Top 10 CRAZY Things That Actually Happened in eSports
advertisement
VOICE OVER: Dan Paradis
WRITTEN BY: Kurt Hvorup
eSports aren't as sportmanlike as you might think, you won't believe some of the things that have transpired! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our list of the top 10 CRAZY Things That Actually Happened in eSports.
To have your ideas turned into a WatchMojo or MojoPlays video, head over to http://WatchMojo.comsuggest and get to it!
To have your ideas turned into a WatchMojo or MojoPlays video, head over to http://WatchMojo.comsuggest and get to it!
Top 10 CRAZY Things That Actually Happened in eSports
It was only a matter of time before professional gaming became just as embroiled in controversy as its counterparts in traditional sports. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our list of the top 10 CRAZY Things That Actually Happened in eSports.
Here we’re looking at moments, events and incidents in the world of electronic sports that, astounding as they may be, really did occur as described. Players accused of cheating, drug abuse, illicit money-making schemes – chances are if it’s frowned upon, eSports has seen it happen at least once.
A mere two years after being established, the pro-gaming team sponsored by YouPorn would face a huge setback in its operations. The Electronic Sports League, the oldest of eSports companies still operating, announced that they would be cutting ties with Team YP in 2016. In a statement made to press after the fact, the ESL clarified that this was due to several of their partners and sponsors taking issue with pornographic material. Despite Team YP’s attempts to compromise with the ESL – going as far as modifying their team’s jerseys and offering to rebrand – the ruling was still upheld.
It’s hardly surprising that Bitcoin and unscrupulous business practices would end up crossing paths eventually, but still it’s an unnerving sight to behold. When several people came forward with claims of their computers being overclocked and reporting viruses without cause, it made sense for regulators in New Jersey to investigate the issue. What they found was startling: the computers in question had been secretly mining Bitcoins thanks to the remote installation of malware by the E-Sports Entertainment Association. The ESEA didn’t help matters by initially claiming the issue was merely an April Fools’ Joke, before finally admitting that the malware had been the work of a rogue employee.
Quite the effective case study for how not to treat one’s players. For a time, Team Immunity’s reputation as one of the most versatile and respected pro-gaming organizations in the Oceania region was undisputed. Things weren’t all sunshine under the surface, however – many gamers associated with Immunity weren’t even receiving minimum pay for match participation, yet were being overworked by the managers. In September 2015, “League of Legends” developer Riot Games made the call that Team Immunity as an organization would be banned from competitive play. On the upside, Riot made clear that individual players from Immunity would still be permitted to participate in tournaments, providing they sign on with another organization.
Sometimes it really doesn’t pay to be a jerk on the Internet. Case in point: as part of a wider initiative to clear the player base of bad actors, Riot Games declared their intent to bar players Mithy and Nukeduck from tournaments. This came after numerous reports that the two players, belonging to the team Ninjas in Pyjamas, had been using racial slurs and engaging in abusive behaviour during play. Along with a six month ban courtesy of Riot, both Mithy and Nukeduck were kicked from Ninjas in Pyjamas not long after the ban was made official.
A pleasant getaway this was not. Those looking forward to the Gaming Paradise competition in Slovenia were expecting reasonably upscale accommodations, alongside the chance to win money in “Dota 2” and “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” tournaments. There was one major hiccup, though: the company setting up the event, The Gaming Resorts, proved incapable of handling any aspect whatsoever. Computers necessary for the tournaments were apparently stolen, players were left stranded at the airport for several hours, and there weren’t sufficient funds to pay for hotel rooms. Many tournament-goers were left stranded in Slovenia, their passports revoked until hotel bills were paid. To top it off, some people even came down with food poisoning.
In 2016, allegations of hacking came to light with regards to Geguri, an up-and-coming player of “Overwatch”. Specifically, two members of the pro-gaming team Dizziness accused Geguri of secretly modifying her aim, not believing that her successes were earned without cheating. Fortunately for Geguri, Blizzard Entertainment stepped forward to speak in her favour, with a later livestream confirming her gaming prowess. As both Dizziness players had bet their careers on Geguri not being a legitimate player, the two subsequently announced their official retirement from “Overwatch” tournament play. Well, at least they lived up to their promise.
