VALORANT’s Night Market has returned and is in full swing, and the official Twitter account made the invitation to players to show off their purchases, which resulted in the emotional chaos of replies from overjoyed players, expressing their ecstatic feelings, to gamers that felt personally attacked by the game being seriously salty. The limited-time shop has always been this way, but why not, it is always amusing to see the same scenario every time.
In case you do not know, VALORANT’s Night Market is a random discount shop that sometimes shows up and at other times disappears. There are six random weapon skins offered at a huge discount, but the buyer has no control over which skins appear. It is purely a matter of luck; you might get the skin you have been dreaming of at a 50% discount, or you might get six skins of guns you never use and be disappointed. It is a total gamble, and that is why the community’s reaction is always so… intense.
Replies to the tweet came in and were right away pretty much 50/50. The lucky players like ‘SnoopSinghs’ posted a screenshot with the caption “Only the best night market ever,” and among the super duper good picks was what looked like a Reaver knife. On the other hand, ‘Robin’ replied, “I got reaver knife as well,” which is almost like winning the cosmetic lottery. The Reaver knife is certainly one of the most sought-after cosmetic items, so getting it in your Night Market is a huge win.
But as far as winners, their number is nothing compared to the ones who feel scammed, like at least ten players. The mood changes really quickly. ‘Play HuntX’ expresses it in a blunt way saying, “My nightmarket is total TRASH.” No screenshot, just pure, unfiltered disappointment. ‘Tarang Acharya’, sharing the same feeling, posts a picture with one word as a review: “Totally shit.” The atmosphere is a bit dark for ‘Min Pyae Sone’ who ironically said, “Need refund on my life,” with their market results attached. Ouch buddy. That is a total vibe.
Some of the complaints are quite funny. ‘Celestial_Emi’ simply says, “I got all ass why did you do this to me,” and sends it to the VALORANT account as if they were personally responsible. And ‘ASHXUra’ went even further, giving their skin a one-word review: “shit,” and adding a poop emoji. It is not only about the terrible skins, but also the emotional disaster, right?
Then are the ones who more or less ‘split the middle’. Gamer ‘pedro ys’ did not think his market was bad at all and just said: “Not bad for me, i don’t have skins in this weapons.” It is a realistic viewpoint! If you do not have any skins for the Spectre or the Bulldog, getting even a mid-tier skin at a discount is better than nothing. Also, ‘Acrophylla Titan’ pointed out a specific win: “Best one was valiant hero op.” So, not everything is bad and sad.
The reply conversations are equally amazing. When one player showed a market with four blue-tier (lower rarity) skins, another user ‘Sahith Chowdary’ replied: “4 blue is craazyyy,” which indicates the community’s way of saying “F in the chat.” In another conversation, the Bolt Outlaw skin was referred to as “goated,” demonstrating that unpopular weapons have fans if the skin is attractive enough. And certainly, desire was mutual when someone spotted a Neptune Vandal in a screenshot, and ‘daniel’ enthusiastically declared, “NEPTUNE VANDAL IS MY DREAM.” You are there with him.
It is this fantastic mix of happiness, jealousy, and hopelessness that makes the Night Market a community event. Selling skins is not the only thing, it is a universal experience. Everyone logs in with the same wish, and the outcome either forges instant bonds or instant rivalries. You are either flaunting on the timeline or crying with strangers over your bad RNG luck. The ‘Prateek’ account even tried to start a contest for the worst market by posting theirs with crying emojis and asking, “Anyone wants to beat the worst night market of the year thing…ðŸ˜ðŸ˜”
What is funny about it is that it feels so personal. The game’s algorithm picks out six items just for you and players are taking it so personally. It is like the game is telling you whether your taste is good or bad or even if you are worthy. Why would a Bucky skin be given to me? Am I seen as a Bucky main? The audacity!
In the end, the Night Market is, without a doubt, a brilliant move by Riot in terms of player engagement. This dynamic event is a staple for the PlayStation and Xbox communities as well.
