Players have been competing with one another to see who has the best gaming skills ever since the creation of the first video game. But it wasn’t until the twenty-first century that competitive gaming, or eSports as it is now called, rose to the top of the video game business in terms of revenue. eSports has developed into a multibillion-dollar industry over the past 20 years, attracting millions of viewers and making dozens of young, professional gamers quite wealthy. Nowadays, eSports is a phenomenon with competitors from every continent and gamers worldwide. The term now refers to all forms of gaming that are played competitively and professionally and have a devoted fan base, much like traditional sports.
If you are based in Kenya, you have access to a wide range of bookmakers that offer betting on eSports. You can check https://bet-guide.ke to pick the one that fits you best.
What’s the Fuss?
eSports is a gaming industry sector created by hordes of obsessive, fiercely competitive players who have amassed unfathomable wealth due to their prowess in video games. Without making any long-term investments in the culture or the activity, eSports is funded by a gallery of mega-rich sports owners who are content to milk the business for all of its lucrative potential.
Over the last decade, there have been a lot of controversies surrounding eSports. Some of them are minor and limited to a certain specialty, while others are messy and clearly illegal and have the power to destroy entire businesses.
This list represents the industry’s peak in the middle of the 2010s, when a crazy amount of money was poured into the pro-gaming bubble, allowing for countless cases of overexposure, fraud, and incompetent management. Stories like these are getting harder and harder to find in 2023. Since the feeding frenzy has subsided, there is more room for grassroots eSports organizations to flourish. These organizations have less interest in pump-and-dump schemes.
Seamy Side of eSports
Identifying the various cheating techniques used in eSports is crucial to combat and penalize cheating. Cheating and doping are the two main unlawful techniques used in professional gaming. Additionally, match-fixing is a prohibited practice. All three actions are discussed further down.
Cheating
Cheating involves using tools and taking advantage of glitches in the video game itself. It is against the competition’s rules and those of the video game. Basically, there are various categories that cheating might fall under. Software fraud can come in a variety of forms. For example, cheat software can make a player see past walls or make a weapon quickly and accurately aim and fire at the opponent in a split second. Such cheats also give the player who uses them unfair benefits, such as more resources in the form of gold or other in-game currencies.
There are also attacks in online games known as “distributed denial of service” (DDoS). These specifically target the opponent’s online connection and overburden it with unneeded traffic. The game, as a result, lags and jerks. Developers, publishers, and other stakeholders constantly search for measures to stop and combat cheating in eSports. This is relevant to, for instance, anti-cheating software. Cheats are provided via a variety of methods and are frequently tailored to the needs of specific players, for instance, based on the player’s position in the squad.
Cheating is a major concern in eSports. Publishers and competition organizers must spend money on developing and implementing anti-cheating software and other anti-cheating measures. Consequently, there is interest in fair competition, particularly to sustain the credibility of the eSports industry’s economic system.
Doping
Another type of cheating is doping, which is well-known in traditional sports. To safeguard the economy and give sporting event attendees a clean sport, the fight against doping is vital in sports. By doing so, the sport’s credibility is preserved. For instance, a stimulant used for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is often used in eSports. The stimulant and euphoric effects of this drug can help players focus attention.
Match-Fixing
Match-fixing is when a team bets against itself with a betting provider and then purposefully loses the game to collect the betting premium. Since betting accounts for much of the eSports market’s revenue, match-fixing is another severe issue. Certain athletes and teams will likely bet against one another to manipulate games to make more money than they otherwise might through prize money.
Scandals in eSports
Quite a number of scandals in the eSports arena are connected with gender discrimination. Despite making up to 45 percent of all video game players, women have historically been underrepresented in eSports. Changes had to be made in the industry due to recent allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination against prominent developers. Some people will stand by any strategy to accomplish a goal. This is possible in eSports by deploying cheats and engaging in match-fixing.
Now, it’s time to discuss the worst scandal in eSports annals. If you’ve been following the eSports industry since 2012, you’ve heard of the scandals mentioned below because they are pretty well-known.
The Harassment Case
The US business Riot Games, which created popular eSports games like League of Legends and Valorant, was the site of one of the most well-known cases. The Los Angeles-based developer agreed to pay USD 100 million (EUR 93 million) in 2021 to resolve a complaint alleging sexual harassment and gender discrimination brought by female employees who claimed they were denied advancement opportunities and paid less than men.
The Korean Case
Another big scandal is a depressing tale. Team Gryphon performed admirably in the LCK, South Korea’s professional LoL competition, and, after being established in 2016, quickly went from being an up-and-coming team to a top squad.
The biggest event for the team was Worlds 2019, but not because of how well they performed. Coach Kim Dae-ho (cvMax) was fired just before the LoL World Championship. Shortly after, the general manager, Cho Gyu-Nam, was also fired. The Gryphon team’s players came forward and raised severe accusations against its manager and coach. Coach cvMax’s conduct was harsher than that of Gyu-Nam, who is alleged to have frequently forced his protégés into signing contracts they disagreed with. The team even claimed that their coach choked them. The players said he badly hurt them physically and verbally. cvMax was forbidden from ever again holding a formal role with a team, and the entire organization was penalized as a result of the official investigation that followed.
