1. Definitions

1.1. Participants   

1.1.1. School Team Players

Students currently enrolled in their school's team and on the roster to participate in a current High School Esports League. Players can participate in both the Major and Challenge tournaments with their respective schools. 

1.1.2. Free Agent Players

Students participating on a Unofficial Team during an High School Esports League Challenge Tournament. These students do not need to attend the same school or be enrolled in the same (or any) team in order to participate on a Unofficial Team’s Roster.  Free Agents may only participate in the Challenge Tournaments or Community Events.

1.2. Staff

1.2.1. Team Administrator

Team Administrators are teachers or other faculty members who oversee the operations of the school’s team and act as a point of contact between the school and HSEL Administrators. 

1.3. Teams and Rosters

1.3.1. High School Teams

High Schools must be registered with HSEL to form Esports teams, which are composed of students attending the same school. All schools must provide a valid NCES ID number upon registration in order to participate in official tournaments. Schools without an NCES ID may apply for an exemption, but need to demonstrate accreditation or that they are on a path to accreditation.

Students must be actively working towards a diploma from the school in order to be added to the team's roster. Part time students may participate as long as they exclusively attend the school. Students who attend a high school without a team registered with HSEL may participate on a team of a school within the same district.

1.3.1.1. Homeschooled Students and Virtual Schools

Homeschooled students may participate on a team of a registered high school as long as they are within the same school district. 

Virtual Schools will be allowed to participate as long as they have a valid NCES ID, demonstrate accreditation, or demonstrate they are on the path toward accreditation. All participating students must be enrolled full-time and working towards a diploma from the Virtual School.

1.3.1.2. After School Programs

After school programs are permitted to form teams as long as the team represents exactly one school campus or district, and that organization does not already have a team (i.e. exactly one team per NCES ID). The after school program must be hosted in the local region of the school district. Any after school program must be able to provide a list of students, their schools & NCES IDs, and proof of enrollment of all students upon request.

1.3.1.3. Lan Centers

LAN Centers may provide avenues for high school teams to compete in tournaments, but are prohibited from organizing their own teams in the Major tournaments. 

1.3.2. Rosters

A group of students from the same high school team, participating in a specific game during a HSEL tournament. The size of a roster will vary depending on the tournament entered.

1.3.3. Unofficial Teams

Teams formed of students from different high schools competing in an HSEL Challenge (Community Events and Summer) Tournament. Unlike School Teams, unofficial teams do not have a Team Administrator, invitations, roster creation and registration are handled by the team’s creator and captain. Rosters created within an unofficial team compete in the same divisions as school team during open tournaments. Unofficial Teams are not permitted to participate in HSEL Major (Fall and Spring) tournaments.

1.4. Matches

1.4.1. Official Match

An official match is any match taking place during any HSEL Major or Open tournament. Regular Season, Playoff, and Final matches qualify as official matches.    

1.4.2. Unofficial Matches

Any match that takes place outside of any HSEL Major or Open tournament. These matches include, but are not limited to, Scrimmage (Scrim) matches and HSEL Community Events. 

1.5. Tournaments

1.5.1. Major Tournaments

A Major tournament (Fall/Spring) is an HSEL tournament in which the players must form a roster with other players enrolled in their school team.

1.5.2. HSEL Nationals

Top teams from the Fall and Spring Major Tournaments will be invited to participate in a live esports tournament to decide a national champion. 

1.5.3. Challenge Tournament

A challenge tournament (Winter/Summer) is a tournament run by the High School Esports League, the participants of which may be players that satisfy eligibility requirements. Teams for an Open tournament may contain players that do not currently belong to a team or belong to the same school.

1.5.4. Community Events

HSEL Community Events are free and open to all high school students. These events are about having fun open tournaments to anyone in the HSEL community.

1.6. Tournament Stages

Tournament stages are the designated rounds in which differing rules such as match length, new player/team registration, and match scheduling take place.

1.6.1. Registration

Teams wanting to participate in tournaments or events will need to register through the Generation Esports Website.