Apparently even Valve has certain limits to their tolerance of shenanigans. Known for being an unrestrained and oft-controversial presence in the realm of eSports commentary, James “2GD” Harding was nevertheless asked by Valve to host the 2016 “Dota 2” Shanghai Major tournament. All seemed fine at first... until Harding made some rather risque remarks that led Valve to fire him mid-way through the tournament. Going one step further, Valve’s co-founder Gabe Newell went on record to call Harding an ass before adding that the production company responsible for the Shanghai Major would also be fired. Now that’s cold, though not exactly without cause.
While there have certainly been instances where match fixing in eSports has been alleged, few have proven quite as brazen or as unexpected as this. During the finals of the 2012 Major League Gaming Summer Championships for “League of Legends”, the competitors – Team Dignitas and Curse NA – raised eyebrows when they mutually agreed to an All Random All Mid match. Given that the ARAM match style leaves much of match play unpredictable, an investigation was undertaken by Major League Gaming to determine why this arrangement was made. It turned out that Curse and Dignitas had supposedly agreed to split the total winnings after one team threw the match. As punishment, both teams were disqualified and did not receive prize money.
Getting ahead in such a competitive field may not be easy, but there’s got to be a better way forward. During an interview in July 2015, “Counter-Strike” player Semphis spoke candidly about how many in his field had been using Adderall to gain an advantage in play. Adderall, being an amphetamine, can stimulate physical reflexes and alertness in its users. Within days of the interview and the allegations going public, the ESL declared its intent to start a drug testing program for all players involved in their competitions. Better late than never.
Such an ugly affair. During the ongoing tournament play at Dreamhack Winter 2015, journalist Richard Lewis decided to post a Tweet implying he’d been intimate with Kelly Ong Xiao Wei, the girlfriend of “Dota 2” player Loda. It then transpired that Loda contacted Lewis over Twitter and asked to meet backstage at Dreamhack, where the two men would eventually get into a physical altercation. Reportedly, Lewis attempted to strangle Berg before the director of Dreamhack intervened and police arrived on the scene. While all parties opted not to press charges and instead move on without incident, the entire matter was blown out of proportion.
It was only a matter of time before professional gaming became just as embroiled in controversy as its counterparts in traditional sports. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our list of the top 10 CRAZY Things That Actually Happened in eSports.
Here we’re looking at moments, events and incidents in the world of electronic sports that, astounding as they may be, really did occur as described. Players accused of cheating, drug abuse, illicit money-making schemes – chances are if it’s frowned upon, eSports has seen it happen at least once.
#10: Team YP Banned by ESL
A mere two years after being established, the pro-gaming team sponsored by YouPorn would face a huge setback in its operations. The Electronic Sports League, the oldest of eSports companies still operating, announced that they would be cutting ties with Team YP in 2016. In a statement made to press after the fact, the ESL clarified that this was due to several of their partners and sponsors taking issue with pornographic material. Despite Team YP’s attempts to compromise with the ESL – going as far as modifying their team’s jerseys and offering to rebrand – the ruling was still upheld.
#9: ESEA Using Player Computers to Mine Bitcoins
It’s hardly surprising that Bitcoin and unscrupulous business practices would end up crossing paths eventually, but still it’s an unnerving sight to behold. When several people came forward with claims of their computers being overclocked and reporting viruses without cause, it made sense for regulators in New Jersey to investigate the issue. What they found was startling: the computers in question had been secretly mining Bitcoins thanks to the remote installation of malware by the E-Sports Entertainment Association. The ESEA didn’t help matters by initially claiming the issue was merely an April Fools’ Joke, before finally admitting that the malware had been the work of a rogue employee.
#8: Team Immunity Wasn’t Paying Its Team
Quite the effective case study for how not to treat one’s players. For a time, Team Immunity’s reputation as one of the most versatile and respected pro-gaming organizations in the Oceania region was undisputed. Things weren’t all sunshine under the surface, however – many gamers associated with Immunity weren’t even receiving minimum pay for match participation, yet were being overworked by the managers. In September 2015, “League of Legends” developer Riot Games made the call that Team Immunity as an organization would be banned from competitive play. On the upside, Riot made clear that individual players from Immunity would still be permitted to participate in tournaments, providing they sign on with another organization.
