1. Acceptance of Official Rules
1.1. Acceptance
Each Participant must agree to these Official Rules to participate in the Tournament. You may accept these Official Rules by any one of the following methods:
- Registering to participate in the Tournament
- Participating in any match that is part of the Tournament
1.2. ECC Discretion
The collegiate esports space is ever-growing and changing, and as such, the ECC reserves the right to change, update, add, or remove any rules it deems necessary to keep competitive integrity and consistency across the industry at the forefront of the ECC’s goals. These changes will be added to these rule sets under a “Patch Notes” section, as well as communicated across all different platforms, such as Discord, Twitter, email, etc.
2. Players
2.1. Eligibility
To be able to compete as a “Player” in any ECC hosted event, you must:
- Have your main account in good standing with the game publisher (Blizzard Entertainment). Your main account, for this purpose, is defined as the account that you have the most play time on.
- Good standing refers to having no chat bans, suspensions, or other infractions against your account during any Tournament and during the 6 months prior to the start of any Tournament.
- Be a legal resident or legal temporary resident of the United States or Canada.
- Be currently enrolled during the tournament period as a student in an Eligible Institution.
- An “Eligible Institution” is an institution of higher education that: (a) grants associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctorate degrees; and (b) either is located in the United States and is accredited by an accreditor that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S Department of Education, or is located in Canada.
- Student must be enrolled as a full-time student as per the Institution’s requirements.
- Not be a director, officer, or employee of Generation Esports or any entity which controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with any game developer in which one of their titles is being played.
- Have registered for an account on the Generation Esports website at app.generationesports.com; and
- Agree to be bound by these Official Rules.
2.2. Verification of Eligibility
Eligible participants must first create an account at app.generationesports.com and complete the registration. Eligible Participants must fill out all required portions of the entry form to be eligible for consideration. Eligible Participants will be required to verify that they meet the eligibility requirements for the Tournament. Every member of a Team who plays in the Tournament may be required to provide proof of enrollment; otherwise the Team is ineligible to win a prize in this Tournament. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of the eligible Participant, entries will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the Game account submitted at time of entry. The ECC reserves the right to verify an eligible Participant’s information, or any other facet of an eligible Participant’s entry if further investigation is deemed necessary. Limit one (1) entry per Participant.
2.3. Disclaimer
The ECC will not be responsible for (a) any late, lost, misrouted, garbled or distorted, inaccurate, incomplete or damaged transmissions or entries; (b) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet, or other computer- or communications related malfunctions or failures; (c) any Tournament disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of the ECC (although the ECC will take reasonable precautions to ensure reasonable safety); or (d) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Tournament. Additionally, in accordance with the Game’s End User License Agreement and without limiting the Game publisher’s rights therein, the Game publisher retains the right to modify or delete content, data, accounts, statistics, user profiles, and any information created, accumulated, stored or uploaded to the Game or any account at any time and for any reason at its sole discretion. The ECC is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by participants in the Tournament or users of the Game, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with the Tournament, or by any technical or human error, which may occur in the processing of registrations or entries into the Tournament, or otherwise in connection with the Tournament including, without limitation, any technical limitation or other event that results in the disqualification or loss of ranking status of any participant in the Tournament.
2.4. Player Naming Policies
2.4.1. Player Naming Policies - Professionalism
Player names within the ECC should have a sense of professionalism. The ECC reserves the right to request a player name change for any reason, not restricted to listed reasons in this rule set. All player names or profiles are prohibited from including the following:
- Names that attack any group of individuals, including but not limited to race, gender, or age
- Gang Affiliation
- Drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)
- Sexual Material
- Offensive Material
- Politically Charged Symbols/Images
2.4.2. Player Naming Policies - Commercialized
Player names within the ECC may not be commercialized, or directly or indirectly support or promote a product. The ECC reserves the right to request a player name change for any reason, not restricted to listed reasons in this rule set.
- Player names may not include a sponsor name.
- Player names may not include a product name or description.
- Player names may not include any words that are purely commercial.
2.4.3. Player Naming Policies - General
- Player names within the ECC must also fall under the following guidelines. The ECC reserves the right to request a player name change for any reason, not restricted to listed reasons in this rule set.
- Player names may not impersonate a Tournament Admin or any other staff associated with the ECC or Blizzard.
- A player may not change their name once the Tournament starts.
3. Coaches
3.1. Coach Definition
A coach shall be defined as a staff member at the Eligible Institution, and will be the primary contact between teams, as well as be the primary contact between the ECC and the team for all roster changes and rule disputes.
