The heat inside the arena, security inconsistency, and much more were some of the things pointed out by the Brazilians
The VCT LOCK//IN Brazil started on Feb. 13 in São Paulo with the promise of being the biggest VALORANT event ever. However, since the beginning of the competition, Riot has received a large number of complaints from the public that attended the games in-person.
On social media, VALORANT fans shared their problems with the VCT organization. Some Brazilian content creators focused on VALORANT told that the venue was empty and highlighted other issues like lack of meet and greet sessions and an uncomfortable heat inside the arena.
One of the content creators went viral on TikTok with a seven-minute video in which she list the problems with LOCK//IN. The streamer explained that the security of the event barred the public from coming in with any objects whatsoever. So no water, notebooks, pens, or mousepads were allowed. That way, it was impossible to get an autograph or even go to the competition after school, work, or other appointments.
"I had a problem with the security guards on Wednesday because the LOUD players hadn't even left the stage properly and they started ORDERING us to leave and there was still a broadcast to watch when I said 'the broadcast isn't over yet' the darling replied 'watch it on cell phone'," one fan shared.
Furthermore, to consume anything inside the stadium, whether it was water, drinks, or food, you had to acquire a special card, used only in the arena, that cost R$5,00 on top of the product itself. So not only was it impossible to bring water from home, but if you wanted to hydrate during the event, you would have to pay extra.
That was pointed out as one of the biggest issues because there was very little ventilation in the bleachers, making water even more essential. And it’s important to remember it is summer in Brazil right now, with the temperature going up to 86 degrees.
Security inconsistency in LOCK//IN Brazil
To try to get more information about the security measures for the event, Esports.gg talked with some fans in the venue and we were led to believe that the security was inconsistent. While some people weren't allowed to enter the venue with pens, mousepads, or even backpacks, others went through without any problems.
Moreover, the lack of organization with security was also discussed. Only in the first week of the event, three pro players had some of their equipment stolen from the staff’s application room. As shared by the players on Twitter, Lee "k1Ng" Seung-won and Kim “Secret” Ha-jin from Gen.G Esports got their earphones stolen and David “Tehbotol” Michs from Team RRQ got his earphones and sound card stolen.
Riot promises changes for the following week
After all these bad reviews, Leo Faria, global head of VALORANT Esports at Riot, tweeted asking if there was any feedback for the first round of matches. The post got a bunch of ideas for improvement for the event, among the ones mentioned above.
After that, Leo responds by saying that they “are implementing a few changes, big and small”. At that, he also mentions they will be getting rid of the event card and the refining audio mix and others. However, for the matters of the heat in the stadium and meet and greet, no answer was given.
Last Sunday (Feb. 19), the last day of games in the Alpha bracket, a few of these changes were already implemented and commented on on social media. Fans said the security were more flexible as to what could go in the event, such as sealed water bottles, umbrellas, mousepads, and pens.
For this following week, fans are waiting to see what is the "and more" that Leo Farias promised in his tweet. The VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo will resume on Feb. 22 with the OMEGA bracket, hopefully with no more complaints.
Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest VALORANT news and updates.