#7: Mithy and Nukeduck Banned from League Play
Sometimes it really doesn’t pay to be a jerk on the Internet. Case in point: as part of a wider initiative to clear the player base of bad actors, Riot Games declared their intent to bar players Mithy and Nukeduck from tournaments. This came after numerous reports that the two players, belonging to the team Ninjas in Pyjamas, had been using racial slurs and engaging in abusive behaviour during play. Along with a six month ban courtesy of Riot, both Mithy and Nukeduck were kicked from Ninjas in Pyjamas not long after the ban was made official.
#6: Gaming Paradise
A pleasant getaway this was not. Those looking forward to the Gaming Paradise competition in Slovenia were expecting reasonably upscale accommodations, alongside the chance to win money in “Dota 2” and “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” tournaments. There was one major hiccup, though: the company setting up the event, The Gaming Resorts, proved incapable of handling any aspect whatsoever. Computers necessary for the tournaments were apparently stolen, players were left stranded at the airport for several hours, and there weren’t sufficient funds to pay for hotel rooms. Many tournament-goers were left stranded in Slovenia, their passports revoked until hotel bills were paid. To top it off, some people even came down with food poisoning.
#5: Geguri, The Female Overwatch Pro
In 2016, allegations of hacking came to light with regards to Geguri, an up-and-coming player of “Overwatch”. Specifically, two members of the pro-gaming team Dizziness accused Geguri of secretly modifying her aim, not believing that her successes were earned without cheating. Fortunately for Geguri, Blizzard Entertainment stepped forward to speak in her favour, with a later livestream confirming her gaming prowess. As both Dizziness players had bet their careers on Geguri not being a legitimate player, the two subsequently announced their official retirement from “Overwatch” tournament play. Well, at least they lived up to their promise.
#4: James Harding Fired from Dota 2 Commentary
Apparently even Valve has certain limits to their tolerance of shenanigans. Known for being an unrestrained and oft-controversial presence in the realm of eSports commentary, James “2GD” Harding was nevertheless asked by Valve to host the 2016 “Dota 2” Shanghai Major tournament. All seemed fine at first... until Harding made some rather risque remarks that led Valve to fire him mid-way through the tournament. Going one step further, Valve’s co-founder Gabe Newell went on record to call Harding an ass before adding that the production company responsible for the Shanghai Major would also be fired. Now that’s cold, though not exactly without cause.
#3: ARAM in the League of Legends Finals
While there have certainly been instances where match fixing in eSports has been alleged, few have proven quite as brazen or as unexpected as this. During the finals of the 2012 Major League Gaming Summer Championships for “League of Legends”, the competitors – Team Dignitas and Curse NA – raised eyebrows when they mutually agreed to an All Random All Mid match. Given that the ARAM match style leaves much of match play unpredictable, an investigation was undertaken by Major League Gaming to determine why this arrangement was made. It turned out that Curse and Dignitas had supposedly agreed to split the total winnings after one team threw the match. As punishment, both teams were disqualified and did not receive prize money.
#2: Performance Enhancing Drugs
Getting ahead in such a competitive field may not be easy, but there’s got to be a better way forward. During an interview in July 2015, “Counter-Strike” player Semphis spoke candidly about how many in his field had been using Adderall to gain an advantage in play. Adderall, being an amphetamine, can stimulate physical reflexes and alertness in its users. Within days of the interview and the allegations going public, the ESL declared its intent to start a drug testing program for all players involved in their competitions. Better late than never.
#1: Backstage Fight at Dreamhack Winter
Such an ugly affair. During the ongoing tournament play at Dreamhack Winter 2015, journalist Richard Lewis decided to post a Tweet implying he’d been intimate with Kelly Ong Xiao Wei, the girlfriend of “Dota 2” player Loda. It then transpired that Loda contacted Lewis over Twitter and asked to meet backstage at Dreamhack, where the two men would eventually get into a physical altercation. Reportedly, Lewis attempted to strangle Berg before the director of Dreamhack intervened and police arrived on the scene. While all parties opted not to press charges and instead move on without incident, the entire matter was blown out of proportion.
