WHEN ShinBoo “Sh1n Boo” Ponferrada went on a Twitter tirade against League of Legends shoutcaster and talent, Richard “Pulse” Kam, I put off writing a column about it.
At the time, I had just come from Singapore, eager to rest after writing numerous stories on the M3 World Championship. Also, it was the holiday season, and I did not wish to further spoil everyone’s holidays by being the bearer of bad news... and some unwanted toxicity in the comments section.
But with Riot Games making a public statement about Sh1n Boo’s "past behaviour and actions", I guess I finally have a second chance to express my thoughts on the situation.
For Sh1n Boo's official statement to Spin.ph regarding the Wild Rift ban, please tap here.)
Looking back at the tweets from both individuals, I realized that the situation could’ve been handled better if Sh1n Boo had done a little self-assessment, and if he was civil and careful about the situation.
If some find it weird that Sh1n Boo got blocked by Pulse on Twitter, even if these two have never met or interacted in real life, Pulse told him via DM (which was eventually made public by Sh1n Boo) that he would not "work with enablers and individuals who actively diminish marginalized voices."
Kam was likely referring to that incident in which Zeus Torquator tormented Em “Kaisaya” Dangla by spreading her private videos. When Kaisaya went public with the story on September 2020, she related that Sh1n Boo refused to testify against Torquator during the investigation, stating his friendship with Zeus as his reason.
At the time, Sh1n Boo called the decision a "lapse in judgment."
Bringing up Sh1n Boo's past behavior
But that happened years ago. Why should Riot bring back the past in making their decisions?
Context matters. Riot Games itself was hit by a gender-based discrimination class-action suit filed by more than 2,000 female employees back in 2018. (The company eventually settled out of court in 2021, awarding $100 million to members of the suit.) Since that reckoning, the company has issued multiple statements about its commitment to fairness, equality, and embracing diversity.
Not to mention, the esports scene has already been plagued with a lot of issues in which women are mistreated. Remember the numerous Dota 2 scandals that took place during the pandemic in which big time names like Toby “TobiWan” Dawson and Grant “GrandGrant” Harris were accused?
Given the nature of esports as a developing industry, Riot, as well as other publishers, are tasked to promote the welfare of esports in order to prevent these unwanted incidents.
And I don’t recall sensitive issues against women being tolerated in traditional sports. Just ask Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood, who was immediately suspended by his club and dropped by Nike after the arrest for his alleged sexual assault of a woman.
With his involvement in a highly charged issue, and all the context outlined above, I wondered why Sh1n Boo had the audacity to say something like, “Huwaw. This is beriberi interesting. The legendary simpulse has me blocked.”
If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t be surprised that Pulse blocked me, and I would just move on, grinding my way in the esports scene.
Unfortunately Sh1n Boo insisted on publicly shaming names from the Wild Rift scene, saying, “Hahahaha, amazing. It’s almost Christmas and this kid (Pulse) doesn’t have the decency to hold off his tweet. Some 'professional' you are. Reminds me a lot of an ignorant novice named Cheestoh.”
Eventually his tirade with Pulse led to some distasteful comments from the community, to the point where others would twist the narrative and call out Pulse as someone who simps on Rikki “Riku” Quiapon and Mika Fabella.
All of these incidents may have snowballed and led to Riot’s prohibition that targeted Sh1n Boo and the company he manages, GrindSky, ultimately forcing him to be viewed as the villain in this situation.
A second chance for Sh1n Boo?
Now with everything said, is Sh1n Boo deserving of a second chance for redemption?
I personally believe that everyone deserves a second chance but I also believe that we must also live by the consequences of our actions.
As my assistant principal of academic affairs in high school once said, “In this blank piece of paper, when there’s a pen mark, there’s a pen mark. Even if you place a correction tape, there will still be a mark.”
Look, there’s nothing Sh1n Boo can do to erase his controversial actions involving Kaisaya and Zeus. He also can't take back the Twitter rants from last December.
The only thing he can do is move forward and prove that he deserves a redemption arc.
Asking the community to stop giving Wild Rift a 1-star rating due to the GrindSky cancellation is a start. I’m hoping he can go beyond that in his career.
Besides, if Riot gave Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkkmp a 2nd chance, it’s possible for Sh1n Boo to receive the same treatment.
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