It was the end of the game for what the Chinese authorities say is the largest gang of video game hackers in the world. Ten people were arrested for selling fraudulent software for top-selling games, including Call of Duty and Overwatch.
Authorities seized $ 76 million, along with luxury cars and other assets from the alleged illicit venture.
Cheating has become an epidemic in Esports, also known as competitive video game and, as Lucy Craft of CBS News reports, which made it a breeding ground for hacking.
Serkan Toto, a video game analyst, said that cheating unions like the one arrested in China and hackers have long been operating with impunity.
“They are extremely professional. If you look at some of the offers on the site, you’ll see that they have shopping carts, price lists and customer service, ”Toto told CBS News. He compared the sites that hackers create and use with Amazon. “Some of these companies [are] raising millions and millions every month. And the scale is really unbelievable in some cases, as well as the profits. ”
China’s repression reveals the dark side of competitive video game, where the main stars playing alone or in teams earn seven digits.
The online game attracts so many looks that it has become a political tool. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez broadcast live playing on the Twitch gaming platform last year, while hundreds of thousands watched.
Japan has an entire hotel dedicated to Esports. The e-ZONe Hotel opened last year in the Japanese city of Osaka. Manager Takahiro Shimamoto said that most adult customers check into the hotel on Friday and play throughout the weekend. Sardine-like bunks bathed in arcade lighting are available upstairs for guests.
Most people don’t have ultra-fast reflexes like professional players, part of what makes cheating so irresistible to some. Instead of being crushed in the competition, using cheats can give players a sniper scope and let them see through walls like a superman.
Sports are lagging behind in Japan compared to neighboring South Korea and China, where they have seen astronomical growth, but online players are known to take shortcuts wherever they are.
“When we first opened [the hotel], we caught three cheaters, “said Shimamoto.
This year, the forecast is that about half a billion fans will watch Esports. With revenues reaching $ 1 billion, overcoming the scourge of industry cheating will remain at the front and center.