A ban in a shooter leads to imprisonment. The player did not accept the ban and committed a serious crime.
That gamers sometimes have quite a fiery temperament is not really new information. However, how far some go to vent their frustration on others occasionally reaches alarming qualities.
In 2020, the then 19-year-old Yanni Ouahioune was banned in Rainbow Six Siege. In response, he called the police and claimed that a hostage situation was taking place at the Ubisoft building in Montreal and “dozens of employees were being held captive”.
The call led to a lengthy, large-scale police operation that was quite stressful for everyone involved. While the police secured the building and several streets were blocked off, Ubisoft employees barricaded themselves for protection in their offices or fled to the roof—before the operation turned out to be a “prank” and the search for the perpetrator began.
What kind of crime is this? These actions are commonly referred to as “swatting” and are a “trend” that began in the USA and has since spread around the world. Usually, a SWAT team is sent to the home of streamers, often with the claim that the person is currently conducting a hostage situation. The caller can then often “enjoy” live as the police storm the victim’s apartment—and not only takes on the costs of the police operation but also the life-threatening situation for the victim and roommates, who often suffer from psychological effects for a long time afterwards.
Why was he banned in the first place? The reason for the ban was simple: Ouahioune was considered a notorious cheater and used unauthorized software, such as aimbots, to gain an unfair advantage in the game. As in most other games, such cheating is usually punished with a temporary or permanent ban. The latter then led to the act for which he is now charged and convicted.
According to reports, Ouahioune made the call from his parents’ house and had it routed through Russian servers.
What sentence was handed down? According to the Montreal Gazette, the proceedings were divided into three different cases before the court in Paris. The court ruled that Ouahioune must serve a prison sentence of 3 years and additionally compensate the victims appropriately. Furthermore, he was required to join support groups and work towards being able to participate in such.
In the other two cases, he is accused of launching a DdoS attack on government offices and threatening the developers of Minecraft.
However, it is likely that mitigating circumstances were present, as Ouahioune had been undergoing psychological treatment for several years prior to the act.
Swatting often has tragic endings: A 28-year-old dies because of a $2 bet as a SWAT team was sent after him.