1.6.2. Regular Season

The regular season stage of a tournament, which may also be referred to as the “Group" stage, is the main stage of a tournament. During this stage, players/teams compete for the highest placements to move on to the postseason (playoffs, finals, and grand finals).

1.6.3. Playoffs

The playoff stage of the tournament is a single elimination tournament among the highest placed rosters/players from the regular season. The size of the playoff pool varies depending on the game being played and the amount of active participants. Playoff tiers may include the per-quarterfinals, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals/3rd place match. 

1.6.4. Finals

The Finals stage of a tournament is the final match in the previous single-elimination bracket that consists of two teams. Challenge tournament finals should follow standard playoff match length and rules unless otherwise specified. A separate match will be held to determine the third and fourth place teams, these matches will normally be scheduled the same time as the finals. 

1.7. Match Format

1.7.1 Best of X

In a “Best of” match, teams/players play a series of games until a winner is decided. The match winner will be the first team/player to reach the required amount of game wins. HSEL “Best of” Matches may consist of the following settings.

• Best of 1
• Best of 3
• Best of 5
• Best of 7

For the specific match format for your game, please consult the specific HSEL rules page for your game. 

1.8 Time Zone

The official time zone of the High School Esports League is the Easternl Time Zone, designated (UTC -5), or 5 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. All High School Esports League broadcasts, announcements, and web pages regarding High School Esports League competitions and scheduling will always display time in the Eastern Time Zone unless otherwise stated.

1.9 Disciplines

The games that are currently offered by the High School Esports League are:

• Brawlhalla by Blue Mammoth Games for PC, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by Activision Blizzard for PC, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
• Chess by chess.com for PC
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive by Valve Corporation for PC
• Halo Infinite by 343 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC
• Minecraft Survival Games by Mojang Studios for PC
• Rocket League by Psyonix for PC, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege by Ubisoft Entertainment SA for PC, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
• Valorant by Riot Games for PC

Please note that all titles and platforms on this list may not be available as competitions at all times at the discretion of High School Esports League administration.

2. General Tournament Rules

2.1. Liability

All participants are expected to know and uphold the rules while associated with the High School Esports League. Participants will not receive  refunds or compensation for inability to play as a result of incurring a penalty due to violation of High School Esports League rules and regulations. Participation in official tournaments constitutes acceptance of these rules. 

2.2 Administration List

• Beau Hughes - Director of Tournament Operations
• Neal Doolin - Director of Platform Operations
• Jake Taylor - Client Support Manager
• David Stone - HSEL Tournament Coordinator 
• Jenny Hua - HSEL Tournament Coordinator

2.3 Rule Changes

The High School Esports League reserves the right to add, remove, or otherwise amend all rule sets without prior notice. However, the High School Esports League will use its best efforts to provide reasonable notice prior to any significant rule changes.

2.3.1. Admin Interpretation 

The final interpretation of rules and regulations rests with the HSEL Administration. All administrative decisions are considered final. 

2.4. Confidentiality

The content of emails, support tickets, or any other correspondence with High School Esports League administration is deemed strictly confidential information. The publication of such material is prohibited without express written consent from the High School Esports League.

2.5 Match Broadcasting

All broadcasting rights of the High School Esports League are owned by High School E-Sports League Inc (doing business as "Generation Esports"). This includes, but is not limited to: IRC Bots, audio streams, video streams, match recordings, or television broadcasts.

2.5.1. Award of Broadcast Rights

The High School Esports League has the right to award broadcasting rights to one or multiple matches to a third party or participants themselves. In these cases, broadcasts must be arranged with High School Esports League administration or broadcasters prior to the start of the match. The High School Esports League reserves the right to play, broadcast, and distribute all match recordings during a High School Esports League tournament.

2.5.2. No Right of Refusal

Players and participants cannot refuse to have their matches broadcasted by a High School Esports League authorized broadcast, nor can they choose what manner in which the match will be broadcasted.

