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Valve confirms its strict approach to match-fixing, revealing that any professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player fixing matches will be permanently banned.
Competitive video games are a serious business, and unfortunately some players will go to any lengths to ensure that their team comes out on top. It turns out that Valve, however, is now taking particularly strict measures to ensure that its games remain cheat-free. It’s been revealed that the company has outlined plans to permanently ban anyplayer that has been found guilty of match-fixing.
Valve explained this decision in a new Counter-Strike blog post, reiterating its stance after major match-fixing scandals this time last year. “Back in January and early February 2015 we took action after we discovered that a small number of professional CS: GO players were engaged in match-fixing,” explained the post. Valve continued to state that the players in question have been banned “indefinitely” from taking part in Valve-sponsored events.
If that was not clear enough, Valvealso stated “the bans for these players are permanent, and players proved to have taken part in match-fixing will be permanently banned.” This action will continue for future players as well as those already found to have fixed matches. It’s a harsh route to take, but one that Valve clearly feels is necessary to ensure the legitimacy of its own eSports.
Last year, thepro community was rocked with scandal, as allegations of match-fixing were proved to be true. Teams such as Epsilon were found to have thrown matches, whilst the name of the team iBuyPower is now synonymous with cheating. It may well be that Valve has decided that the time has come to clean up its own sponsored events.
It certainly appears that way from the new rules, with the statement also suggesting that the punishment is an attempt to curb behavior over eSports as a whole. “As the scene grows, it’s an unfortunate reality that some individuals will seek opportunities to take advantage of their fans,” continued the post. With eSports now growing in popularity, and Activision buying MLG assetswith the plan to launch the ESPN of eSports, perhaps this is a way to try to keep the sport on the straight and narrow, away from controversy that could diminish its legitimacy.
Of late, some professional teams have taken extreme measures to try to win matches. Last year, it was revealed that some pro gaming teams took part in tournaments using performance-enhancing drugs such as Adderall, leading to Electronic Sports League drug tests. With proactive plans such as that, alongside Valve’s strict punishment for match fixers, there’s a clear attempt to try and change the face of eSports altogether.
Source: Counter-Strike