Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 14, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Alleged unsporting conduct has led the e-sports clan “Coldgame” http://www.coldgame.de to take its case to Cologne Local Court. The group of computer gamers was expelled from the “Electronic Sports League” (ESL) in December because league operator Turtle Entertainment http://www.turtle-entertainment.de had accused the team of prohibited cheating. One of the clan members was alleged to have used electronic tricks to fight his way to the top positions while playing “Counter-Strike”. Coldgame vehemently rejects the cheating allegations and now wants to obtain a preliminary injunction in court that would enable the clan to re-enter the ESL.
“It is the first time in Germany that a clan and a league official have met in court,” Jens Allerdissen, PR Manager at Turtle Entertainment, explains in an interview with the pressetext.de news service. The current case was therefore also of central importance for future decisions. “Coldgame wants the court to order that the clan be readmitted to the league,” Allerdissen explains. The exclusion was particularly bitter for members of the computer-gaming team because they had been on the verge of promotion to the “ESL Pro Series” (EPS). Places in this tough competition, which is also very lucrative because of its high prize money, are highly sought after. Only those who have successfully fought their way through the lower leagues can be promoted to this highest ESL class.
The specific allegation against Coldgame: one member of the clan was alleged to have used a so-called “Aimbot” during an EPS promotion match. This is a program that takes over aiming for the player and performs it automatically. The result is accurate hits in rapid succession. Because the playing level of very good players is generally very high, however, such an attempt to cheat can barely be demonstrated by visual inspection alone. A recording of the match in question was also unable to provide sufficient clarification.
“In the meantime, we have shown the submitted demo to various experts, all of whom confirm that there is no suspicious gameplay. We have therefore now also decided to use every means available to us to challenge the ESL’s decision,” a Coldgame statement says.
Playing on PCs has long since become broadly organised. According to its own figures, the ESL, which originated in Germany in 1997, now brings together more than 750,000 members throughout Europe. A wide variety of games are offered in which e-sports players can compete against one another in different leagues. “Cheaters” who are caught can be banned for up to two years.