The Match-Fixing Case
Three professional StarCraft II players startled the world in 2015 when it was discovered that they were engaged in a match-fixing scandal. The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) imposed a permanent ban on them. Just FYI, again, match-fixing is the dishonest practice of predicting the outcome of a match before it takes place. Match-fixing dates back to the time when wagers were put on sports and events, making it almost as old as competitive sports. According to reports, the three won money by losing the game. The three would receive five times as much money per tossed match — between $5,000 and $20,000 — than they usually do.
Furthermore, their competitions were not just small events but significant competitions like the ProLeague and the Global StarCraft League. The StarCraft community fiercely denounced this incident. On March 31, 2016, it was reported that sentences had been handed down for everyone engaged in the match-fixing incident, including former members of the Prime, who received sentences of 18 months in prison with a three-year suspension for each.
The Racist Case
Professional DOTA 2 players frequently fail to realize that the Internet remembers everything because they are flooded with emotion. Carlo Palad disregarded this guideline when practicing for the Chongqing Major event in 2019, and it cost him badly. Carlo attacked his opponents by typing “ching chong” terms into the game chat after making several poor decisions in a public game. This phrase is offensive to Chinese people. It is not at all surprising that Palad was denied access to the upcoming event, given that it was scheduled to take place in China. Additionally, his team lost 20% of its Dota Pro Circuit Points, which are required to enter the most lucrative competitions.
How to Avoid Cheating in eSports
You cannot avoid dishonest players no matter what competitive discipline you are working with. Whether we are discussing eSports or traditional sports, it makes no difference. The organizers and developers will always have to deal with cheats since they were there, and they will be there in the future.
Analytics
It is crucial to have as many real-time analytics as possible to guarantee the accuracy of the received data. Protecting personal data is currently a major concern for the entire world, but tournament integrity depends on collecting player data. The capacity to literally examine the entire gameplay, frame by frame, is eSports’ main advantage. There is a game replay mode available on the servers of the well-known Dota 2 and CS:GO, allowing you to thoroughly analyze the game.
Anti-Cheat Software
The use of anti-cheat software, which can identify and stop any unauthorized changes or programs that interfere with the game, is one of the most popular and efficient techniques to prevent cheating in esports competitions. To ensure that cheating is not occurring, anti-cheat software can operate in the background, scan the memory, watch the network, or check the game files.
Penalties
Another way to prevent cheating in eSports tournaments is to establish clear and strict rules and penalties for any violations. Potential cheaters can be discouraged from attempting to obtain an advantage by following the rules and suffering the consequences, including losing their award money, reputation, or career. A tournament’s rules and penalties can also offer a framework for addressing any conflicts or accusations of cheating that may occur during or after the competition. Rules and sanctions can include prohibiting specific exploits or bugs, disqualifying or suspending players or teams, levying fines or forfeits, or revoking titles or trophies.
Monitoring Techniques
Monitoring and evaluating the gameplay as well as the hardware of the players and teams is a third technique to stop cheating in esports competitions. Monitoring and verification can help to identify and eliminate any suspicious or abnormal behavior or performance that may indicate cheating. Monitoring and verification can also help ensure that the players and teams follow the rules and use the approved equipment and settings. Monitoring and verification techniques include using referees or judges, streaming or recording the gameplay, and inspecting the mouse, keyboard, headset, and monitor.
Awareness
The next strategy to stop cheating in eSports competitions is to inform and increase awareness among the competitors, teams, administrators, developers, and spectators about the harmful effects of cheating. Education and knowledge can assist the eSports community in developing a culture of integrity, decency, and sportsmanship while discouraging any attempts or temptations to cheat. The stakeholders can be empowered to disclose or expose any instances of cheating they meet or observe with the aid of education and awareness. Education and awareness examples include developing standards of behavior, holding workshops or webinars, or starting campaigns or projects.
Innovation
Working together and innovating across the various players and sectors in the eSports industry is another strategy to stop cheating in eSports competitions. Collaboration and innovation can support the exchange of best practices, tools, and knowledge about how to stop cheating and enhance the safety and caliber of eSports contests. Collaboration and innovation can help launch new and better solutions, tools, and ways to detect and prevent cheating and enhance the fairness and fun of the eSports competitions.
Conclusion
Cheating in eSports competitions is a severe problem that can harm the industry’s legitimacy and reputation as well as the players’ and spectators’ trust and pleasure in the sport. Cheating, whether it involves the use of exploits, scripts, bots, hackers, or other methods, can give some players an unfair advantage and taint the fairness of the game. The potential earnings from eSports are immense and amount to several millions of dollars, notably from winning prize money and betting. The methods against cheating in eSports, however, have several flaws, are not consistently monitored, and can be gotten over in many different ways. Additionally, punishments for cheating are not strictly regulated. Unfortunately, fraud remedies are minimal. Hopefully, with more regulations, the situation will get better.
