Controversies and scams with esports athletes and content creators have sadly been on the rise in the last few years. When players and creators fall for such scams, they are left helpless, and ex-professional BGMI player Shivamm '420op' Raghav has been a victim of such practices. In his recent YouTube video, "Revealing Dark Secrets of Indian Gaming Community," he talks about the unethical practices that esports organisations and live streaming platforms do to scam innocent players.
With his new video, the ex-BGMI professional educates the audience and aspiring athletes about the scams around the Indian Gaming Community and shares his example where he fell for a fall promise made by his former organisation.
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Everything 420OP Talks About in the "Revealing Dark Secrets of Indian Gaming Community" Video
Throughout the video, 420op talks about how organisations bind an athlete to several clauses in their contract and many players need to give them a proper read to sign these contracts. In such agreements, either organisation doesn't mention the verbal promises made by them or adds clauses of their own that are intended to harm the players. Organisations tend to attract well-performing athletes with fake promises and structure the contracts and clauses to get away without completing the commitments.
Next, 420op narrates his story, where he falls for a verbal promise. After showcasing his talent in the domestic circuit, an organisation approached 420op to offer him a place as a 5th player in their lineup. 420op mentions that the team had qualified for an international event, and since the team was looking forward to having him on board for a month, they didn't sign any contract. On a verbal agreement, 420op was supposed to get Rs. 1,25,000 for his tenure, but after a few months of delay, he received Rs. 25,000 only. In his video, 420op did not name the organisation, but fans speculate 420op might be talking about Team IND when 420op was their fifth player during PMWL 2020: East.
Another scam with a creator or an athlete could be from live streaming platforms. 420op opens about streaming deals where the players must go through the clauses properly. A creator should ensure they get paid on the "streaming hours" instead of "watch hours." He mentions that platforms manipulate the numbers and, ultimately, the streaming salary given to the creators.
In the end, 420op requests the upcoming creators and athletes to stay diligent while signing an agreement with an organisation or platform. Ensure that a trusted lawyer goes through the contract before the player signs it so they don't become victims of such scams.