Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
Tragedy has hit the Call of Duty Mobile esports scene in Brazil this week as authorities sort out the heinous murder of a 19-year-old female professional player near the city of São Paulo. Ingrid Oliveira “Sol” Bueno da Silva was reportedly discovered dead at the hands of fellow Call of Duty Mobile professional player Guilherme Alves “Flashlight” Costa. Costa has been taken into custody by authorities.
Sol’s murder was apparently discovered on Monday with authorities investigating on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, as reported by ESPN’s Brazilian branch. According to the report, Sol had met Flashlight online and visited him at his home in Pirituba, just slightly north of São Paulo, Brazil. It was there that Sol was reportedly stabbed to death. Groups associated with Sol, including Jaguares Esports, mourned for Sol and called for attention to violence and discrimination against women in the wake of her murder.
Flashlight seemingly showed little regret or trouble over the murder, claiming he wanted to kill Sol.
“My sanity is completely fit,” Flashlight reportedly told authorities upon being taken into custody.
The crime was first discovered when Flashlight allegedly shared images of Sol’s body in groups on the social media platform WhatsApp. By these accounts, it would seem the murder was premeditated and considered a case of femicide (targeting someone specifically because they are a woman). One of the groups, the Gamers Elite Organization submitted the information to the authorities, shared a statement via Instagram, and instructed members not to share media of Sol’s murder.
“This Monday afternoon, [Guilherme] sent a video on the organization’s group on WhatsApp in which he supposedly had just killed a woman, filmed and shared the video,” The GEO statement stated. “He also sent a PDF where he leaves messages of hatred against Christians and makes a nod to terrorism. After the clan leadership became aware of what happened, we organized ourselves and took necessary measures: We informed the appropriate authorities and asked all our members not to share the video of the alleged crime.”
Moreover, Flashlight had apparently also sent the video and several other unopened files to Federal University of Ceará Professor Lola Aronavich, as reported by esports consultant Rod “Slasher” Breslau. Prof. Aronavich claims the files were sent in an email labeled “a commendable act” and that new attacks and murders were promised.
Sol’s death and the attitude towards her is hardly an isolated incident, nor can it be considered simply a matter of foreign concern. Women have come up against various troubles related solely to their gender, especially in esports and the gaming industry. It can be seen in distant cases such as Hearthstone tournaments back in 2014 which excluded female competitors and even in more modern times with various sexual harassment allegations in 2020, which saw game developers, publishers, and organizations in and around esports facing reports of sexual harassment and discrimination.
One might claim Sol’s death was distant and isolated in a particular scene, but regular cases throughout the game industry and esports tell us we still have far more work to do. To Sol’s friends and family, Shacknews extends sympathy and condolences in this difficult time.