros.
5. "Singin' in the Rain" (1952)

It's not on streaming. Tough luck.

MGM
4. "Raging Bull" (1980)

You can watch Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" on Amazon Prime. The film stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent and Cathy Moriarty.
United Artists
3. "Casablanca" (1943)

It's not on streaming. Tough luck.
Warner Bros.
2. "The Godfather" (1972)

It's not on streaming. Tough luck.

Paramount
1. "Citizen Kane" (1941)

It's not on streaming. Tough luck.
Paramount