Counter-Strike hacking scandal

[Saigon]

I wasn't sure if this belongs in the gaming forum or on here, but as a CS player and someone who has always been interested in esports, I have found myself following this incident and it's aftermath.

Basically Valve updated their anti-hacking software to detect a new type of hack that is very difficult to detect. Shortly thereafter a few professional players (people who make a living by playing Counter-Strike) ended up getting banned for hacking. At least one of the players admit that they were indeed hacking and they take responsibility.

This in it's own right isn't major news, but it raises some questions about hacking and how teams (and tournaments) handle hacking incidents. The teams these players were a part of have banned the hackers and condemned their actions. Despite this, there has been a public outcry by some to punish the entire team, even though there is no evidence that the other players were hackers or knew of their teammate's hacks. Not only that, but some tournament organizers (including DreamHack) have decided to ban the teams from participating in their tournament. DreamHack has also stated that they are "considering the possibility" of removing all of the team's trophies and victories, which is controversial since there is no evidence the player was hacking during the tournament.

On top of all of that, two of the hackers have made claims that they believe nearly 40% of all professional Counter-Strike players are hackers. Though there is no proof to support the 40% claim. These allegations could seriously hurt Counter-Strike and other competitive games (StarCraft, Dota, etc.), as it raises the question as to how widespread hacking is.

More information on this: http://www.pcgamer.com/csgo-competi...-hacking-scandal-as-three-players-are-banned/

And an interesting video on the matter:

Link to video.

 

[warpus]

So basically this is the same problem as that guy who had testicular cancer who rides bikes really well? I'm not really surprised, I guess. Why don't they take away all the money the cheaters won, instead of just banning them? That's what happens in other competitive arenas, doesn't it? If you cheat - you're out, and you lose the things you won.

And since when is video game playing an "e-sport"? Might as well call people who bake virtual pizzas in Pizza Tycoon e-chefs. I play civ, I'm an e-dictator.

 

[Gucumatz]

All hail e-casimir, razer of millions of non-Polish lives!
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I don't follow e-sports, but it would seem like it will be harder and harder to prove top players don't cheat in games that partially rely on speed/reflexes as better scripts evolve. Seems like a thing games just have to deal with and also why things like mobas aren't all that fun to begin with.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I play civ, I'm an e-dictator.

And all this time I thought you were an e-man of the people!

 

[BvBPL]

It is totally appropriate to sanction a whole team if one member is a cheater.

 

[Senethro]

If you can't keep your roster clean why should you get to send anyone to LAN? The other team members still benefited from hackers getting them through qualifiers. In a way it might not be their fault, but it would be even less fair to give them tournament places over teams that were completely clean.

 

[Evie]

If you can't keep your roster clean why should you get to send anyone to LAN? The other team members still benefited from hackers getting them through qualifiers. In a way it might not be their fault, but it would be even less fair to give them tournament places over teams that were completely clean.

Teams that were completely clean, or teams whose members were better at cheating?

 

[Saigon]

It is totally appropriate to sanction a whole team if one member is a cheater.

That doesn't happen in traditional sports though. You don't see entire teams getting banned for a single player using performance enhancing drugs.

 

[BvBPL]

Yes you do.

(not a drug cheating issue, but still cheating)

 

[Saigon]

Yes you do.

(not a drug cheating issue, but still cheating)

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the probation was self-imposed by the school, not by the league itself. Also, is that a probation for the entire team (from competing) or for the coaches?

From the article:

According to Adam Jude of The Oregonian, the school has agreed that football coaches committed at least one major recruiting violation between 2008 and 2011. Because of that, Oregon has suggested a self-imposed punishment of two years of probation and the reduction of one scholarship in each of the next three seasons

It doesn't usually (ever?) happen in professional sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, etc.) though. And it is unheard of for a league to consider stripping medals away from an entire team for the actions of one player (see Mark McGuire and his steroid use controversy).

 

[BvBPL]

That wasn't the best example.

Here's a better one.

 

[Saigon]

And since when is video game playing an "e-sport"? Might as well call people who bake virtual pizzas in Pizza Tycoon e-chefs. I play civ, I'm an e-dictator.

Do you earn the majority (if not all) of your income for baking virtual pizzas? Do you have thousands of sponsors lining up to sponsor you (or your team) in your virtual pizza making endeavors? Are you and your pizza baking competitors on more or less equal footing? Do you have millions of people watching, commentating on and betting real money on your virtual pizza making?

E-sports are hardly new, they've existed since the 90s and have been growing ever since. Universities and sports TV networks have already classified esports in the same league as traditional sports. Several countries have released governing bodies (such as KeSPA) to govern the rules of esports. With that being said, not all video games are esports.

 

[warpus]

Do you earn the majority (if not all) of your income for baking virtual pizzas? Do you have thousands of sponsors lining up to sponsor you (or your team) in your virtual pizza making endeavors? Are you and your pizza baking competitors on more or less equal footing? Do you have millions of people watching, commentating on and betting real money on your virtual pizza making?

So if you have all those things, you all of a sudden have a sport?

What a bizarre way to re-define the word sport - it doesn't matter what you're doing, as long as it's popular enough.

 

[Saigon]

That wasn't the best example.

Here's a better one.

From your article:

The NCAA Committee on Infractions announced Wednesday that the Weber State football team will be sanctioned because of academic fraud involving five players.

The Weber State football team has been placed on probation for three years effective Wednesday. The team was not banned from postseason play, but the university will have to pay a $5,000 fine plus 2 percent of the football program’s operating budget to the NCAA.

That's a better example, but it's also quite a bit different. Five players on the team were being charged with fraud, not just one guy. The team also wasn't banned from competing (Titan and Epsilon were). Do you have any examples that are from a professional sports league, like the MLB or NHL?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Titan says it contacted Valve but was eventually “met with dead silence” after their initial email exchange. "Valve opted for a unilateral decision, handing out collective punishment with complete disregard for team involvement in the problem solving process.” I contacted Valve earlier today for comment but have not received a response.

Valve answers to no man!

 

[Saigon]

So if you have all those things, you all of a sudden have a sport?

What a bizarre way to re-define the word sport - it doesn't matter what you're doing, as long as it's popular enough.

Again it's not new, esports have existed for nearly two decades. It involves players competing against each other using skill and strategy for monetary gain. Sound like any other sports you know of?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Again it's not new, esports have existed for nearly two decades. It involves players competing against each other using skill and strategy for monetary gain. Sound like any other sports you know of?

Well, most of them. Which I'm sure was your point.

The real complaint about esports, of course, is that they just aren't manly enough.

 

[Angst]

This is like Tour de France for nerds.

 

[bhsup]

That doesn't happen in traditional sports though. You don't see entire teams getting banned for a single player using performance enhancing drugs.

The biggest problem I have with your comment is that you're equating video gaming with sports.

 

[Saigon]

The biggest problem I have with your comment is that you're equating video gaming with sports.

How are competitive esports not sports?