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A former League of Legends pro was recently banned by Riot Games for attempting to carry out a 24-hour gaming spree with a bought account. Christian “IWillDominate” Rivera had bought a League of Legends account to start his gaming marathon at Level 30, but he had to end his session early as bought accounts go against the League of Legends terms of use.
IWillDominate was understandably annoyed by Riot Games’ decision. Although such streaming has contributed greatly to the success of League of Legends, Riot might have acted a little hastily in this case. The ban also reveals a double standard of sorts.
The streaming marathon ended (forcibly) in its 18th hour. When IWillDominate tried to go to the post-game lobby, he got a message stating his account had been suspended. By the time that IWillDominate was banned, he had played 30 games of League of Legends.
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[iframe url=”https://player.twitch.tv/?channel=iwilldominate”]IWillDominate’s ban brought up other important issues
Although IWillDominate was clearly frustrated, he must have known that buying a ranked-ready League of Legends account would cause trouble. Riot Games’ terms and conditions clearly state that players can’t sell or transfer accounts to other players.
However, IWillDominate stated that many content creators will buy other gamers’ accounts. This allows them to create their streams without having to go through the time-consuming process of actually playing. Although IWillDominate lost his account, he said he was just experimenting with how Riot Games would react to someone using a bought account for 24 hours.
Seeing IWillDominate banned will also bring up a few other important issues. The pro gamer alleged hypocrisy from Riot Games. He said the publisher did nothing to counter other gamers who had continually trolled him.
Although League of Legends enjoys high viewership for its team-based esports, as a solo game, the viewing figures have struggled. Seeing a Team Liquid star like IWillDominate banned may have been momentarily amusing. But it also illustrates declining relations between Riot and the League of Legends community.
More drama
IWillDominate also engaged in a recent Twitter war with Riot Games boss Marc Merrill. IWillDominate called out Merrill for deleting a tweet that mockingly congratulated the gamer for making a career off the back of a free game.
Riot’s reputation has suffered ever since they were accused of a toxic “bro culture.” Several lawsuits claim discrimination and sexual harassment toward female employees.
In the long view, this is just another problematic episode for the developer.
Image curtesy of LoL Esports
