DDOSing sucks. There's really no way to sugar coat it and make it sound fun or sexy. It's an illegal act that is effecting, not just the show we as viewers get for a tournament, but the monetary income and thus daily lives of the players.



Every week for about 5 weeks, Denial EU has had at least one player DDOSed, frequently 2, and almost always Sprayarn and QvoFred. This week, QvoFred and TrixTank were both DDOSed. Most weeks have seen SK, BM, or one of the other top European teams losing a player during a match. Over the course of the Dignitas Cup, we saw (and I might be missing one) Kaeyoh, Paindeviande, Trixtank, QvoFred, TheBest, and Ghortok DCed. In all cases the team with the DC or the longest DC lost the match.



I talk to Resterian and Sprayarn on a daily basis. I talk to the other EU members at least twice a week. The resounding feelings are of frustration and rage. Why does someone keep doing this? Why should we bother to continue playing Smite at all? I'm beginning to feel like one of those post 9/11 government spokes people saying, "Don't quit or the terrorists win!" It's true though. If even one player leaves professional play over this, then the community suffers, and the random DDOSing loser wins.



The flip side of this already frustrating situation is always the responses on Twitter and in the Twitch chat. Every time there is a DDOS, the fans of whichever team has the DC scream that the other team is causing it. Even Allied tweeted his frustration saying "Somone out there really wants Denial to win." I can sympathize with that feeling (even if I think it's wrong to imply the other team can only win by ddosing your carry), because I hear the frustration and anger in Sprayarn's voice each week (he's one of the most targeted). I can imagine the frustration and desire to break something that must have hit Kaeyoh as he was DDOSed twice in one match in the finals of the Dignitas Cup. All of the players understand that frustration, which is probably why Lassiz volunteered his home and computer to Kaeyoh for the remainder of the tournament. All of the teams and players just want to play the game. Winning a 4v5 is a hollow victory.



Sometimes, social media just sucks. Once you put anything out on the Internet, be it a tweet, a reddit post, or a comment in a chat, it's there forever. Someone saw it, and it's likely stored somewhere electronically. As a teacher, I spent hours every year consoling high schoolers after something malicious was tweeted or posted to Facebook about them. I always had to remind them that by letting others bring them down or define their self worth, they let the bullies win. As a community, when we rage at each other or against players or casters or teams, we let the DDOSer control how we think and feel. He gets the satisfaction of not only frustrating players and their fans, but inciting the entertaining drama that comes when the community begins mudslinging.



So let's take away at least some of the motivation the DDOSer has to continue. Let's stop implying or out right saying "fans of (insert team here) must be doing it". The drama and attention the action gets just reinforces the behavior of the DDOSer and taints the hard work of all of the players. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit by Ashyko , 1 month ago at 8:07 pm on Jul 26th.