There’s being abusive in chat (personal insults, etc.). But then there’s a whole other level of abuse when words are said to intimidate or degrade women. I often wish there were various different punishments enforced for sexually explicit language and language intended to this effect.

I’m absolutely livid about an exchange that happened today; I was in a game and encountered, hands down, one of the most toxic and worst people ever in the game. He said things that if one said in a public place, someone would punch the living crap out of them and the crowd would likely cheer.

Overwatch needs to be a safe community and women in particular are more vulnerable to unsafe environments where men try to intimidate or degrade them. Using rape language and other sexually explicit language with the intent to intimidate or shock needs, I think, a special report category which is taken very seriously, and if found to be valid, have their voice chat privileges suspended IMMEDIATELY, for a substantial period; maybe even have their account deleted. There should be no place in Overwatch for such exchanges.

~ addendum ~

This OP was made in anger, in response to my experience that a woman with whom I play does not feel safe in voice chat due to this type of language. Many have made it clear that men also receive similar levels of abuse. I recognize this and it was not my intention to say that only women receive severe abuse in the game. Abuse is abuse, regardless of the gender identity of the recipient. Some types of abuse, I feel, are worse than others. And, I think Overwatch community does have a problem where women do not feel safe to join team voice chat in competitive for fear they will be singled out on the basis of their gender, alone. I know women who feel this way, and I have observed the singling out far too many times, it is a real phenomenon, from my perspective.