Videogames carry with them various stereotypes - the sitting in your mom’s basement type. Amongst gamers though, these stereotypes are many and surprisingly detailed. If I was to say to a fellow gamer I play VALORANT, the reaction will obviously differ depending on their personal experience of the game. Some will sigh with sympathy, some will question with varying levels of outrage how I could possibly still play, and others will nod noncommittally as to them it’s the name of some distant game. VALORANT is known amongst players for its toxicity, rage-inducing teammates, misogyny, racism and anxiety-inducing player base, and is one of the last places I’d turn to for canonical queer representation. It is however there.
 |
| Raze (left) & Killjoy (right) sharing a kiss - source: <https://x.com/VALORANT/status/1601970067356491776> |
VALORANT was released in June of 2020, and is a 5v5 first person shooter (fps) game. Your goal is to eliminate the opposing team, successfully plant a bomb (known as the spike), or defuse said bomb and stop it from exploding - first to a score of 13 wins. Your strategy will depend on the map randomly selected for your match and whether the system puts you on the attacking or defending side. With a large (and increasing) collection of agents to choose from, the game is not just about precise gunplay, reflexes, and quietly praying you don’t lag, but also about agent utility. Each character has their own unique set of abilities, informed by which of the four roles they are (Duelist, Initiator, Controller, or Sentinel). It is a steep learning curve, with many players desperate to improve and climb competitive ranks, or completely put off in the early stages and never touching it again. The gender and ethnically inclusive cast of characters means that in the heat of competition, some players will use protected characteristics to bully teammates. And since the pros make it look so effortless, much of the playerbase is desperate to be just as good. VALORANT owes its unfavourable reputation to those players who are creepy or sexist towards female players, or decide to communicate only in racial slurs. I follow enough VALORANT content creators, and have myself played for long enough, to witness and report said behavior. Receiving notifications confirming that a player you have reported has now been banned is incredibly satisfying.
The game has regularly welcomed new agents since release. I have been playing for almost a year, and it caught me by surprise when I learnt about the game’s queer characters. Riot (the company which created VALORANT) is of course no stranger to writing queer characters; Caitlyn and Vi (who appear in the TV show Arcane, and the game League of Legends) are a great example. But queer representation appearing in VALORANT is less expected, at least given the game’s reputation. So, I thought it would only be fun to share a little background into these queers, so that we might be able to appreciate them just a little more.
 |
| Killjoy - source: <https://playvalorant.com/en-gb/agents/> |
German-born Killjoy is a canonical lesbian and the character who I played as when I first joined the game. She is a tech enthusiast and supports her teammates by using her robotic utility. Playing as her requires a lot of forethought since she is a Sentinel, which is particularly helpful when trying to learn new maps. Her ultimate can also be particularly frustrating for opponents. Her voice lines make tongue in cheek comments on German stereotypes and she generally keeps the spirits of her team uplifted. I personally love her yellow puffa, part of her character design.
 |
| Raze - source: <https://playvalorant.com/en-gb/agents/> |
Raze, from Brazil, is another canonical lesbian, and Killjoy’s girlfriend. Her utility is explosive, with colourful paint grenades and a rocket launcher ultimate. As a Duelist she is not a character I was drawn to initially as I am not one to rush in guns blazing. However, once I learnt about her canonical relationship with Killjoy I thought it would only be right to learn to play as both lesbians in the game. And I wasn’t wrong! Amongst all of the Duelists VALORANT has to offer, Raze has been most fun to play, and easiest to learn.
Riot releases VALORANT cinematics regularly to showcase new maps, agents or even to further the storyline of the game. In the case of these two characters they are shown on dinner dates and sharing loving glances in cinematics and music videos alike. What’s also great about these two agents is that they were added pretty early on, Raze being part of the original lineup and Killjoy being added in August 2020. Thus the inclusion of queer characters within VALORANT has been present for most of the game’s current lifespan.
 |
| Clove - source: <https://playvalorant.com/en-gb/agents/> |
On the gender-bending side of things, we have Clove, an immortal Controller (or smokes) agent. The fact that they are Scottish definitely has a part to play in why I enjoy their character so much. Clove is the only non-binary VALORANT agent so far, and is relatively new, as they were only added in 2024. That being said, they are also one of the most popular agents in the game, with a 10.6% pick rate, and 52.6% win rate (https://tracker.gg/valorant/insights/agents). I’m not sure if many players are aware of the representation that Clove offers for the queer members of the playerbase, but I for one am very pleased about it. Clove’s voice-lines are some of my favourites in the game, particularly “Oh shite, I lost my pet rock”. They’re also fun to play and are a useful agent even in death (something perfect for me as I die a lot!).
Riot likes to not just charge, but overcharge for skins in all of their games, so it’s a nice touch that all the pride cosmetics are free. There aren’t many - lesbian, gay, bi, pan, trans, non-binary and ace banners as well as a teddy-bear gun charm holding a pride flag patterned heart. They’re easy to get a hold of but you have to know where to look, as finding the codes to use in the in-game shop on the website can be a convoluted process. Despite that, I’ve seen many in consistent use and not just during pride month.
 |
| Source: <https://playvalorant.com/en-us/news/community/celebrate-pride-with-your-valorant-community/> |
For a game that likes to bring out the worst in people, or bring many of the worst kinds of people together, it’s nice to see Riot providing at least some forms of representation in their game. I asked some fellow players what they thought of it. A member of St Andrews Esports Society said, “I do like that Riot introduced agents as queer and didn't make it their whole personality. For me personally, someone's sexuality/gender identity is genuinely one of the least interesting things about them, but being able to see the realities of many people expressed subtly as in Valorant I think is pretty pog.” Since most of the narrative work is done in cinematics and through subtle voice lines, it’s a nice touch, and as a result many players aren’t dissuaded from using these particular agents. In the case of Clove, a fellow gamer has said: “I'm an avid smokes main and so I will play whoever is best in a certain situation”, a sentiment I think is upheld by most if not all of the community.
VALORANT is however far from perfect, and with the agent count sitting at 28 after the latest addition of Veto, it’s sad to see that they haven’t done anything to include a few more queer agents. From what I’ve observed, Killjoy, Raze and Clove are well-used and well-liked, so their identities are not stopping people from playing as them. I doubt that if any new agents were queer the player base would reject them and not use them at all. After all, popularity is based on playability, so I don’t think VALORANT gamers would get even more toxic if Riot added a few more queers to the mix. Only time will tell, but I’m always in favour of the game having even more gays!