Apologies for a slight delay in the fifth installment of Spike Drop. It was hard to get words down while watching the country you live in embrace four years of darkness (again). But the polarization and divisiveness that election season brings about is actually a fitting transition into today’s subject: the Game Changers scene.

This week, our big topic will be the importance of the Game Changers scene to the VALORANT and VALORANT esports ecosystem. Hopefully it will give you some talking points to type in chat the next time some mouth-breathing loser decides to express an opinion literally no one asked for.

Why Game Changers Matters

The yearly Game Changers Championship is another opportunity to watch VALORANT competition at its highest level, and celebrate the growth of the game globally. This year in particular, we’re watching a Japanese team in ZETA DIVISION GC make waves for the first time as a region, as they even knocked off a former world champion in Maryam "Mary" Maher on Falcons Vega. As noted by reigning champion Melanie "meL" Capone during the pre-event press conference, the competition is “better than ever.”

But the annual event also unfortunately coincides with the return of the the shittiest people on Twitter and in chat. The comments and posts range from being dismissive to disgustingly transphobic, and they’re typically the same each year. Like always, it’s the players that identify as transgender and non-binary taking the brunt of the abuse.

Those taking part in the abuse most likely know and still don’t care that Game Changers allows both women and people from marginalized genders to compete, according to their rulebook, mission statement, and virtually every piece of GC content. But like it is outside of VALORANT, these people don’t care, they just want to be edgy and hateful and bring down a group of people who already have to endure so much. And the rapid proliferation of pro-right-wing ideas on sites like X only makes them feel more justified (see: two dumb bitches telling each other “exaaaaactlyyyy”)

I’m not gonna waste my breath or tire my typing fingers trying to dig the transphobic worms out of the brains of young men. It’s a futile effort in a digital space filled with right-wing creators catering to them, which you can read more about in my friend Mikhail Klimentov’s newsletter here.

Instead I’m gonna talk about why the existence of the Game Changers scene is important.

Esports is by all means an extension of marketing for the game itself, and thanks to the Game Changers scene, VALORANT is growing the number of players who identify as women or as a marginalized gender. While this increases the number of players in the overall game ecosystem, which drives revenue, it also increases the size of the player base from which GC players come from.

A larger player base means a wider and deeper pool of talent, increasing the quality of play, which in turn drives viewership and attracts more VALORANT players.

Riot has long stated that its goal for Game Changers is for it to be a part of the greater VCT ecosystem, where players with tier one aspirations can regularly compete without having to deal with the barriers that male players don’t have to face. For the past three years, Game Changers players have been encouraging other players in the scene to compete in open events.

In just this past year, we’ve seen more GC players reach the Challengers stage globally then we have prior. Former Cloud9 White member Bob "Bob" Tran became the first GC player to qualify for NA Challengers with SaD Esports earlier this year. It feels like an inevitability that a GC player, or even a full team, will eventually reach the VCT international leagues. Especially given that all the GC teams at the Championship have earned an invite to their regional Challengers qualifiers.

That invite has drawn criticism with some claiming that it gives GC players an unfair advantage. But it’s not giving these players an unfair advantage, it’s just leveling the playing field for a crop of players that have to deal with sexism, harassment, abuse, and other disadvantageous factors on a regular basis.

I’m confident that anyone reading this extremely niche newsletter knows how to practice empathy and basic human kindness. All I can ask you is to be vocal when supporting GC teams and standing up to those that want to bring them down. For her. For them. For everyone that’s ever dreamed of being a competitor, and everyone that just wants to feel safe and welcomed.

I’ll be back next week to talk about the Game Changers Championship competition itself after a winner is crowned. I’m gonna try and grow this product into something bigger with interviews and maybe videos, but please have patience as I’m still searching for full-time employment.