Recently, the VCS organizing committee unexpectedly issued a punishment announcement. But this time, it is not SBTC Esports or the “king of penalties” Zeros, but rather players who are currently competing and from various teams.
Specifically, the individuals named this time are TomRio and Divkid (GAM Esports), Jarvis (Team Secret), and Killerqueen of Luxury Esports. According to the announcement from the VCS organizing committee, these players violated Article 8: Unprofessional behavior, specifically 8.2.4: Discrimination and defamation when using Korean accounts to practice for the season. The punishment is a ban on the Korean ranked accounts of the four players, as well as prohibiting these players from competing in the next match of VCS Spring 2022.
Immediately, GAM was the first team to respond to this incident with the two players from their team involved. On the official Facebook page of the team, GAM announced that they have conducted internal disciplinary actions against TomRio and Divkid. Additionally, the team also published letters of apology from the two players addressed to the team, to VCS, and to the fans. In the clips shared by GAM, it can be seen that the team is very strict in handling toxic behavior during matches and ranked climbing.
Toxicity in Korean ranked matches is a sensitive issue. Not long ago, the League of Legends community was in an uproar when Faker encountered toxicity while climbing ranks, with the “perpetrator” being Top Esports player Qingtian. This incident led to heated discussions between the Chinese and Korean League of Legends communities on social media, drawing in many KOLs, players, and influential figures in the League of Legends scene.
As professional players, being cautious in daily activities as well as during games and ranked climbing is extremely necessary. This is not only about the players but can also impact the image of the team and, more broadly, the entire tournament.