3.2. Communication With Team
Coaches are only permitted to have communication with their team when all players participating are not yet loaded into an active game.. Any communication between the coach and players once a game has started is subject to a major violation sanction.
Coaches may not communicate with their teams when switching sides, as this does not display the lobby screen.
- Pre-Game Lobby - coach is permitted to communicate with team
- Loading Screen - coach is permitted to communicate with team
- Mid-Match - coach is NOT permitted to communicate with team
- Switching Sides between Attack and Defense - coach is NOT permitted to communicate with team
- Between Maps in a Series - coach is permitted to communicate with team
- Post Game Lobby - coach is permitted to communicate with team
4. Teams
4.1. Tournament Teams
A “team” will consist of no less than six (6) Players designated as starters and up to six (6) substitutes. Multiple teams from each Eligible Institution will be allowed to participate in the Tournament.
4.2. Team Management
Each team must have a single individual designated as the “Coach” or “Team Captain”
4.2.1. Coach
A Coach shall be defined as a staff member at the Eligible Institution, and will be the primary contact between teams, as well as be the primary contact between the ECC and the team for all roster changes and rule disputes.
- All Coaches must have a minimum of two points of contact listed on their team page. Acceptable forms of contact are Discord, Phone Number, or Email.
4.2.2. Team Captains
Team Captains - A Team Captain shall be defined as a player on the active roster that handles the administrative duties of the team, as well as being eligible for competition as per section 2.1. The Team Captain shall have the same responsibilities as a Coach.
- All Team Captains must have a minimum of two points of contact listed on their team page. Acceptable forms of contact are Discord, Phone Number, or Email.
4.3. Roster Requirements
4.3.1. Players
Each Team may designate up to five (5) starting Players
All players must be on roster on the Generation Esports website prior to the scheduled start of the match. A player that has been added after the start of the match shall not be eligible to compete in that series.
4.3.2. Substitutes
Each Team may designate up to six (6) substitute Players. These Players may freely substitute in and replace starters during the Season. Teams may utilize any eligible substitute who is present on their Roster.
- Substitutes may sub in between maps, but not between switching sides.
- Notification via game lobby chat must be sent to the opposing team giving heads up to the substitution.
4.4. Required Information
The following is a list of required information for all Players. This will need to be provided for a player to be listed as eligible for competition:
- Full Name
- Player Game Account Name - Example: CMP#1337 (this is case sensitive). A player is not permitted to change their name once the Tournament has started.
- Player School
- Player Email
- Player Discord
- Other - the ECC reserves the right to request other information for broadcasting, press, or live events, including but not limited to Player photos, game statistics, and more.
5. Tournament Structure
5.1. Matches
A match shall be defined as a set of maps played in a sequential order. This will be synonymous with Series. All matches will be a Best-of-5 format. Playoffs will also be a Best-of-5 format.
5.2 Maps
A map shall be defined as a single round within a Match or Series. The first to 3 maps wins will win the match.
5.2.1. Map Order
Map order shall be as follows:
- Map 1 - Control
- Map 2 - Hybrid
- Map 3 - Escort
- Map 4 - Push
- Map 5 - Control (not played)
5.2.2 Map Pools
Map pools shall be determined by the ECC in accordance with Overwatch Competitive pools.
- The first map of the series will be determined by the ECC in advance of the Tournament. The loser of each map will choose the next map to be played from the predetermined pool. The winner will choose whether they would like to attack or defend on that map.
5.2.3. Ties
In the event of a map tie, the series continues to the next map type. The team that lost the previous map will keep map selection power and the team that won the previous map will select if they would like to attack or defend.
5.3. ECC Playoff Seeding
5.3.1 Round Robin Season
For round robin tournament play, the top teams out of each group shall qualify for postseason play. The criteria to determine seeding shall be:
- Within Groups
- Overall match record
- Head to Head record
- Overall game win %
- Number of games each team FF’d
- Number of byes
- Team who received their first loss later in the season
- Team who lost to the stronger opponent (game win %)
- Outside of groups
- Overall match record
- Overall game win %
- Opponent game win %
- Number of games each team FF’d
- Number of byes
- Team who received their first loss later in the season
- Team who lost to the stronger opponent (game win %)
5.4. Reschedules
Reschedules are allowed between teams.
- Round Robin reschedules must be completed before the end of the regular season. Failure to report a score by the deadline will result in a double-forfeit.
- Teams must request reschedules prior to 24 hours before the match is scheduled to begin. Failure to do so can result in a minor violation on the escalation scale found in the ECC Code of Conduct.
