- Riot Games allowed a male coach to step in as a substitute during a VCT Game Changers game
- The original Complexity GX3 player was fast asleep during the match against Team X
- Allowing a male coach to play in a VCT Game Changers game violates the league’s fundamental rules
Riot Games was scrutinized for allowing Complexity GX3’s male coach boms to play as a substitute during an official VCT Game Changers game.
Boms Played Where Aniemal Could Not
Riot Games’ controversial decision to allow a male coach to join a VCT Game Changers game as a substitute did not sit well with many of the fans. The awkward situation was caused by Annie “Aniemal” Lee, one of Complexity GX3’s players who did not show up on time for the team’s game against Team X. According to her teammate, Lacey “akaL4CE” Dilworth, Aniemal was still fast asleep.
The game began with Complexity short on one member. The team tried its best to cope with playing with just four members but was eventually forced to forfeit the game as Aniemal failed to show up and VCT’s rules do not allow an incomplete team to continue competing.
Team X agreed to wait for Complexity to find a solution. In the end, the latter opted to play with its coach, Johnny “boms” Boms, as a substitute. Since the Game Changers league is supposed to be a female-only league, Riot’s decision to allow boms as a substitute puzzled the community.
Some wondered whether the move was legitimate, while others besmirched Riot Games for allowing it to happen. Complexity eventually lost the second game and by extension the match.
Riot Games Admitted That It Violated Its Own Rules
According to the official Game Changers rulebook, all teams in a VCT Game Changers must be female. Furthermore, teams should have no more than 10 minutes to find a substitute between matches and the sub must be officially approved by the tournament organizers.
Riot Games later addressed the situation and admitted that allowing boms to fill in Aniemal’s vacant spot was not a completely legitimate move. The company explained that it did not want to cause a competition delay and decided that breaking some of its own rules is the lesser of two evils. Riot added that it will rethink its policies about such scenarios to avoid future controversies.
“We are evaluating our processes surrounding these scenarios. Furthermore, we will work more closely with participating teams to ensure there is no confusion about respective player eligibility,” Riot spokesperson said in a correspondence with Dot Esports.
While it is sad to see Complexity lose, it is perhaps for the best as a victory for the team might have caused the controversy to spiral out of control.
The VCT Game Changers initiative has been quickly expanding reaching multiple new regions. Because of the league’s popularity, Riot Games will have to be more careful with controversies.
