Pro Dota 2 Player Claims He Had to Play a Full Match in Front of Police Officers to Prove His Identity
Pro Dota 2 player Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, who plays hard carry for Xipto eSports, encountered Malaysian law enforcement when the team’s boot camp in Kuala Lumpur was raided by police on a Sunday evening. According to 23savage’s Facebook account, officers placed the team members in handcuffs and confiscated their belongings during the raid.
Police interrogated the players about their presence in the city and whether they were actually professional Dota 2 players. To verify his identity and credentials, 23savage was required to play a full Dota 2 match in front of the officers. One of the officers was familiar enough with Dota 2 to assist in the verification process, checking the player’s Instagram account for evidence of his professional gaming career.
The incident illustrates the sometimes unusual circumstances that esports professionals face when operating in jurisdictions where gaming may not be mainstream or fully understood by law enforcement. The experience was significant enough for the player to publicly document it, drawing attention from the gaming and esports communities.