Game: Valorant

One of the companies that I have several experiences with is Riot Games. The company is known for their MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game: League of Legends. While I have played that title, the one that I will be focusing on for this post is the game Valorant. The game is an FPS (First Person Shooter) that plays similarly to the hit title Counter Strike with the objective of one team defending bomb sites and defusing the bomb if planted by the opposing team with the twist of the characters you play as having unique abilities.

Going into this game I was already expecting the worst due to the poor moderation that I have experienced from Riot Games before. On top of that, the volatility that comes from online games in the past decade alone has demonstrated that playing these games is something that can be rather difficult if you want to go in there for stress free fun. Having previously played Counter Strike, I already knew my way around this specific type of FPS so it wasn't too difficult for me. I also already have thick skin so it wouldn't be difficult to get insulted by my team for not performing well.

I started from level 1 since it was my first time playing this title, but the experience that I received in the casual matches was very different from what the game might be. No one communicated in the casual games I was playing so it made me think that I would have to grind to level 20 in order to play ranked matches to truly experience the game.

After a non-eventful week of playing, I made it to the goal and began the experience. It delivered what I was expecting. Right off the bat people began to get mad in the character select screen because people took their character or because someone did not fill a specific role the team composition needed. It continued onwards throughout the game with these taunts due to losing rounds or misplays. There was not a single ounce of positivity in the game I observed. This first game was just my gauge without any input from my end.

The next game I went into I decided to finally communicate with my team in a wholesome manner, either throwing out jokes or making pleasant conversation. This game turned out completely different than my previous one. Having one person being a reasonable and decent human being will take out the toxicity of the game or at least minimize it. This only had the effect on my team and not the enemy team because they would still have people leaving or toxic text chat. This experience went on to happen throughout the games I played with maybe someone getting a little toxic but never too far because I defused it.

I think following along with this will be the best way to climb up the ranks and have the best possible social experience for this title due to the voice and text communication available to it. In my next post I will talk about League of Legends, a game that I have been playing for a better part of a decade.