2.6 Player Details and Eligibility

2.6.1 Enrollment

All students participating in a High School Esports League Tournament must be currently enrolled in high school (grades 9-12) and at least 13 years of age. Homeschooled students are welcome to participate with a local school team in their district of residence, as long as they meet the grade and age requirements. 

2.6.2. Grade Point Average

All participating students in a High School Esports League tournament must be on-pace to graduate and in good standing with the school. It’s suggested that schools use the same GPA and attendance requirements for participation as other extracurricular and athletic activities 

2.6.3. Home Country

All players must reside in the United States of America or Canada.

2.6.4. Proof of Enrollment

When requested by High School Esports League administration, players are required to submit all requested information for verification, including, but not limited to: full name, contact details, date of birth, school address, proof of enrollment, and grade point average. Legal documentation of this information may be requested. When requested, players must provide proof of enrollment in the form of any of the following:

• A dated school report card
• A school ID from the current year that includes the player’s name
• An email from a teacher or school administrator using their school email

Players may be suspended from play and prizing may be withheld from the team until proof of enrollment is provided.

2.7. Participant Accounts

2.7.1. Clean Accounts  - Long Term Suspensions and Bans

The High School Esports League defines a clean account as an account that has not received any form of long term game suspension or ban in the past 365 days and is clear of vulgar or inappropriate content. Long Term Suspensions or Bans are defined as: 

• Permanent ban or VAC Bans for any reason
• Suspensions lasting more than one month’s time

Players who have unclean accounts are prohibited from participating in all High School Esports League events, even on alternate accounts.  Players are required to notify their team administrator if they receive a long term suspension or ban. Team Administrators are required to notify HSEL Administrators of their student’s suspension or ban. Failure to comply on either part may result in disciplinary action against the player or team. 

2.7.1.1. Clean Accounts - Short Term Suspensions or Restrictions

The High School Esports League defines a clean account as an account that is not currently under any form of short term game suspension or restriction and is clear of vulgar or inappropriate content. Short Term Suspensions or Restrictions defined as:

• Suspensions lasting less than one month’s time
• Chat Restrictions
• Gameplay lockouts lasting 2 weeks or more 
• Ranked mode access restricted

Players currently serving a short term suspension or restrictions are prohibited from participating in all High School Esports League events until their suspension or restrictions are over. Multiple offenses will result in players being prohibited from play for one year’s time from the date the suspension was issued.  Players are required to notify their team administrator if they receive a short term suspension or restriction. Team Administrators are required to notify HSEL Administrators of their player’s suspension or restrictions. Failure to comply on either part may result in disciplinary action against the player or team. 

2.7.2. Game Connections

All players taking part in High School Esports League tournaments are required to have an active game account for the tournament they’re participating in connected to their Generations Esports account. All game connection information shown on a team’s roster must match with the accounts in game. Players using different accounts or those not officially on the roster are prohibited from playing in matches. Only one account connection is allowed per game, the use of alternate accounts is prohibited. All account connections are prohibited from being changed after the team has participated in its first match of a tournament’s regular season. 

2.7.2.1. Account Ownership

Game accounts used in official tournaments must belong to the student participating using that game connection. At no point in time may players share accounts with each other or use an account of another person, regardless of if they are in the tournament or not.

2.7.2.2 School-Purchased Accounts

Schools may create accounts or purchase game licenses for their students participating in a tournament if they do not already have an active one. These accounts will be considered the students’ personal account and may only be used by one student each. These accounts and licenses may not be transferred to another student upon the previous student’s graduation or leaving the team, as this would be against any publisher’s Terms of Service or End User License Agreement.

2.7.3. Participant Profiles

All player names or profiles are prohibited from including:

• Gang Affiliation
• Drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)
• Sexual Material
• Offensive Material
• Politically Charged Symbols/Images
• Slander of The High School Esports League, Generation Esports, their staff, or participating schools and students

2.8. Teams

2.8.1. Team Names and Roster Names

All team names and roster names must reflect the name of the High School participating in the tournament. No two teams participating in the same tournament may use the same team name. Team names cannot be changed after the season officially begins.

