As it is known, recently, the VCS organizing committee made another official announcement regarding the negative incidents weighing heavily on Vietnam’s League of Legends tournament. Accordingly, a list of 32 players has been suspended for further investigation, shocking and bewildering the audience. Even industry professionals like commentator Hoàng Luân, commentator Đức Mạnh, and those outside the industry like Bomman, Hiếu Hakumen… were also very surprised and worried about the state of League of Legends in Vietnam at the beginning of 2024.
Of course, with League of Legends in Vietnam increasingly attracting attention from around the world, as well as having notable achievements in the past, it is no surprise that the shocking incident in VCS has drawn international interest. Across many forums, the VCS incident quickly became a hot topic of discussion. Renowned commentators like LS and Azael suggested that VCS might even come to an end. Meanwhile, Molecule (former international analyst for GAM) and many international audiences provided analyses on why Vietnamese League of Legends players decided to ‘get involved’. In the LPL, posts about VCS have also started to flood the internet.
One of the reasons mentioned is indeed money. Notably, a comment from a netizen revealed: “Among the players mentioned, there is someone who is my friend. He has confirmed to me that ‘It’s better to earn a big sum through match-fixing and then retire to find another job than to compete in a toxic environment with low wages. Moreover, he has also been cut down by the team.'”
However, this has sparked a heated debate among VCS fans. Some opinions agree that: “VCS players, while their salaries may not be the same, many of them earn more than those with regular jobs outside. Not to mention, if they don’t graduate from high school, what other jobs can they do besides gaming and livestreaming? Don’t act like this is a way to combat the toxicity of VCS.”
Years ago, player EasyLove accidentally revealed his salary at GAM, which was around 5 million. However, EasyLove himself has never complained about this issue and until now, he is still competing in VCS. Moreover, EasyLove is considered one of the players who can be regarded as ‘clean’ in the VCS incident.
For players belonging to major organizations like GAM, TW…, it is nearly impossible for them to receive low salaries. Because names like Gloryy or BeanJ have already established their talent and reputation. Therefore, their continued involvement in this investigation indicates that the reasons for players getting involved in negative incidents stem from each individual’s lack of self-control. Moreover, many teams only have a few members being investigated further, so salary factors are not entirely reasonable.
Furthermore, being a player means they will almost always be in the team’s gaming house, without worrying about other expenses. And perhaps, when allowing their children to join esports teams and pursue a professional player path, no parent would want their child to bring home illegal or unethical money.
At this moment, any talk about the reasons that led players to ‘get involved’ is merely speculation. But one thing is certain: once you become a professional player, a professional and honest attitude is the most important thing. Because that is the respect for teammates and for the audience who still watches and supports them every day.