eSports encompass a thriving community practiced by people in various situations and from different backgrounds providing excellent potential for inclusion. The Collinsville eSports Program strives to promote an inclusive community at the aggregate level and solid leadership and gamesmanship at the individual level. 

This document is a tool to ensure we realize that potential. Together, we can create an eSports environment where people can feel welcome, meet, compete, and evolve. Various figures are engaged in the community, including players and organizers. This code will focus on the role these figures place in the Collinsville eSports Program and how it impacts the experience of those engaged in the community. 

To accomplish this, we need to follow a common set of rules and take individual responsibility for how we treat each other online and offline. 

Eligibility:  Coaches must monitor the academic progress of all eSports athletes, as only students in good academic standing can participate in any match, including the playoffs.   Any student-athlete failing academically will be placed on probation for one week.  Failing two subsequent weeks will make the student ineligible to participate in any matches.   Coaches are required to monitor academic progress before submitting rosters for tournaments.

Cheating: Breaking any rule and any form of cheating, glitching, abusing in-game mechanics, or unsportsmanlike behavior may result in a Forfeit of a Game, Match, or Ban from CPS e-Sports team after an official investigates the claim. 

Unsportsmanlike Behavior:  Punishable unsportsmanlike behavior includes, but is not limited to, excessive use of foul or degrading language and bullying.

Reporting:  Any hazing, bullying, taunting, or cheating issue must be reported immediately to the CPS e-Sports team coach (KC Davis).  

Concessions: Teams may request that they be allowed to concede victory of a Game. Teams may request that their opponent not receive a Forfeit penalty. A Tournament Official must be contacted with these requests. 

Abuse: Verbal and/or written abuse of a Tournament Official will not be tolerated through any medium. This includes, but is not limited to, voice communications in game, voice messages, live support chats, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Violators of this rule may be disqualified from Tournament play. 

Modified Console/Hacks/Mods: Use of a modified/jailbroken console, in game hacks, and/or mods will result in the immediate disqualification of that team and/or a suspension for up to the remainder of the season.

Lack of Cooperation: Failing to comply with the coach’s directions and/or requests may result in the probation of the team members or removal from the team.  Verbal or written abuse of a staff member may result in forfeiture, suspension, and/or disciplinary action at school.

Warnings: Tournament Officials may issue a Warning for infractions including, but not limited to, the use of profane words or phrases, discussion of controversial religious/political topics, threats/implied violence, lack of punctuality, and failure to follow tournament staff instructions. All warnings and penalties are given to the team, not the individual player. Teams may also be warned or incur a penalty for repeated warnings in regard to the same rule. Depending on the severity of the action or conduct by a player, multiple warnings may be handed out for a single infraction, up to and including bypassing warnings and resulting in an immediate penalty.  After a repeated warning is issued, a team may forfeit, and the offending player may be suspended for a subsequent game.  

PLAYER STANDARDS:

Standards of Behavior: 

All members of the player community are expected to:

1. Be respectful to all players, coaches, CPS eSports coach(es, other school officials, and any other person in contact with the player before, during, or after the match time.

2. Use appropriate language in any chat or communication channels. 

3. Play with integrity to the game, team, and sport. This includes properly completing objectives and match completion. 

4. Be present for a match on campus at the CPS eSports approved time. 

5. Follow all OeSL protocols listed in the OeSL rulebooks.

Inappropriate Behavior: 

All members of the player community are expected to refrain from: 

1. Any kind of hate speech, such as homophobia, sexism, racism, and ableism. 

2. Any inappropriate language, including using abbreviations, symbols, or phonetic spellings. Inappropriate includes, but is not limited to, language that is obscene, foul, vulgar, insulting, threatening, abusive, libelous, slanderous, defamatory, or otherwise offensive or objectionable.

3. Any kind of taunting or excessive celebration. 

4. Intentionally ruining the game for other players. This includes leaving the match or game once the Game of Record is determined, stalling the game with farming, excessive pausing, or unnecessarily disruptive language or emotes in any chat or communication channel. 

5. Inappropriate in-game name, account, or image for game clients, CPS accounts, or student accounts.

6. Personal accounts may be required to participate in competitions.  Students may use their accounts at home to practice.  Students may opt for school-only accounts.

Levels of Consequences

Unsportsmanlike behavior may result in disciplinary actions. At all times, CPS eSports coach(es) may act with the necessary authority to preserve the league's best interests. In their reasonable discretion, the CPS eSports coach may impose any of the following penalties depending on the severity, intent, and frequency of the inappropriate behavior: 

Level 1 Consequence: Official verbal or written warning, written record of misconduct, request to change inappropriate names. 

Level 2 Consequence: Official verbal or written warning, written record of misconduct, required to change inappropriate names, one-week suspension.

Level 3 Consequence: Official verbal or written warning, written record of misconduct, suspension, or banning players for the season or permanently.

Finality of Decisions:

All decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules, player eligibility, scheduling and staging of the league, and penalties for misconduct, lie solely with CPS eSports coaches, the decisions of which are final. OeSL & CPS eSports coach(es) decisions concerning these Rules cannot be appealed and shall not give rise to any claim for monetary damages or any other legal or equitable remedy.

RATINGS

Rating Summaries are assigned to many physical games and provide more detailed information about the content in a game and its context.  All of the games required for the Collinsville eSports Program are described below, and a brief description of their ratings can be found on each game’s website.  You may also find a rating guide and conduct a rating search of each game at https://www.esrb.org/ or on common sense media’s game-review website https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

eSports is a relatively new phenomenon that became firmly established in the early 2000s. It is about individuals or teams competing against each other in computer or video games. 