2.8.2. Player Counts

Teams are required to have the minimum player count (as stated in each game’s rule set) present on the team at all times once a season begins, or they may face automatic match forfeitures. This does not include players that are pending to be placed on the team. Teams may not have more than the maximum of double the minimum player count on the roster at any time. For example, Rainbow Six Siege rosters may include up to 10 players (5 starters and 5 substitutes). Single player rosters may not have more than the minimum required players on their roster.

2.8.3. Multi-Teaming

Players are prohibited from participating on more than one roster for the same game in a specific tournament, regardless if the game is offered on multiple consoles. 

2.8.4 Roster Changes

Roster changes may be made at any point during or in-between seasons except during the time a team has queued for their match, during live matches, or once the playoffs have begun. Roster changes are prohibited for single player and partnered (duo) game tournaments. 

2.9. Prizing

All prizing will be distributed once all teams that have earned it submit the necessary information needed to verify the eligibility of the players on the team and all pending payments are completed. If a team or player is missing any required criteria for verification or payment, the prizing will be held for 30 days after the conclusion of the applicable HSEL tournament. If a team or player fails to provide the required information or payments within those 30 days, they may forfeit all prizes from the tournament. Prizing will generally take between 3-6 weeks from completion of the tournament to be fulfilled.

The High School Esports League reserves the right to hold back or revoke prizing from any School, Team or Student who have violated the official tournament rules. 

The High School Esports League reserves the right to revoke or change prizing if the minimum number of 32 tournament registrants is not reached. For prizing questions or concerns, please email prizing@generationesports.com.

2.9.1. Scholarships 

All scholarships are fulfilled through the Video Games and Esports Foundation https://www.vef.gg/. Student information will be collected shortly after the end of a tournament. Students will be contacted the July after their graduation to discuss where the scholarship funds should be dispensed. 

2.10. Withdrawal

Teams may choose to withdraw from a tournament up until their first official match during the regular season. Once a team chooses to withdraw from a tournament, they will not qualify for refunds or receive compensation for their withdrawal. Only Team Administrators may submit a request to withdraw a player or team from a tournament.

After the first game of the regular season has been played, teams will not be permitted to withdraw from a tournament. Teams wishing to no longer participate after the first official match, may stop queuing or playing matches for the remainder of the tournament. 

2.10.1. Refund Policy

No refunds will be offered, all services are sold as-is. The High School Esports League assumes no responsibility for purchases. A grace period of 48 hours after purchase will be offered for disputed circumstances. The High School Esports League reserves the right to refuse or deny registration and to cancel registration under certain circumstances. 

2.11. Matches

2.11.1. Match Times

Each week, teams will choose one day and time from the available schedule to participate in their match. Team members will join a team lobby on Generation Esports and queue for the match once all participating members are present. The system will match their team against another team based on tournament leaderboard standing and available teams in the queue. Both teams will play their game immediately and in accordance with the game’s rules. The winning team must immediately report the outcome of the match. 

The queue lobby will open at the designated time and will close ten minutes later. In the instance of a match not being found, teams will be awarded a bye win and will be moved into a priority queue for the remainder of the tournament. 

2.11.1.1. Playoffs and Final Matches

During the playoffs (including finals and grand finals), special rescheduling rules are in place. Without prior approval of High School Esports League administration:

• Playoff dates will not be rescheduled
• Pre-quarterfinal, quarterfinal, and semifinal matches may have their times rescheduled, but not their dates
• Finals matches may not be rescheduled

2.11.2. Contacting Opponents

Communication will begin once teams have been matched together through the queue. Teams must use Match Chat on the Match Page to communicate and share information regarding the setup of their match. 

2.11.3. Match Results

Matches must be reported by the winning team immediately following the completion of their game. Players/teams are encouraged to document proof of match results in the event that they are needed to verify the legitimacy of a match score report. Match reports must include the best of series score, and all results must be reported by 11:59 PM of the match day. After this, matches will be locked and their scores will be uneditable.

