The two Steam hits, the MOBA Dota 2 and the shooter CS:GO, are especially popular in Eastern Europe and Russia. This leads to a tense situation: Russian professionals are suspected of supporting their country’s war against Ukraine. Critics cite the use of the letter “Z” as evidence. But what do you do if you have a “Z” in your name?
Why is Russia so important for Dota 2 and CS:GO? Dota 2 is extremely popular, especially in the east of the world: The highest interest in Dota 2 exists in countries like Mongolia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. This can be inferred from the analysis tool Google Trends:
- In Russia, Dota 2 is about 4 times more popular than its competitor League of Legends
- while League of Legends is 5 times more popular than Dota 2 in the USA
- In Germany, LoL is even 8 times more in demand than Valve’s competitor
With a little imagination, one could say: Dota 2 is the LoL of Russia. Or LoL is the Dota 2 of the USA.
Similar applies to CS:GO: The game is extremely popular in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus:
- In Russia, CS:GO is 5 times bigger than Call of Duty.
- In the USA, Call of Duty is 5 times bigger than CS:GO.
- In Germany, it is relatively balanced, with a slight advantage for Call of Duty.
Professional loses job in Dota 2 for drawing a “Z”
What is the situation in Dota 2 right now? Many professionals from Dota 2 come from Russia. They are among the best players in the world.
The winners of the huge tournament “The International” were even congratulated by Vladimir Putin in an official letter in 2021. The victory was well-deserved. Putin praised the “leadership and solidarity” in the decisive battle.
Currently, Russian professionals are being watched more closely online, whether they make any supportive statements regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
An 18-year-old Russian player painted a “Z” on the mini-map of DOTA 2 during a tournament match on April 29. As a result, his team was removed from the tournament by Valve, and he was dropped by his team:
The “Z” is considered a symbol of support for Russia’s war.
The player said that he was just doodling and it was immediately painted over when it became clear what he had drawn. But by then, his career was over.
“Please avoid swastikas”
This is the new controversy: A tournament is taking place in Antwerp for CS:GO. Before the tournament, two Russian professionals showed their stickers, and there was a “Z” visible on each. The professional player Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov had the Z as an “embellishment” of his name. The player Timofey “interz” Yaksushin had a prominent Z in the representation of his name:
On Twitter, calls were made to both of them and their team Cloud9: Please “avoid swastikas” – If e-sports should remain politically free, such symbols should not be used.
This is how it is being discussed: As Inven reports, this seems to be a misunderstanding: Sh1ro (featured image) apparently just used an earlier design template from Valve that had been created long before the “Z” became a symbol of the invasion.
Apparently, Sh1ro simply used this template out of lack of ideas for his own sticker.
Sh1ro himself says (via twitter):
“Do not look for hidden messages where there are none. My job is to play for C9, not to carry out covert espionage.”
Sh1ro
The e-sports journalist Richard Lewis points out that sh1ro has never publicly expressed his support for Putin. He has never said anything even remotely nationalistic.
On the contrary: sh1ro signed a declaration calling for peace – thereby taking a personal risk (via twitter).
A user also defends “Interz” – what should he do if the Z is simply part of his name? Should it be interpreted as support for the war?
What should “Zyw0o” do, who is probably the best CS:GO player in the world (via twitter).
– Ukraine live blog (via Zeit)
– War in Ukraine (via nzz)
– Solidarity with Ukraine (via foreign ministry)
Important note: If you are troubled by dark thoughts due to the current situation: You are not alone. Please seek help. For example, from the telephone counseling service at 0800/111 0 111 or the online counseling, where you can also use a chat feature. This is free and applies nationwide.
What’s behind this: In any case, these incidents show the difficulty of e-sports to continue “normally” in a truly “abnormal” world.
That something as ubiquitous as the letter “Z” becomes such a difficult symbol that must be urgently avoided seems indeed challenging. The fact that every Russian e-sports player is under general suspicion of secretly supporting the war creates a nervous and tense atmosphere.
The war in Ukraine repeatedly touches on gaming topics:
Sisters stream on Twitch from Ukraine – Interrupted by bombs
