eSports rules that you might not know about

Last year alone, the total eSports market had a value of more than $1 billion. There are professional eSports players all across the world who make a living from playing the games and are also rewarded with employee benefits from the organizations they represent including nutritional coaching, wellbeing advice, and more. 

Of course, with most games out there, there are rules that each of the players must follow. Here, we explore some of the most popular ones. 

Obey the rules 

Amid all the positive aspects of the gaming world, instances of rule-breaking have appeared in eSports news as players or teams try to get a competitive edge unfairly. But let’s reiterate that most gamers out there do follow the rules. However, for the small number that don’t, gaming companies and tournament organizers have put some forfeits in place. Unprofessional behavior and bad sportsmanship can result in penalties and even fines. Plus, if rules are repeatedly violated, players and even entire teams can be required to forfeit specific matches or even be removed from the tournament.

No connecting phones

When eSports was at the start of its journey, a few players were connecting their phones to the event computers in order to charge them. However, the introduction of anti-cheat admins soon put a stop to this. Why? Because some players were downloading and running hacks on their phones, giving them an unfair advantage on the event computers. As well as this, there would be no trace of cheating on the computer.

Hats are banned

That’s not the only thing that is not allowed when competing. Gamers are also not allowed to wear hats at certain tournaments after there were one or two instances where sponsored hats were worn during streamed events. There was another reason for this decision though. Again, anti-cheat admins found that some players were creating a gap in between their noise-canceling headphones, by using a hat, which meant they were able to hear what was being said by the audience and commentator. 

Gaming houses are a must

The idea that the best gaming teams are the ones that live together is something that has gained traction in recent years. A number of teams from South Korean StarCraft teams popularised this with the potential benefits of doing so clear for all to see as the players had more success and recovery from bad games was quicker. Stress levels for the players involved were also said to be lower and teamwork better as players were able to practice strategies against each other and analyze games together. Now, team contracts across the whole of eSports frequently request players to stay in a gaming house for a certain amount of time before a tournament begins.

Of course, these are just a selection of eSports rules. One thing’s for sure, as more games are introduced and players get even more technical, we can expect to see additional rules added to the book.

Nakoa Davis
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