Image via: Riot
When Riot Games launched Valorant in 2020, it also launched an effective tool to ensure that the gaming atmosphere was fair and competitive-Vanguard, the game’s anti-cheat system. Cheating is actually something that has existed for some time in online gaming, and since its inception, Vanguard has managed to inhibit well over 3.6 million accounts for cheating-the statistics provided by Riot suggest that this translates to roughly one ban every 37 seconds. Vanguard is designed to work at the kernel level of an operating system so that the anti-cheat system can monitor user systems from the boot-up level, making it one of the most aggressive anti-cheat systems that the gaming industry has seen.
citing rampant cheating in competitive gaming, this software has come under tremendous scrutiny and concern for user privacy and system integrity While Riot insists on its necessity. Such deep access into the systems understandably doesn’t sit well with some users. Unlike other anti-cheat systems that monitor game windows or take the occasional screenshot, Vanguard goes way beyond that. By taking a screenshot of the entire screen, including overlays like Discord, there are fears it is infringing on users’ privacy. Some players feel that Vanguard could possibly be collecting personal data not related to the game; the thought of having that level of intrusion on their computers horrifies many. Some Valorant fans are defending Vanguard, amidst some accusations against it. Some say that although it may be intrusive, such intrusiveness is necessary for the purpose of maintaining a level playing field in this game.