2.11.3.1. Match Forfeits

All match forfeit reports need to be approved by an HSEL Administrator. Forfeit wins reported without prior approval are subject to dismissal and possible disciplinary action being taken. Teams looking to report for forfeit win for whatever reason, must first contact an HSEL Administrator.

2.11.4. Match Interruptions and Live Issues

Teams are required to contact an HSEL Administrator if they experience issues delaying or interfering with their match as they are happening. Examples of Match interruptions or Lives Issues are

• Technical Difficulties
• Opponents not responding in Match Chat
• Incorrect Players or Game Connections
• Use of Incorrect Game Settings

In the event of a lobby restart, the game lobby must be recreated in a manner identical to the original (with respect to bans, character selection, side selection, etc). 

2.11.5. Match Disputes

Match disputes must be submitted within 24 hours of a match’s conclusion during the Regular Season. Scoring disputes must be submitted within 1 week of a match’s conclusion. During the Season Playoffs and Finals, all disputes must be submitted on the day of the match. Sufficient and undoctored evidence, including, but not limited to, screenshots, match recordings, match replays/demos, or stream VODs must be submitted per the request of the High School Esports League official handling the match dispute before any decision regarding the dispute will be made. All match disputes should be submitted at the following link: https://help.generationesports.com/hc/en-us/requests/new 

2.11.6. Make Up Matches

Rosters who have missed matches during the regular season may make use of make up queue windows, typically offered during weeks 7 and 8 of Major Tournaments. Make up windows are only for rosters who have missed regular season matches. Teams who have played all of their regular season matches are prohibited from participating in make up rounds.

2.11.7. Playoff Qualification

Teams must compete in and complete 75% of their Regular Season matches in order to be considered for playoff qualification. Teams who do not meet this requirement will be removed from qualification consideration regardless of their final record. 

2.11.7.1. Unplayed Matches

Any match or queue that a team misses or does not complete will result in the match being counted as a loss against the team's record at the end of the regular season.

2.11.8. Playoff Seeding

For all tournaments, postseason matches will be seeded depending on the tournament size and number of players/rosters actively participating in the regular stage at the discretion of High School Esports League administration. Teams will be seeded into the playoffs based off their overall match record during the regular season. If a tie occurs between multiple teams, a tie breaker system will be run in order to determine the placement of the tied teams. 

2.11.8.1. Tie Breakers

The tie breaker system will be run as a tiered protocol that will be used if multiple teams finish the regular season with the same overall record. 

1. Wins. (Forfeit wins and bye wins are scored as a 0-0 win)
2. Head-to-head record. (If the two tied teams have played each other, their match record against each other is compared)
3. Overall game win percentage. (e.g. winning a match 3-0 is better than 3-2)
4. This applies to Valorant, Rainbow 6, and CS:GO only: round differential. (A team with 15 rounds won and 10 rounds lost will have a round differential of +5. A higher positive value is better)
5. Higher opponents’ game win percentage. (e.g. it is better to beat an opponent who consistently won 3-0 than 3-2)
6. Fewer forfeit losses.
7. Fewer bye wins.
8. The team which had a higher number of wins before their first loss.
9. If the first loss is received after the same number of wins, then the team which lost to the stronger opponent (as defined by game win percentage) will be ranked higher.

2.11.9. Multiple Game Series

2.11.9.1. Breaks Between Games

Teams may have up to a 10 minute break between each game in a multiple game series if they wish to do so.

2.11.9.2 Substitutions

In between matches in a multiple game series, teams may substitute a player on their roster for a player currently in the match. Substitutions may only be made in team games; they are prohibited in solo and duo(partner) games. In games with a drafting period before a game, substitutions can not be made after the draft has begun.

Substitutions may only be made in team games; they are prohibited in solo and duo (partner) games. Teams may substitute a player on their roster for a player currently in the match between games in a multiple-game series. For games with a drafting period before the game begins, substitutions can not be made after the draft has begun.

2.12. Communication

2.12.1. Team Communication

Players/rosters must communicate with their opponents through the match chat on Generation Esports. Third party tools such as Discord and social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc) are prohibited from being used when attempting to communicate with opponents. 