- Single elimination reschedules are allowed so long as consecutive rounds are not being played back-to-back on the same night. These must be completed by 11:59 PM PT on Saturday the same week as the original competition date.
- Reschedules may be implemented by the ECC in the instance of an uncontrollable event, such as a server or power outage, inclement weather, or other unforeseen circumstance. This will be at the sole discretion of the ECC.
5.5 Forfeits
A team shall be permitted to forfeit no more than three (3) games during the Tournament, regardless of the reason.
- Any forfeits issued by the ECC shall count against a team’s total.
- Teams must send notice of a forfeit at least 2 hours prior to the match. Failure to do so can result in a minor violation on the escalation scale found in the ECC Code of Conduct.
- Any team that forfeits three (3) games during the Tournament is subject to removal.
6. Match Details
6.1 Map Rotation
For all sections of the Tournament, the initial map will be assigned by the ECC, and subsequent maps will be chosen from a set of maps within each game type by the losing team. The map pool will be determined by the ECC.
Control |
Hybrid |
Escort |
Push |
Busan | Blizzard World | Dorado | Colosseo |
Ilios | Eichenwalde | Junkertown | New Queen Street |
Lijiang | King's Row | Circuit Royal | Esperança |
Nepal | Midtown | Rialto | |
Oasis | Paraíso | Route 66 | |
Shambali Monastery |
6.1.1. Assigned Starting Maps
- Preseason: Lijiang Tower
- Weeks 1-3: Busan
- Weeks 4-6: Lijang Tower
- Playoffs: Busan
6.2. Lobby Responsibilities
The home team shall be responsible for lobby creation and ensuring all rules are set and established. A lobby invite shall be sent to the away team’s captain.
6.3. Lobby Setup
- Players must be in the following order in lobby from top to bottom
- Tank
- Tank
- DPS
- DPS
- Support
- Support
- A lobby code with the preset rules will be provided for the Tournament.
- Lobby Code - 93WSW
- Server Selection - Data center should be listed as ‘Best Available
- Coaches are permitted to be in the spectator slots and are not required to be set to “spectate red/blue team only”. This is to allow coaches to better analyze mid-match and make adjustments between maps or other allowed times for communication.
- Any concerns of cheating must be submitted via the Generation Esports support ticketing system and an investigation will be launched upon the presentation of valid evidence.
- Streamers are permitted to be in the spectator slots, and are not required to be set to “spectate red/blue team only”. This is to add to the viewer experience, which is greatly hindered by first person spectating.
- Any concerns of cheating must be submitted via the Generation Esports support ticketing system and an investigation will be launched upon the presentation of valid evidence.
6.4. Match Settings
All games should be played using the following settings
- Preset: Competitive
- Maps: All set to “off” besides the map to be played
- All banned heroes set to “off” (if applicable)
- Lobby: Invite Only
- Kill Cams: Off
- Hero Limit: “Limit 2 per role”
6.5. Cross Platform Play
With the introduction of cross-platform play, players will be allowed to compete on the console of their choice.
- By default, lobbies consisting of one PC player on either team(including spectators) will automatically be considered a PC lobby and therefore result in “Aim Assist” being disabled
6.6. New and Reworked Character
6.6.1. New Character
Characters who have not been available on live servers for two weeks will not be permitted to be used in the match.
- Example: Character A was released on January 14, Character A will not be permitted in ECC play until January 28.
6.6.2. Reworked Characters
Characters who have received major updates to core abilities or gameplay will be considered “reworked” and will follow the same rules as a new character. The determining criteria shall be:
- 50% of a character’s core abilities have been changed or overhauled; OR
- The key identity of a character has been changed, as determined by ECC officials.
6.7 Cosmetics
Only default skins should be used in the Tournament. No other skins will be permitted. Gun skins and sprays are not restricted.
7. Match Rules
7.1 Game of Record (GOR)
A game of record (GOR) shall be a session where all players have loaded in and has progressed to a point of meaningful interaction between the teams. Once a session reaches GOR status, it will be considered as “official” from that point forward. Below will be examples of games of record
- Any sort of stat that is on a player card or interface which is different than the initial value at game start
7.2. Game Restarts
The decision of what circumstances merit a game restart are solely at the discretion of Tournament Administration. Restart protocol will be decided by Tournament Administration and communicated to the team before being executed.
7.3. Ties
In the event of a tie, another match must be played to determine the winner. If the tie occurs mid-series, the series will continue to the next game, and if necessary, another game shall be played at the end to determine the winner. The additional map shall be the final control map that has not been played.
