Singapore’s most famous Dota 2 player has been punished for using a racial slur while streaming.
During a stream on April 11, current Mineski offlaner Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang was asked about his first-name. In response, iceiceice used a racial slur when describing why he did not like the name.
Immediately following his use of the slur, the 27-year-old changed his verbiage—by calling it a “black person’s name,” adding that his parents named him after a character in a TV show.
As a result of his language, iceiceice has received an “internal reprimand” from his current team Mineski. The punishment came only five days after iceiceice played a pivotal role in the team’s victory at the Dota 2 Asian Championship Valve Major on April 7.
Outside of the “reprimand” it is unclear what actual punishment iceiceice received.
Additionally, iceiceice’s Twitch channel appears to have also been shut down. Counter-Strike caster Matthew “Sadokist” Trivett was also banned from the platform after using the same slur two weeks ago. His channel remains unavailable.
This is the latest in a string of incidents over hate speech in esports this year. The most noteworthy examples pertain to players connected to Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League, which has taken a hardline stance on the issue.
Iceiceice and Mineski are scheduled to attend the upcoming ESL One Birmingham Major on May 23.