2.12.2. Outside Communication

Players/teams may not have any communication with any outside sources, with exception of HSEL Administration while their match is in progress, including, but not limited to: coaches, teachers, match spectators, and substitutes. Players/teams may only have communication with outside sources during the grace period between games in a series or unless otherwise outlined in game-specific rules.

2.13. Spectators

Spectators are permitted in game lobbies for the sole purpose of streaming their school team’s match to the School’s Twitch or Youtube channel, or for recording the match. Spectators streaming or recording the match cannot be another player on the same roster competing in the match. For the specific Spectator rules per game, please review Section 3 on your game’s rule page. At the end of the match, the stream vod or an unedited copy of the recording must be shared with the other team.

In the incident of a game having a solo spectator position, streaming rights will be given to the home team. 

2.13.1 Student Streaming

Students may stream to their personal twitch or youtube channel if they are participating in the match. The match may only be streamed from the student’s in-game point of view and should have at least a 3 minute delay set to prevent possible incidents of stream sniping.

Students may not at any time stream another player or roster’s match on their personal channels.

2.14. Peripherals

2.14.1. Controllers

Controllers used in official matches must not be modified in any way, including but not limited to trigger mods, sensitive buttons, custom thumbsticks, and thumbstick tension modes. SCUF Controllers and Xbox Elite controllers are permitted as long as none of the attachments are used during gameplay.  For fighting games, all standard fight sticks and controllers are permitted. Any hardware with macro functions or on-the-fly profile switching are strictly prohibited.

Controllers may be used for PC games provided that they meet the requirements above, are an officially supported controller, and the game has native support for the controller in question; i.e. the player should not need to install additional software/drivers for the controller other than those from the manufacturer or included with the game.

2.14.2. Keyboard and Mouse

Participants may use a keyboard and mouse on console as long as the tournament supports crossplay between console and PC players. The use of a keyboard and mouse for a console-specific tournament is prohibited. 

2.15. Cross-Platform Play

Players may only play on the platform(s) specified for a specific tournament. Doing otherwise may result in disqualification from that tournament. Refer to Section 2 of the tournament specific rule page for information on its supported platforms. 

3. Online Tournament Additional Rules

3.1. Equipment

The High School Esports League will not provide any equipment, license or online access during an online tournament. The High School Esports League is not responsible for any internet or power issues affecting players/teams.

3.2 Online Connection

The High School Esports League recommends all participants play over an Ethernet connection to reduce the amount of lag they may experience in online matches. 

4. Rule Violations

4.1. Cheating

4.1.1. Programs

The use of the following programs is considered cheating:

• Multihacks
• Wallhack
• Aimbot
• Triggerbot
• Colored Models
• No-Recoil
• No-Flash
• Sound changes
• Macros

This list is not comprehensive; other programs may be deemed cheating if they are found to be giving a player or team an unfair advantage. Players who are found to be cheating will be immediately disqualified from all tournaments they currently compete in until their conclusion and beyond at the discretion of High School Esports League administration.

4.1.2. Bugs/Glitches/Exploits

The exploitation of any bugs/glitches that give a player or team an unfair advantage and are unallowed by the game’s developer are prohibited from use in official matches. The following are some examples of prohibited exploits:

• Pixel Walking in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• See Through Smokes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• Coastline Roof Vault Glitch in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
• Outback Top of Red Tent Plant in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
• Champion/Hero Swap Glitches
• Ability Timer Glitches
• Illegal/Out-Of-Bounds Spots

The above list of bugs/glitches/exploits is not comprehensive. The use of any bug/glitch/exploit that is deemed illegal by High School Esports League administration will result in punishment for the player/team that used the exploit.

4.1.3. Acts of Disruption

Players acting on and/or conspiring to cause any disruption to the match will also be treated as cheating. Acts of disruption include, but are not limited to:

• DDoS Attacks
• Disconnecting with the Intent of Reseting a Game
• Mic Spam
• Sabotaging Equipment
• Intentionally Delaying the Start of a Game

4.1.4. Third Party Tools 

The use of any third party tools is prohibited in official tournaments. The list of third party tools includes, but is not limited to: 

• VR Audio Programs
• Third Party Graphic Drivers
• Overlay Modifications 
• Custom Skins
• Custom Overlays
• UI Modifications  

4.2. Doping

The use of performance enhancing drugs is prohibited.

