"What? I got banned?" - Dota 2 pro finds out on-stream that he's been perma-banned in Valve's Christmas culling, then admits to buying "a behavior score boost"
Dec. 17, 2023On the naughty list
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
One Dota 2 pro player was seemingly onValve’s naughty list, having been gifted a chunk of coal and a permanent ban while livestreaming.
Earlier this week, Valve pushed this year’s festive winter update, called Frostivus, which promised to gift players on the nice list and punish those on the naughty list. The publisher/developer said thatthe ban hammer would be coming down hard on thousands of playerswho used smurf accounts, engaged in toxic behavior, or paid to arbitrarily boost behavior scores.
Twitch streamer “masondota2” was one of the poor naughty list victims, and he opened his chunk of coal gift live on-stream. The clip below sees the streamer open his gift chest, discover the Highly Toxic Lump Of Coal, and react to his unexpected permanent ban: “What if I just never opened it? Are they serious?” Not the most jolly Christmas gift.
The streamer then took to Reddit (in a now-deleted post) to talk about the ban and admit to using a behavior booster, which is when someone else plays on your account nicely to increase your behavior score. Players with lower behavior scores will usually be matched together for a toxic showdown, and wait times are also relatively longer. Some viewers had alreadynoticedthe streamer’s inconsistent scores a month ago, so it’s no surprise that Valve has clocked on too.
Valve’s crackdown on rule breakers comes shortly before the new year and amid complaints around toxicity in Dota 2. Several comments on masondota2’s deletedpostcall out frequently unpleasant interactions in the game over the last few years, but hopefully, that will change with Valve’s updated stance.
Are you one of the affected Smurfs? Check out the otherbest MOBAsavailable right now.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
Riot Games cracks down on Valorant and League of Legends streamers who promote boosting, smurfing, and buying accounts
Arcane season 2 has a bit of a canon problem – but as a 13-year League of Legends veteran, I can’t bring myself to care
Dev behind new Doki Doki Literature Club-style psychological horror says it’s not “for those with weak hearts,” but with 98% positive Steam reviews, I’m not sure I can stay away
