One of the biggest problems with esports is dealing with toxic people who insist on doing things their own way.
While countless rules are put in place by the organizers of game leagues, sometimes you get someone that just doesn’t follow them. Obviously, those that don’t follow the code of conduct get penalties, which usually come in the form of fines, suspensions, or—in severe cases—expulsion from the league.
There have been many cases of conduct violations in different games over the years. Usually, the game developers are the ones to investigate the breaches and are also the ones to pass judgment on the matter. This doesn’t always lead to favourable results, though. Take League of Legends and its developer, Riot Games, who have been criticized by their community, team organizations, and their own employees for poor decision-making and a “judge, jury, executioner” mindset. While this has led to a low rate of breaches in conduct, it’s also left many wondering if they’re in danger of getting in trouble for doing even the smallest of things.
With the launch of the Overwatch League at the start of the year, it was only a matter of time before they too would be subject to having to deal with unruly players. The first breach came in January, when one of the players on the Dallas Fuel, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, used hateful, homophobic slurs toward a player on another team while live streaming after their match. Lengyel was fined $1,000 and given disciplinary action.
Fast-forward to the start of March: a wave of players were caught in violation of the league’s rules. One of them was Lengyel. This time, the punishment came in the form of a $4,000 fine, suspension for four games, and disciplinary action. The Dallas Fuel released a press release two days later announcing that they were letting Lengyel go due to his actions.
While there was backlash to all of the rulings, I believe that no matter what the game is, justice will be—and needs to be—served if warranted. Here’s hoping the number of violations in Overwatch drops.