38th Annual Student Research Conference
Creating Sociolinguistic Authenticity in Gaming: A Study of Valorant Voice Lines
Emily A. Cutler
Dr. Darrin Hetrick, Faculty Mentor
Voice lines in Valorant serve as a key world-building linguistic tool, shaping the identities of its diverse lineup of agents. Riot Games, known for its success in creating characters in League of Legends and Arcane, applies a similar level of detail to Valorant. Key aspects of this authenticity are purposeful casting and linguistic authenticity. The game’s voice lines reflect real-world sociolinguistic strategies, particularly code-mixing—the blending of multiple languages within speech. Additionally, actors who are native speakers of their character’s language bring depth and natural linguistic expression to their roles through localized slang and accent variation. This study examines the writing and acting of voice lines in Valorant, demonstrating how they contribute to the game’s global appeal and reinforce the importance of sociolinguistic authenticity in gaming narratives.
Keywords: Sociolinguistcs, Valorant, Voice Lines, Code-mixing
Topic(s):Linguistics
Sociology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 305-4
Location: SUB Georgian B
Time: 1:45