Valve lets players avoid toxic people in DOTA 2, charges for the privilege

Valve has introduced a new Avoid Player feature as part of the DOTA 2 battle pass.

Included in the seasonal $9.99 battle pass, which typically features cosmetic items and other pieces of optional content, the feature "guarantees you won't match with a player again" if added to Avoid Player list.

While Valve offers the soft pitch of keeping "your team chemistry balanced and fun", it's a clear move against toxic community members, in favour of those willing to pay for the service.

It's a decidedly different tact from Riot Games with League of Legends, which has built an entire department populated with psychologists and data experts to help shepherd the community away from toxic behaviour.

Furthermore, players are already reporting that the system doesn't work as advertised, and is apparently a preference rather than the guarantee stated by Valve.