Code of Conduct for Victory Up

Online and Live competitive gaming should be an open and welcoming environment, where participants can feel safe, have fun and have the space to become as good as possible. A major advantage of competitive gaming is that it can be practiced by people from all kinds of different backgrounds and situations, giving us the chance to include a very broad range of people. To create such an environment, we need to take individual responsibility for how we behave towards our fellow players, referees and spectators. By following the rules set out below, we make the esports environment a place for everyone.

All users who register under Victory Up fall under the rules and regulations of the Victory Up Company. This includes our code of conduct which applies to all Victory Up tournaments and events held or sponsored by Victory Up.

All users must adhere to the terms and conditions and Code of Conduct while participating in any tournaments directly held by or sponsored by Victory Up Limited.

If a person is representing The Victory Up brand directly, they will abide by the code of conduct whenever participating in any gaming event, online or offline, where they are representing the company.

If live streaming while representing Victory Up, the person will abide by the code of conduct until the stream is finished.

All participants of the tournament, which includes players, coaches and sponsors, will abide by the Victory Up code of Conduct.

Code of Conduct

Tournament

1. Each tournament has a ruleset that cannot be changed or modified. Any changes made by Victory Up can only happen after a tournament is finished. Users cannot ask for changes to the rules while a tournament is ongoing, and they are a participant.
2. Users can send a rule change to [email protected], in order for the growth of the website and Victory Up. These rule changes are suggestions only and may or may not be used by Victory Up.
3. Times are set for tournaments and we ask you to not have a practice games against another participant in any given tournament, inside the tournament window. This can cause complications when results are sent in.
   15 Minute rule.
   1. You have a grace period of 15mins after the start time of a match to join your opponent or inform Victory Up admin of why you cannot compete.
   2. Likewise, you have 15mins after a match to submit your results. You must send in your results with a screen shot or image to [email protected] and to enter your results under the My Tournaments page on the Victory Up website.
4. We ask all users who enter our tournaments to make sure they will be available during said tournament. If you know that you cannot make a tournament, during the given times stated on the tournament card, we ask you to refrain from entering the tournament. Joining a tournament which you knowingly will not be able to attend will be considered bad sportsmanship/ etiquette and the user may acquire a penalty from the admin at Victory Up.
5. All participants who willing enter a tournament, online or offline, must follow the rules and regulations of the tournament and any third-party materials rules and regulations.

Behaviour

1. Victory Up users must always observe the highest standards of personal integrity and good sportsmanship and act in a manner consistent with the best interests of Victory Up and the player/user themselves.
2. Cheating is not permitted in any form, that will advantage yourself or any participant using Victory Up website or other properties. Any competitor or participant found cheating may be disqualified immediately.
3. Victory Up users are required to behave in a professional and sportsmanlike manner in their interactions with other competitors, officials, and members of the Victory Up Admin, the media, sponsors and fans. 
4. Victory Up users may not use obscene or offensive gestures or profanity in their tags, player handles, game chat, live play communications, lobby chat, shoulder content, interviews, or other public-facing communications of any kind. This rule applies to English and all other languages and includes abbreviations and/or obscure references. 
5. Victory Up users are expected to settle their differences in a respectful manner and without resort to violence, threats, or intimidation (physical or nonphysical). Violence is never permitted at any time or place, or against any person including competitors, fans, referees and officials.
6. The obligation to behave in a professional and sportsmanlike manner includes an obligation on the part of Players and Team Mangers to arrive on time and ready to complete for all games, matches and tournaments. It also prohibits forfeiting a game or match without reasonable cause.
7. While participating in anyone of our tournaments, online or offline, users will conduct themselves properly in accordance with our rules and regulations.
   
   No direct insults and/or aggression towards another user or player. This includes:
   1. Written or verbal abuse of either an opponent or teammate.
   2. Offensive hand gestures towards an opponent or teammate.
   3. Use language, nicknames or other expressions that insult another player’s gender, gender identity, origin, physical ability, sexual orientation, religion or age.
   4. Use language or actions that refer to sexual violence or other violence.
   5. Act in a threatening or violent manner.
   
   
8. Be a good winner It’s a great feeling to win a game or a contest, and you should enjoy that feeling! But at the same time, don’t rub your opponent’s nose in it. Think about the frustration you feel when nothing works and a game ends in defeat – in that situation, taunting can be tough to take.
9. Show empathy If you are angry, try to control it before directing your anger at another player. There are no rights and wrongs when it comes to feelings, and you will experience both anger and joy when playing. However, there are rights and wrongs when it comes to how emotions such as anger are expressed - think about how it feels when another player takes their anger out on you. One rule to remember is to treat people the same way online as you would offline.
10. You win more matches with positive words. When you play in a team, try to be positive and lift your teammates with constructive dialogue and encouragement. It’s much easier to win if the dialogue in the team is open and tolerant – statistics produced by Riot Games show that players with constructive attitudes, during difficult moments in the matches, win 10% more than the average.
11. Remember the better you become at competitive gaming, the more influence you gather. One day you could find yourself with a decent following of fans or spectators. Your behaviour will reflect how people see you and remember your name.
12. If you are angry at a loss, do not take it out on your teammates or find ways to pass the blame - try instead to look at the statistics or the replay and consider how you could have played differently. You’ll often find that the skill of your opponents was probably a much bigger factor in the defeat than the performance of you and your fellow players. Also find ways to analyse your own game with an open mind and consider that there are ways in which you personally can improve on mistakes you made.

