Player criticizes fighting-game smurfing

X user @j_victorak47 used a May 20, 2026 post to complain about smurfing in fighting games, calling the practice “deprimente,” or depressing, and describing it as a waste of time on the internet. The post framed the problem around secondary accounts used in competitive play and argued that they slow matchmaking and hurt competitive integrity, according to the thread on X. The complaint did not identify a specific title, tournament or publisher. It landed in a familiar debate in online competitive games: whether experienced players using alternate accounts distort ranked systems and lower-level matches. ### What was the player objecting to in the post? The May 20 thread from @j_victorak47 focused on “conta secundária” — Portuguese for secondary account — in fighting games. In the post, the user said the trend was “deprimente” and tied it to slower matchmaking and weaker competitive integrity, according to the X thread referenced in the source briefing. The wording matches a broader gaming use of “smurfing,” a term commonly used for experienced players creating alternate accounts that place them into lower-skill matchmaking pools. (support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com) Riot Games, in its League of Legends support material, defines smurfing as “creating a second account” and says it does not endorse the practice because it can harm other players’ experience. ### Why do players complain about smurfing in ranked games? Riot Games says smurfing can “ruin the game for other players,” citing cases where a stronger player appears in lower-ranked matches. The company said tackling the issue at scale is difficult because of the volume of accounts and the ease of creating new ones, though it said it has looked for ways to reduce the problem in competitive modes. (support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com) Secondary accounts are not unique to fighting games. Across competitive titles, players and publishers have used the term to describe accounts created for easier matches, fresh ranking climbs, anonymity or play with lower-ranked friends. The complaint from @j_victorak47 fits that wider pattern, but the post itself centered on the effects inside fighting-game matchmaking rather than on a single enforcement proposal. (support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com) ### Did the post point to a specific harm? The May 20 message pointed to two concrete harms: slower matchmaking and reduced competitive integrity. In ranked systems, those complaints usually refer to players being matched against opponents whose real skill is higher than the account’s displayed level, which can distort results and make rank progression less reflective of actual ability. Riot’s public description of smurfing supports that general concern, though it comes from a different genre. The company said it does not endorse second-account play when it damages match quality and said it can take direct action in proven cases, including penalties tied to competitive events such as Clash. ### Is every alternate account treated the same way by game companies? Riot Games’ support page draws a distinction between the existence of second accounts and enforcement against harmful use. The company said it would not proactively remove every smurf account, but it also said it was serious about protecting competitive modes and could act in proven cases. (support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com) That leaves room for a recurring gray area in online games: some players use alternate accounts casually, while others are accused of using them to gain easier matches or manipulate ranking systems. The X thread from @j_victorak47 did not make that policy distinction; it described the overall trend as discouraging and damaging to competition. ### Where does the discussion go from here? (support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com) The May 20 thread remains the primary public record of the complaint, and no developer response was attached to the post in the source material. Readers looking for the original wording can find it on X under @j_victorak47’s May 20, 2026 post. Riot Games’ support page remains one of the clearest publisher definitions of smurfing available publicly, and it sets out the company’s position that second-account abuse can harm competitive play. Any next step in this story would most likely come from replies to the X thread, or from a game publisher outlining enforcement or matchmaking changes in response to similar complaints. (support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com)