Valve Festively Bans Toxic Dota 2 Players With A Gift Of Coal

‘Tis the festive season, and some lucky Dota 2 players get to open their gifts early – only it was not quite what they were expecting.

In what can only be described as the most creative and cunning ban method witnessed to date, One ex-professional Dota 2 player named Mason was prompted by his chat to open a complimentary gift chest that had been awarded to him in game. Of course, he did so – to reveal he had received a ‘Highly Toxic Piece of Coal’, with a blurb explaining that his account was now banned:

Now, to an out of the loop bystander this would appear as a terribly cruel trick to be played on someone – but the Dota 2 community is more than happy to get you up to speed. See, Mason once had a proper Dota 2 career – appearing and competing in the live International events – before pivoting to being a streamer. Since settling into a streaming career, Ol’ Masey boy has garnered a bit of a rep of being …well, a toolbag. Toxicity in any online game is expected, but when you get a special mention as being a particularly nasty example, that aint great.

Take a look at this stream description:

DOTA ALL STAR MASON MADE HIS SPLASH ON THE COMPETITIVE SCENE BY SHITTING ON KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING PENNIES FOR YEARS WHILE HE STROLLED IN AND WON MULTIPLE TOURNAMENTS AND MADE FAT STACKS.

WIDELY REGARDED AS THE BEST PROFESSIONAL DOTA 2 PLAYER IN THE SCENE BY HIS PEERS AND FANS, MASON REMAINS HUMBLE AND EAGER TO LEARN. EVEN THOUGH HE NO LONGER PLAYS, HE STILL HAS IMMENSE RESPECT FOR PEOPLE WHO TAKE THE GAME SERIOUSLY.

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NOW LIVING A LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE REMOVED FROM THE DOTA SCENE, MASON ENJOYS SPENDING HIS TIME READING BOOKS, WALKING HIS DOG, AND MAKING LOVE TO HIS BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND.

In jest, sure – but when you are a certified bucket of crap it can get you in trouble.

See, Dota 2 has a particular set of metrics that are used to track if a person is being inflammatory, with one aptly named a ‘Communication Score’. This will track down with reports and evidence of you communicating badly – name calling, trolling, etc – and Mason’s had been tracking down for a long while.

So Mason got a lump of carbon for his troubles – and he is not the only one. In fact, this was all telegraphed on Valve’s end, with their Frostivus Blog Post clearly spelling out the doom that awaited the ill-intent:

…if you’re on the Naughty List, we’ve got great news for everybody else and bad news for you, because this year is gonna be a bloodbath. 

Regardless of how you’ve been naughty, we’ve been watching you (not while you’re sleeping, calm down) and we’re cracking down on all of it. Punishments will be handed out for all of the above, including behavior score penalties — and in serious cases, main account bannings.

Now Mason (and a few others) find themselves on the receiving end of the serious case outcome – and Mason even took to Reddit to try and explain his position:

Hey everyone, Mason here, about my ban and how I’m feeling:
byu/iceQueen97 inDotA2

So he argues that he was never that bad, while also mentioning that he paid for an third-party online service to boost his communication score it. Which is of course against the terms of service; adding another black mark against his Dota 2 tenure.

As for his claims of ‘not being that bad’, a cursory search of YouTube will reveal all you need to know.

By any and every metric, it makes for a very entertaining end to a Dota 2 career – with the real gift being the slightly friendlier games that will take place after Coal-gate is done and dusted.

Received any worrisome gifts in Dota 2 this Christmas season? Are you fearing what Santa Gabe might bring you? Let us know in the comments or on social media.