Valve Clamps Down on Smurfing in Dota 2

Playing multiplayer games like Dota 2 can be challenging due to the high skill level required and the often intense atmosphere. It exacerbates the situation when players encounter a 'smurf' in their game, which can cause considerable frustration.

'Smurfs' are experienced players, often with thousands of hours of playtime, who create new accounts to easily defeat newer players. Valve, Dota 2's developer, recently announced via a blog post on the Dota 2 site its stance against such practices.

Valve stated, "Today, we've permanently expunged 90,000 smurf accounts active in recent months. Dota is best played on a level playing field. The quality of an engaging match relies on player compatibility. We're committed to ensuring optimal playing experiences, and smurfing diminishes this quality. Therefore, if you suspect a player of smurfing, use the in-game reporting options. This assists us in tracking culprits and gathering data to enhance our anti-smurf efforts."

Valve has already taken significant steps to eliminate cheating from the game. In the past, they've made smurfing more difficult by requiring players to log 100 hours on Dota 2 before they can participate in ranked matches. However, this wasn't sufficient to stop hordes of smurfs from spoiling the gaming experience for less experienced players.