Gaming was in the past just another form of passive entertainment, not unlike watching TV, with people spending time and money for the privilege, and in return, enjoying the experience.
While that may still be true of the vast majority of gamers propping up this now massive industry – it has also created careers that never existed before – like “pro-gamers.”
These are competitive gamers and esports players who earn an income this way – those rising to the top can reportedly earn up to $15,000 a month. Not pocket change, but not enough to dissuade them from risking an attempt to game the system, either.
Take, for example, Warpzy – a gamer scouted by FaZe Clan – a heavyweight among esports video networks, with more than 100 million followers on social media.
But his fledgling career may now be over before it ever really began as he is accused of resorting to several “illegal” gaming practices including “aimbotting” – i.e., using software allowing a player to cheat by shooting their in-game weapon with less skill, yet more accuracy.
Warpzy was apparently set for gaming fame and success as FaZe Clan looked into making him a trickshotter – a highly monetizable role given to particularly skilled players.
But then, two other members of the community, FaZe Adapt and FaZe Rain, investigated the gamer for cheating.
https://twitter.com/SilverZahvs/status/1221903597513969667
Warpzy initially denied these accusations, giving the impression that his team account may have been hacked.
In a livestream on YouTube, Warpzy was then presented with evidence that his files contained cheat code – which he still denied.
But 17 minutes into the stream, the gamer comes clean and admits to starting out legitimately as, admittedly, a skilled player – but then, apparently enticed by the possibility of joining FaZe Clan – resorting to faking his shots.
In a subsequent Twitter post, he advises others to “learn from his mistakes and not take shortcuts.”
https://twitter.com/ioNWarpzy/status/1221912171392700416
At the start of the livestream, Warpzy made a call to his mother asking her to confirm that he was not even home when the cheating incident took place.
He then promises to explain the situation later, saying, “Some serious shit is going down right now, mom!”
Given the amount of money changing hands in the e-sports industry right now – it’s one thing he wasn’t lying about.
