Professional Super Smash Bros. player Elliot “Ally” Carroza-Oyarce has stated that he will be retiring from the game after a confession that he lied about a relationship with a fellow pro player, which he previously denied. The colleague in question was Zack “CaptainZack” Lauth, now 17 years old.
At the time of the incident, Elliot was 26 years old while Zack would have been 16. There is no issue relating to consent in this case, as both meet the age of consent. This is mutually the case with Elliott, a Canadian resident, and Zack, a resident from Louisiana. Rather, this appears to be an issue of a perceived abuse of authority as a grey zone among the community, as some believe that Elliot’s position as a high-ranking player puts him at a higher standard than others to engage in relationships.
The issue began in March of 2019 when another professional player named Tamim “tamim” Omary tweeted “Hey @AllyUltimate how's the minor you're dating doing?” Later, a series of Discord messages regarding their developing relationship were posted.
In reacting to the official admission that there was a brief relationship between the two, players in the community have become strangely involved, requesting to know if there was a sexual relationship as it would “help the community make decisions instead of being confused”. The bizarre request seems to be more inclined to fuel gossip than accomplish anything useful.
Since the news broke, Tamim posted an apology for his part on July 4, stating that he his actions were initially done with the intention of helping a friend. However, the process was more damaging than helpful.
Readers may recognize Elliot’s name from other recent news as well, as on July 3, a 15-year old player named Bocchi defeated him in a match, earning her a torrent of online abuse from individuals who consider themselves as “fans” of the defeated Ally.
Since then, Bocchi has announced that she would retire from gaming because of the abuse. Ideally, Bocchi's time off will allow her to come back stronger than ever. Instead, as Bocchi indicated, it should be fans who change their behavior. As online commenters have the benefit of anonymity, this manner of reaction is all too common but completely unacceptable.
Regarding Ally’s announcement for retirement, it, too, will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future. When one considers the situation in its entirety, it might surprise some to hear that a professional player of Elliot’s quality would so easily exile themselves from their favorite game.