4.2.1. Prohibited Substances

The List of Prohibited Substances and Methods created by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) applies to all High School Esports League events. The full list can be found at http://list.wada-ama.org/. Any unprescribed use of these substances is considered doping.

4.2.2. Prescribed Medication

If a player has an active prescription for a substance included in the WADA list, they must notify and provide proof to the tournament administration prior to the start of the tournament.

4.3. Using Alcohol or Drugs

The use of alcohol or illegal drugs, including tobacco and cannabis, during an official match is prohibited and will be punished.

4.4. Betting

No participants may be involved in any form of betting or gambling, associate with betters or gamblers, or provide anyone information that may assist betting or gambling, either directly or indirectly, for any High School Esports League matches or tournaments in general.

4.5. Match Fixing

Match fixing is defined as the act of arranging the outcome of a match prior to it being played or during its play. Examples of match fixing include, but are not limited to:

• Intentionally Losing Matches
• Offering/Accepting Any Form of Payment to Influence the Outcome of a Match
• Negotiating or Deciding the Results of a Match Before, During, or After Completion

4.6. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

4.6.1. Insults

All insults occurring in connection with the High School Esports League will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Profane Insults
• Slurs relating to Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Gender Identification, Game Presence, Religion, Political Affiliation, Military Service, Age, Sexual Orientation, Physical Disability, Mental Disability or Any Other Protected Category 
• Offensive Behavior
• Targeted Attacks
  • Sharing/Revealing Personal Information
  • Directed Abuse/Harassment Against a Specific Person
  • Doxxing

The High School Esports League aims to provide a respectable environment for Esports while facilitating competition. Therefore, friendly banter is allowed.

4.6.2. Inappropriate Language

All participants in High School Esports League or Generation Esports sanctioned events are prohibited from using inappropriate language in all text and voice channels, regardless of context. Inappropriate language includes, but is not limited to:

• Excessive Profanity
• Pseudo-Profanity (i.e. replacing letters in profane words or phrases)
• Racial/Ethnic/Cultural Slurs
• Sexual Innuendos
• Drug/Alcohol References

4.6.3 Harassment

Harassment of players, teams, team administrators, and HSEL staff is prohibited, both in game and on official and unofficial channels/social media sites.

4.6.4 Public Accusations

Publicly accusing a player or team of violating the rules will not be tolerated. If you suspect another player, or team has committed a rule violation, please file a match dispute as soon as possible so HSEL staff can open an investigation.

4.6.5 Incorrect Match Results

Intentionally reporting incorrect match results will result in removal from HSEL Tournaments. 

4.6.6. Deception

Any attempt to mislead or deceive other participants or members of High School Esports League administration will be penalized.

4.6.7 Coercion

Any attempt to manipulate a match or outcome through threats or intimidation of other participants or members of High School Esports League administration will result in removal from HSEL Tournaments.

4.7. Knowledge of Rule Breaking

Disciplinary action will be taken against players who have knowledge of teammates or other participants violating the official tournament rules and do not report the violations to High School Esports League Administrators.

This includes but is not limited to having knowledge of:

• Hacking
• Abusing Exploits
• Using Prohibited Peripherals
• Using Prohibited Scripts/Binds
• Depiction/Coercion of another team or player
• Match Fixing

If you have knowledge of a teammate or other player violating the rules please submit a report here. 

4.8. Tainted Accounts

During an official match, if a player’s account receives any form of game ban, the match will immediately conclude, and the player’s opponent will be awarded the win.

5. Participating Regions

The following regions are permitted to participate in all High School Esports League online events.

5.1. United States of America

All states and provinces of the United States of America are permitted to participate in High School Esports League online events.

5.2. Canada

All provinces of Canada are permitted to participate in High School Esports League online events