A prominent Thai esports athlete, Warain Naraphat, widely known by her in-game alias Tokyogurl, has been issued a lifetime ban from all professional Arena of Valor (RoV) competitions. This severe penalty was imposed after she was found to have used unauthorized software, commonly referred to as a ‘plugin,’ during her participation in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
The incident that led to her disqualification and subsequent bans occurred on December 16. The Thai Esports Federation (TESF) confirmed these events, stating that an exhaustive investigation revealed Tokyogurl had employed a mobile plugin during a crucial match against the Vietnamese team. Despite the use of this illicit advantage, her team ultimately suffered a 3-0 defeat in the match.
Further details from the TESF investigation indicated that the unauthorized plugin had the capability to allow a third party to control her gameplay remotely, while Tokyogurl maintained the appearance of actively participating in the match. Following these revelations, Garena, the developer of the Arena of Valor game, announced its own set of disciplinary actions, independently banning her from all future RoV esports events. Additionally, her professional esports team, Talon, promptly terminated her existing contract.
However, these initial sanctions were deemed insufficient given the gravity and impact of the offense. The overarching RoV Esports Organizing Council subsequently stepped in to impose the highest possible penalty: a comprehensive lifetime ban from all RoV esports activities. This decisive measure was implemented to conclusively address what has been widely described as a major scandal in the history of Thai esports, thereby eliminating any lingering doubts regarding Tokyogurl’s professional career. The council also publicly affirmed its full support for all actions taken by the TESF in handling the case.
The ramifications of the cheating extended beyond just the individual player. Following the confirmation of the fraudulent plugin use by both event organizers and referees, the TESF made the difficult decision to withdraw the entire Thai women’s RoV esports team from the competition, underscoring the severe collective impact of one player’s misconduct.
