A large tournament for the MOBA Dota 2 is taking place in Singapore. One of the top teams there, Team Aster, has to cope without one of their players. The player Borax (also known as: BoBoKa) is out – allegedly because he wanted to pay for sex. This is punished in China.
Team Aster is a major esports team for Dota 2 from China. They are currently competing in a major tournament in Singapore, but without their “Position 4”: BoBoKa. He will not be allowed to play until after the tournament. He is unavailable for “personal reasons”, according to the team.
The team itself does not elaborate on the reasons. However, according to rumors: BoBoKa allegedly hired a prostitute and is now temporarily in jail – or otherwise unavailable.
Whether this is actually true is still unclear. Allegedly, BoBoKa paid around $400 for sex and was subsequently arrested by the police in an apartment. Chinese media reported on the case (via 163.com).
Although prostitution is illegal, it is offered in China in the form of hotel visits or as an additional “service” in karaoke bars or massage studios with “happy endings”.
In a thread on reddit, a user wrote that one of the officers even recognized the professional player and wanted to let him go. However, BoBoKa had already admitted that he had paid the prostitute.
Who is it actually about? Ye “BoBoKa” Zhibiao is a Chinese Dota professional who plays the fourth position for Team Aster. In the fourth position, he takes on the role of a “greedy support” or “roamer”, which means a supporter for the team.
With his team, he has already won numerous prizes, including first places in smaller tournaments and even a 5th/6th place in The International 2017. For that, his team received a prize pool of over a million dollars at that time.
$200,000 tournament without support
Which tournament is it about? From March 27 to April 4, 2021, the Singapore Major is taking place, one of the larger tournaments in the region for Dota 2. The prize pool for the first place is a hefty $200,000.
Team Aster is replacing BoBoKa for the tournament with their manager, Cheng “Mad” Han. How well this will work for the team remains to be seen. Typically, such a measure is only a last-resort program.
Dota players and fans are already making fun of the situation despite the rather serious circumstances, if all this is true. They mock, among other things, that other players have to stay home because of Corona, while BoBoKa is out because he “wanted to have some action”. This even elicits some sympathy.
Other Dota players may soon face consequences for a common practice, and that permanently: Those who “smurf” must now expect a ban in Dota 2
