There’s a thief in VCT LOCK//IN

Once again, the “friends of the unwanted,” or thieves, as we all know them, are wreaking havoc at a top esports tournament.

We can overlook that some thief steals players’ belongings outside the venue where the event is being played. While this doesn’t seem right, as the organizers must ensure the safety of everyone inside and outside the arena, the fact that it happens inside the venue is entirely unacceptable.

Recently, it was reported on Twitter that TSM players in the LCS had been victims of a robbery in their match against Dignitas. Now, we travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the first tournament of the franchise era, the VCT LOCK//IN, is being played, and several players have reported being robbed.

Two headsets in a LAN game. Why?

First of all, we must emphasize the fact that, in matches played on LAN, players must use internal monitors and full noise-canceling headsets. This is to prevent the teams from hearing anything outside the game.

If we pay attention to the transmissions, we can observe how players use two headsets during their games. These headphones are often owned by the players or provided by the organizers. We have seen this in different events, such as CS:GO.

Players claim that their earbuds were stolen at the practice center

Now, if you have a top-level competition match in a LAN environment and hours before the match starts, your headset is stolen, there is no doubt that this will affect the players’ confidence level. This is true for Gen.G players at VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo, Lee “k1Ng” Seung-won and Kim “Secret” Ha-jin.

This team was eliminated on the third day of competition after losing their first match to a powerhouse and reigning world champion, LOUD. However, the team spent about a week in Brazil. On February 15, the day of the match between Gen.G and LOUD, player k1Ng reported that his headphones were stolen from the team’s practice room. It should be noted that this room is an area that only players and Riot staff can enter.

Immediately after the player posted the Tweet, a fan asked k1Ng if there were no security cameras in the practice room, to which the player replied:

“Yes, no camera in rooms. im so sad”.

Two days later, the player himself re-posted a Tweet claiming that now the one who had been the victim of headset theft had been his teammate.

Incidents continue

On February 19, the allegations continued, as Rex Regum Qeon player David “Tehbotol” Monangin claimed that his headset and sound card had been stolen.

While it is unknown whether these incidents are related, all indications are that they are. Riot Games and the event’s internal security must quickly find the thief to ensure the players’ safety.

There is no doubt that this taints the great tournament we are currently witnessing. But in addition, it may be a determining factor when selecting a South American city to host a major esports event.

Header: Riot Games