Streaming

1. Streamers of live Victory Up tournaments must refrain from using abusive language towards their Viewership/ audience. While we encourage you to communicate to your followers through chat while you stream, we ask you to refrain from engaging with aggressive and idiotic people
2. While participating in a live Victory Up tournament or live stream of a Victory Up tournament, players will refrain from using foul language aggressively
3. While streaming a Victory Up tournament, remember that our own community, other players, and Victory Up admin maybe watching or participating in your chat group.
   
   1. Streamer is asked to keep to our code of conduct while streaming any of Victory Up’s properties.
   2. Viewers and other members from our community, are asked to keep to our code of conduct while in another players stream or hosts chat groups, if that player is streaming/hosting a Victory tournament or chat group.
   3. Viewers and Streamers are forbidden from using a stream service or chat groups to negatively affect a Victory Up tournament i.e. You cannot ask your viewers/fans to help you win a tournament by having them enter your game lobby for the sole purpose of affecting your opponent’s gameplay.
   4. You cannot send your viewership to an opponent’s stream for the sole purpose of affecting your opponents, or any other players currently in a Victory Up tournament, gameplay.

Code of Conduct for Victory Up

The code of conduct is not only used for our players and participants but for our own admin and site officials as well.

Victory Up will never favour one player over any other player, while competing in our tournaments. Whether the tournament is online or live, we are an unbiased participant and will never change results in order to affect the outcome of a match or tournament

Victory Up will only change the results of a tournament as a result of foul play or offensive behaviour.

We reserve the right to change results due to cheating or to counter false results, that are reported to Victory Up by opponents or tournament officials. Proof is required by tournament officials or opponents for us to change the outcome of a match or to penalise a player.

If a player is directly representing Victory Up in a tournament, we at Victory Up will never show biasedness towards that player.

When deciding on a tournament bracket, Victory Up will not set the tournament bracket in the favour of any competitor, whether they are a representative of the company or not.

Victory Up is an unbiased participant in all our Victory Up tournaments, whether they are online or live. We believe in fair play and will not go against our own morals in order to cheat competitors of their chance to win or participate in our tournaments.

Moderate public channels such as social media or forums in conjunction with Victory Up events, and not allow offensive comments or exchanges.

Victory Up will work proactively to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels safe, regardless of gender, gender identity, origin, physical ability, sexual orientation or religion. And age where applicable.

A goal of Victory Up is to encourage a more open and welcoming approach to competitive gaming. Highlighting the most positive examples and rewarding them, sets the tone for our events and online presence. Players will be rewarded for good sportsmanship and behaviour.

For parents and supporters

1. Esports/ Competitive gaming 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. Competitive gaming is also one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It is now a natural part of the lives of many young people, where they spend a lot time playing the games and on the social platforms where they are discussed
2. Despite their enormous popularity, parents can often find it difficult to understand how the games work or what the attraction of them is. This document strives to support esports to build positive norms and to help fulfil the great potential that exists for it to be an inclusive space. The structure of esports is somewhat unique, in that people from very different backgrounds have the opportunity to participate, to a much greater extent than other sports
3. One of the challenges facing esports is the lack of parental presence. It is much more difficult for a young sport to build positive frameworks without help from the adult world, so it is therefore important that you as parents get involved in your child’s competitive gaming interest. Here are some practical tips on how you as a parent can increase your knowledge of Esports/ Competitive gaming and support your children
   1. Ask about the game. As a parent, it can sometimes be difficult to come across as vulnerable or lacking in knowledge to your children – 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. The solution may sound simple - ask questions! Genuinely curious questions will often go a long way towards 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 really engages with them. Dare to give them the time and attention to share their world with you – the payback is truly worth it
   2. Show that you value their interest. Previously the primary meeting points for young people were physical locations such as the local recreation centre, but nowadays a lot of social interaction has moved to online environments. Games and social media are genuinely important 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 competitive gaming in a constructive way - 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. 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 League of Legends, is comparable to being taken from a football match before it is finished. 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 - it is very difficult to win a game with too few players. Compare that situation with a basketball team that must play a full game with only four players on the court
   4. Play together. For some parents, it might sound far-fetched to sit down at the computer or TV and engage in Video gaming with their child. It may seem complicated or difficult. But it is no different than playing football or reading a book with them. The energy you put in to mastering the game will be repaid many times over when you share your child’s favourite interests, and when you together experience all the emotions that competitive gaming 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. Go to a LAN party. Take your kids or go yourself. To be at a LAN party, where people get together over a weekend to play games, as a curious onlooker or even as a participant, will go a long way to enhancing your understanding of competitive gaming. It will give you a chance to meet everyone involved in esports, from the organizers to the players, fans and commentators. There is no better way to get an overview of what esports is all about. Get involved in esports events View the LAN party or tournament 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? So, help by carrying chairs at the LAN party, by carrying computers or by going with them to a tournament in another town. Parental presence in esports is extremely important when it comes to creating positive norms!
      
   6. A good way to ensure that your children get the most out of esports/competitive gaming, is to contact a club that conducts esports activities. There are a lot of associations that organize weekly online and physical events. Being part of a club gives your child a chance to meet others to play with, helps them develop their skills and, perhaps most importantly, teaches them about the democratic nature of clubs and federations.