In June, a significant online debate erupted across social media platforms, centering on the topic of “teabagging” within Valorant and the broader gaming community. This discussion originated within the Galorants Discord server, where a member raised concerns about the extremity of teabagging in a text channel intended for serious discussions. During this conversation, comparisons were made between teabagging and sexual assault, a topic reportedly prohibited within that specific channel and the server as a whole due to its sensitive nature.
Following the initial discussion, Galorants released a statement addressing the situation: “While Galorants moderators eventually intervened to de-escalate the situation surrounding the ‘teabagging debate,’ their response was not as immediate as required. This delay unfortunately allowed hostility to intensify within our server, directed towards the individual who initiated the conversation. Consequently, this individual has been penalized within the server for introducing a banned topic into the discourse. We sincerely apologize for our delayed action in protecting our members sooner.“
Riot Games, the developer of Valorant, conducted an investigation and identified two players, Dawn and Risorah, as having targeted the member who started the initial discussion on the Galorants Server. Riot Games stated, “Dawn’s responses included a vulgar and targeted remark directed at Player A.“
The investigation further revealed that “On June 27th, Risorah created multiple Twitter posts specifically targeting Player A. In these posts, Risorah shared excerpts from GALORANTS Discord conversations between themselves and Player A. Risorah further posted an edited video online, adding vulgar commentary personally directed at Player A. On June 28th, Risorah directly tagged and targeted Player A in another vulgar post,” the company detailed.
Riot Games confirmed that their investigation involved a comprehensive review of all available evidence and included interviews with all involved parties, including Dawn and Risorah. Ultimately, these actions led to the penalties against Dawn and Risorah for their behavior following the initial discussion on the Galorants server.
