Was It Really a Good Game?: An Evaluation of Valorant’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Policies and Mechanisms

Abstract

Despite comprising a significant portion of the gaming community, female gamers find themselves targets of sexism, aggression, and sexual harassment. In-game mechanisms and policies exist to protect players from these negative experiences; however, women find no respite from sexual harassment. As such, this study aimed to explore this phenomenon by delving into how Valorant’s anti-sexual harassment policies and mechanisms affect the experiences of female UPM gamers. In addition, this study also explored the forms of harassment that circumvent Valorant’s policies and mechanisms and the preset mechanisms and policies that protect players from sexual harassment in Valorant. Using McPhail’s Feminist Policy Analysis as the framework, data from the thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews, Wodak’s critical discourse analysis, and the digital ethnography were triangulated to provide a comprehensive evaluation of Valorant’s anti-sexual harassment policies and mechanisms. Results showed that there are unequal power relations between women and the hypermasculine gaming culture present within Valorant’s policie, exacerbated by the policies’ emphasis on legal and business-related provisions and less of its sexual harassment sections. Furthermore, there are gaps like context-specific nuances countries outside U.S.A, flawed feedback mechanisms, and legal loopholes that make it difficult for women to seek reprieve from the sexual harassment that they either face or witness.