On the esports stage, competition is often framed as a level playing field: anyone can become a champion if they have the skill, discipline, and teamwork to match the moment. It’s a global spectacle that ignores borders—players come from different countries, speak different languages, and represent diverse backgrounds. But when arena lights go out and attention shifts to social media, that “anyone can win” dream can harden into something far harsher: discrimination that targets people not for their gameplay, but for who they are.
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Esports has grown into one of the most global entertainment industries on the planet. Teams from Southeast Asia can upset Chinese giants, European organizations can recruit Korean talent, and players from Latin America can still contend on the world stage. Yet the same rapid globalization that expands competition also accelerates darker trends—excessive nationalism, xenophobia, and racism—that continue to haunt competitive communities. Importantly, these issues are not new; they are long-standing wounds that reappear with different costumes.
2018 Dota 2 Racism: “Ching Chong” and a Valve Response
One of the most widely remembered racism cases in esports occurred in 2018 at Dota 2. Around the same time, two professional players from the Philippines—Andrei “Skem” Ong of compLexity Gaming and Carlo “Kuku” Palad of TNC Predator—reportedly used the racial slur “ching chong” during a public match aimed at Chinese players.
The incident triggered a strong backlash from parts of the Chinese community, which then flooded the Steam page for Dota 2 with negative reviews. Valve followed with an official statement emphasizing that discriminatory behavior has no place in Dota 2. Valve also noted that professional organizations are responsible for their players’ conduct and are expected to apply appropriate disciplinary action.
The controversy around Kuku did not end there. It reportedly expanded into an international dispute when he ultimately did not appear at the Chongqing Major, with concerns raised about safety and the process of entering China. The whole episode became a stark reminder that discrimination can emerge from any corner of a community—especially when competitive rivalry shifts from tactics and strategy into personal hostility.
League of Legends and the “Obama” Label: Stereotypes as “Just Jokes”
Racial stereotyping and discriminatory language have also targeted other esports titles, including League of Legends. In this case, the roots of the issue were tied to differences in cultural perception—particularly how nicknames or memes circulate within communities and how they are interpreted elsewhere.
Years ago, some League of Legends communities in China reportedly referred to champion Lucian as “Obama”, allegedly because the character is portrayed with dark skin. For some players inside that context, the label was treated as a visual gag or an informal shorthand rather than an intentional insult.
Outside China, however, the same nickname drew sharp criticism. It was widely seen as reducing a person’s identity to a stereotype and flattening it into something demeaning. The incident underlines a crucial challenge for global esports: communication across cultures is not automatic. A joke that feels harmless to one group can land as offensive and harmful to another.
Honor of Kings: Nationalism, Online Attacks, and Fan Friction
As Honor of Kings continues expanding into international arenas, similar tensions have surfaced. As regional competition intensifies, friction between supporters from different countries becomes harder to avoid. In several international tournaments—especially when teams outside KPL began beating Chinese representatives—social media has also seen comments that attack players based on their country of origin.
One example involved Bigetron Esports player BTR Bal, who reportedly faced nationalist-leaning comments after matches against KPL teams at an international event. This serves as a reminder that as Honor of Kings grows globally, the challenge of maintaining sportsmanship does not stop at the match itself—it spills into how fans behave and talk when they are not on stage.
That said, it’s important to recognize that negative comments are typically driven by specific individuals rather than representing entire communities. The source also notes that Chinese players themselves often become targets of racism from international communities. Together, these points suggest the problem is not confined to a single country; instead, it reflects a toxic internet culture that leverages anonymity to attack an opponent’s identity.
Why Rivalries Go Wrong—and What Communities Must Do Next
Regional rivalry is one of the main ingredients that makes sports and esports compelling. Football has El Clásico, Formula 1 has manufacturer battles, and esports has intense matchups ranging from KPL vs global teams to South Korea vs China in League of Legends, and Southeast Asia vs China in Dota 2. The problem begins when rivalry stops being about strategy and mechanics and turns into verbal attacks on identity—mocking a player’s country, skin color, language, or ethnicity has no connection to the core of competition or sportsmanship.
As esports ecosystems expand, the chances of conflict among fans rise as well. Social platforms and recommendation algorithms can also amplify provocative content that triggers emotion more effectively than it encourages healthy discussion. Over the years, game publishers and tournament organizers have tried to respond with stricter code-of-ethics rules and sanctions for confirmed discriminatory behavior. Yet enforcement alone cannot fully solve the issue without cultural change inside the community itself.
Ultimately, spectators play a major role in shaping esports culture. Supporting a favorite team should never require belittling other countries, and criticizing poor performance should not become a justification for attacking someone’s race or background. Esports is built on the idea that people from anywhere can compete under equal rules. If wins are determined by mechanical skill and tactics, then losses must be accepted with sportsmanship. The industry’s future will not be decided by how loud the crowd is, but by how mature the community becomes—especially in choosing to treat rivals across the screen as fellow human beings.
