While many assumed Li was angry over the game, the attack occurred after Li was enraged at members of his own community. Some of the members in his chat had been taunting and insulting Li, who grew increasingly agitated. According to Redditors that saw the stream, Li’s girlfriend tried to calm him down, and encouraged him not to let the comments get to him and instead to think about his fans. This is apparently what set Li off, who can be seen flipping a table and destroying much of his apartment before the attack begins.

While League of Legends players and gamers in general have often been mocked and lampooned for ‘freak out’ videos online, the danger of such actions is very real. Members of the community sometimes fail to see smashing a keyboard or a headset as a warning sign of aggression and anger problems.

It also serves as a reminder that toxicity in a community, especially the highly competitive kind found in online gaming, is nothing to joke about. Many users regard their actions in-game the same way online bullies often have, with an attitude of disregard. However, it wasn’t long ago that online bullying and swatting were treated as jokes. While hassling professional players has long been a part of many sports, it also isn’t something players generally have to deal with on the intimate levels of an internet chat. While those that antagonized Li aren’t to blame for what he did, it is worth considering if more can’t be done to impart the dangers of such actions for the future.

It should also be mentioned that after this story came to light, NewBee, the team Li played on, immediately terminated Wei-jun Li as a player and condemned his actions.