Despite their enormous popularity, parents can often find it difficult to understand how the games work or why their children enjoy playing them so much. This document strives to support eSports to build positive norms and help fulfill its great potential to be an inclusive space. The structure of eSports is unique in that people from very different backgrounds have the opportunity to participate to a much greater extent than other sports. 

One of the challenges facing eSports is the lack of support structures, such as parental presence. It is much more difficult for a young sport to build positive frameworks without help from the adult world, so it is important that you, as a parent, get involved in your child’s eSports interest. Here are some practical tips on how you, as a parent, can increase your knowledge of eSports and support your children:

1. Ask questions 

   1. As a parent, it can sometimes be difficult to come across as vulnerable or lacking in knowledge. Most of us expect to be able to answer most of the questions our child asks. It might even feel frustrating that we do not understand much of the child’s main interest. 

   2. The solution may sound simple - ask questions! Genuinely curious questions will often go a long way toward deepening your understanding. Many young people are more than willing to talk about their last game or the character they play at the moment, but few get the chance to talk about it with a parent who engages with them. Dare to give them the time and attention to share their world with you – the payback is worth it! 

2. Show that you value their interest. 

   1. Previously, the primary meeting points for young people were physical locations, such as the local recreation center. Nowadays, a lot of social interaction has moved to online environments. Games and social media are genuinely crucial for young people’s social interaction and the building of self-esteem. There are many opinions on this development, but the fact remains — digital social interaction is important to adolescents, and eSports is an example of this. As a parent, you need to show that you value the interest and the time your child spends on eSports, the same way as you encourage and value other hobbies. Doing so is a prerequisite for being able to talk about eSports constructively. If you do so, your children will talk to you about things that happened in the game environment, both positive and negative, in a natural way. 

3. Learn the basics of the game 

   1. You do not need to be an expert on your child’s game, but a basic knowledge of it will help your communication with them immensely. A common example of a conflict surrounding the game is mealtimes. Matches vary in time, but they can often take 45 minutes or longer. If a parent knows roughly how long the games are, it becomes easier to set the deadline for when the last game before dinner will start. Of course, everyday life cannot only be guided by the game but having to leave in the middle of a game in Club of Legends is comparable to being taken from a football match before it is finished. 

   2. A player who leaves before the end of the game also suffers a penalty, such as a temporary suspension. It also causes problems for the team — winning a game with too few players is very difficult. Compare that situation with a basketball team that has to play a complete game with only four players on the court. 

4. Play together 

   1. For some parents, it might sound far-fetched to sit at the computer or TV and engage in eSports with their child. It may seem complicated, but it is no different than playing football or reading a book with them. The energy you put into mastering the game will be repaid when you share your child’s favorite interests and experience all the emotions that eSports creates. As a bonus, you increase your knowledge of the game, which makes it much more likely that your child will spontaneously bring up the events in and around the games — they know that you already understand. 

5. Get involved in eSports events. 

   1. View eSports like any other sporting event! You’ve probably driven your children to practice for other sports or sold hot dogs or coffee when they played a game - why should eSports be different? Get involved or go with them to a tournament. Parental presence in eSports is extremely important in creating positive norms!

PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES

1. Required Games

   1. eSports program is a competitive program that allows students to compete in popular video games.  Below is a list of video games needed for participation in our Collinsville eSports program.

      1. Halo Infinite - https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/halo-infinite

         1. This is a first-person shooter in which players engage in a variety of multiplayer events (e.g., team battles, capture the flag, strongholds) on large-scale, futuristic battlefields.

         2. ESRB Rating - TEEN

      2. Valorant - https://playvalorant.com/en-us/

         1. This is a first-person shooter in which players compete in team-based multiplayer matches.

         2. ESRB Rating - TEEN

      3. Rocket League - https://www.rocketleague.com/

         1. This is an action-racing game in which players drive futuristic cars to play soccer games.

         2. ESRB Rating - EVERYONE

      4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - https://www.smashbros.com/en_US/

         1. This is a fighting game where players engage in brawls with characters from Nintendo and third-party franchises.

         2. ESRB Rating - EVERYONE 10+

      5. Overwatch 2 - https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/

         1. Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play, team-based action game set in the optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl.

         2. ESRB Rating - TEEN

      6. Apex Legends - https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends

         1. This is a first-person shooter in which players engage in squad-based battle royale-style combat across a large island.

         2. ESRB Rating - TEEN

      7. Clash Royale (mobile) - https://clashroyale.com/

         1. A "freemium" tower-defense game that pits players against other real-world opponents in a medieval cartoon battle.

         2. Common Sense Media Rating - 14+

   2. Account Creation

      1. Many eSports games require a user account to be created to play their game.  The Collinsville eSports Program has created many of these accounts and will continue to create accounts for the students to use.  However, a few games require personal verification through a cell phone for account verification.  We require students to create and play using personal accounts for these games.  The account creation process will require a personal email address and cell phone number.  We recommend you and your child create the account together.  The games requiring personal accounts are listed below and are subject to change depending on the game requirements.

         1. Overwatch 2

         2. Valorant

   3. Discord

      1. Discord is a chat app similar to Skype, TeamSpeak, and professional communications platforms like Slack.  It’s geared specifically toward video game players, providing them with ways to find each other, coordinate play, and talk while playing.  It supports video calls, voice chat, and text, allowing users to get in touch however they please.  Discord is often used during tournament play, and it is recommended students have their own accounts.  Collinsville Public Schools eSports will use a monitored Discord Server, Cardinal eSports, during tournament play.  The items listed below are recommended for students using Discord.

         1. Students may be asked to create a Discord account and join the Cardinal eSports Discord server to coordinate tournaments and in-game situations

         2. The Cardinal eSports Server will be monitored by the eSports coach, teachers, and administrators from Collinsville Public Schools