Atun in the Spotlight for All the Wrong Reasons

Juan “Atun” Ochoa, the core player for the Predators, was accused last week of the use of “macros” commands. He reprogrammed the hardware and software of the PC mouse. His performances with Meepo and Huskar were compared with that of other players in the professional scene. He was Godlike on the heroes, which was an impossible feat for the common pros. However, the prohibition of these macros is not specifically detailed in the DotA 2 regulations.

Valve’s Lack of Clarity

Now, it is true that Valve’s rules are ambiguous, both in this case and in many others. So this is the first part of the problem. The rules should be as specific, detailed, and accurate as possible so the players know exactly how to behave in any competition.

Why Was Atun Not Punished in Frankfurt?

This ambiguity is likely why nothing happened with Atun previously. When he played the Frankfurt Major with Digital Chaos SA, he claimed to have used these macros without any penalty or sanction from any of the organizers. The macros have not been explicitly mentioned in Valve’s rules as an unfair advantage. Therefore, it is likely that the organizers of the Frankfurt Major do not consider that as punishable conduct.

It is also possible that they simply did not notice it at that time. Taking into account this argument of the player, we think that his justification could be valid up to a certain point, since according to Atun, he was not told that they could not be used. Many also argue that it is an excuse to justify the use of macros, something that should obviously not be allowed.

Valve Really Needs to Communicate

In our opinion, the whole problem originates in the first-place due to the lack of clarity on the part of Valve. The developer has shown no intention to communicate with the professional scene. The issue is that this type of decision ultimately falls on the organizations, when Valve should be the one who gives the final decision. While it is true, in the statement disqualifying Thunder, it is explained that the ruling was a joint decision with Valve, which rarely happens.

Valve will not discuss the ambiguity of the case, even if the player wants to approach them and talk about it. If those rules were clear enough, we would not be debating whether Atun did right or wrong, whether his explanation seems reasonable, or if we think the penalty is fair or not.

Valve really needs to fill the communication barrier. Pain Gaming, who were originally knocked out by Thunder, have now qualified for The International 8.