All Players are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship and maintain respect for one another and for all convention or Tournament staff and spectators. Players must follow all instructions of Convention Organizers or the Tournament Organizers. Players may not text/email or use social media during a Game or Match. Players are expected to play at their best at all times within the Tournament and to avoid any behavior inconsistent with the principles of good sportsmanship, honesty, or fair play. Any Player behaving inappropriately, or not competing in compliance with these Official Rules (including the Gameplay Rules), as determined by Convention or the Tournament Organizers in their sole discretion, may be immediately disqualified from the Tournament and forfeit all potential prizes. Further, Convention Organizers and the Tournament Organizers reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to ban disqualified Players from any future tournament or event organized by the convention or the Tournament Organizers. Behavior that is considered to be inappropriate and in violation of the Code of Conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Interfering with the operation of the Tournament, convention or the convention Website; Acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Tournament or convention, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person;
- Engaging in collusion (e.g., any agreement between two [2] or more Players or to pre determine the outcome of a Game or Match); Cheating of any sort through any means;
- Intentionally delaying or slowing gameplay or tampering with gameplay in any other known or unknown manner;
- Offensive, vulgar or obscene usernames, avatars, logos, branding or gamertags;
- Sexism, ageism, racism or any other form of prejudice, bigotry, or hate speech;
- Engaging in violence or any activity which is deemed in the judgment of the convention or the Tournament Organizers to be immoral, unethical, disgraceful, or contrary to common standards of decency;
- Threats of violence or acts of aggression, weather direct, indirect (veiled) or conditional against any person or group of persons, within or outside the convention Using an alternative tag and/or hides their identity in order to manipulate the bracket, seeding, or production. The only exception to this rule is if the player notifies a TO before the deadline for entries.
- Engaging in any activity that is illegal in the jurisdiction where the affected Player is located; Offering any gift or reward to a Player, convention organizers or Tournament Organizer for assistance designed to provide a competitive advantage to the person offering the gift or reward or designed to impose a competitive disadvantage on any opponent;
- Betting or gambling on your own performance or the results of the convention, the Tournament or any phase of the convention or Tournament;
- Making any modification to the Title Game that has not been disclosed to and authorized by convection organizers or the Tournament Organizers; Intentionally using any in-game bugs or so-called “hacks” to seek an advantage;
- Using any language or wearing any clothing or apparel that is obscene, foul, vulgar, insulting, threatening, abusive, libelous, slanderous, defamatory or otherwise offensive or objectionable, or promotes or incites hatred or discriminatory conduct; Using any Tournament facilities, services or equipment provided or made available by convention organizers or the Tournament Organizers to post, transmit, disseminate or otherwise make available any communications prohibited by this Code of Conduct;
- Taking any action or performing any gesture directed at an opposing Player, official or spectator, or inciting any other individuals to do the same, which is insulting, mocking, disruptive or unsportsmanlike; Touching or otherwise interfering with lights, cameras or other studio equipment; Engaging in any other type of behavior or conduct deemed inappropriate by convention or the Tournament Organizers in their sole discretion; or Otherwise violating these Official Rules.