- Example:
- Game 1 (Control): Team A wins (1-0)
Game 2 (Hybrid): Team B wins (1-1)
Game 3 (Excort): Tie (1-1-1)
Game 4 (Push): Team A wins (2-1-1)
Game 5 (Control not played): Team B wins (2-2-1)
Game 6 (Control not played): Team A wins (3-2-1)
- Game 1 (Control): Team A wins (1-0)
- Team A wins series 3-2
7.4. Results
Competitors will be responsible for accurately reporting all game and match results on the match page within 24 hours of match completion.
7.5. Technical Issues
Players are responsible for any of their own technical issues, including hardware, software, or internet issues. All competitors must have a hard wired (Ethernet) connection.
7.6. Streaming and Spectating
The ECC will hold exclusive rights to broadcast any game of it’s choosing, including the finals match for each Championship. If a game is selected to be streamed by the ECC, a participating team in that match may not stream. Broadcasted games may not be rescheduled and must be played at the scheduled time. ECC holds the right to change a game time or delay the start of a match in order to accommodate other broadcasts already in progress.
7.6.1. Institution Streaming
Institutions may stream their matches to their Twitch page following the guidelines listed below.
- Streams must be on a delay of a minimum of 3 minutes
- Streams must be saved to the institution’s Twitch page for a minimum of 14 days in the event of a match dispute
- Spectators are allowed to use the 3rd person chase cam to provide the best possible experience for viewers
- Spectators are not allowed to have any contact with their team during the broadcast.
- Teams are encouraged to set up their own discords for each match with both program’s spectators to ensure all streaming rules are being followed
7.6.2. Player Streaming
Players are not permitted to stream to their personal Twitch accounts. This is to protect the branding of the institutions and the ECC. Players are permitted to stream their perspective to the institution’s Twitch, but will do so at their own risk to computer/gameplay performance and ghosting.
7.7. Pauses
Ultimately, players are responsible for their own connection. A team may request a pause only in the presence of a technical issue or rule dispute. Pauses can only occur if teams are not engaged in combat of any kind.
- Pauses will be communicated in match chat during an ongoing match. Details of the pause must be communicated to the opposing team.
- Teams may request up to three (3) pauses per Match, with each pause having a maximum duration of five (5) minutes.
- At the conclusion of the pause, both teams must declare their readiness in chat by typing “ready” or “r”. Only one player is required to declare readiness on each side
- Play must resume at the end of pause timer, or the team that requested the pause will be forced to forfeit the current map.
- Playing “player down”. Games may continue with a Team playing “player down” (where a player fails to reconnect or solve technical issues and cannot participate in the remainder of the game). Games may begin with a team playing “player down”
7.8. Playing a Player Down
If a Team is unable to field the required number of players by the final match start time, the team will be required to start the match “player down” or forfeit.
7.9. No Show
Each Player from each Team must be present in the match lobby within fifteen (15) minutes of the scheduled match time. If a Team is not ready to play by the final match start time, the Team will be required to forfeit.
7.10. Gentleman's Agreements
The use of a Gentleman's Agreement to overlook any rules set by ECC is prohibited in official matches.
7.11. Breaks Between Games
Teams are allotted two (2) breaks between games in a series. Breaks must be communicated via GenE Match Chat or in game chat and may not exceed 5 minutes in length per break.
8. Rules and Conduct Violations
Players and Teams agree to fully cooperate in any investigation regarding violations of any Rules associated with the ECC. Any player found to not be truthful, or withheld, destroyed, or tampered with any evidence related to the investigation will be subject to disciplinary action.
8.1. Submitting a Dispute
In the event of a rule dispute, teams are directed to open a match dispute found on the match page or by clicking here.
- Incorrect lobby settings
- Use of illegal/banned skins
- Using an ineligible player
- Playing on an incorrect account
- Smurfs
- Unregistered/unlinked account
- Incorrectly named account
- Collusion (e.g., any agreement between two or more Teams or Players on different Teams to predetermine the outcome of a Game or Match), match fixing, bribing a referee or match official, or any other action or agreement to intentionally influence (or attempt to influence) the outcome of any match or Tournament.
- Hacking or otherwise modifying the intended behavior of the Game client.
- Playing or allowing another Player to play on an account registered in another person’s name (or soliciting, encouraging, or directing someone else to do so).
- Using any kind of cheating device, program, or similar cheating method to gain a competitive advantage.
- Intentionally exploiting any game function (e.g., an in-game bug or glitch) in a manner not intended by the game developer in order to gain a competitive advantage.
- Using distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks or similar methods to interfere with another Player’s connection to the Game client.
- Using macro keys or similar methods to automate in-game actions.
- Intentionally disconnecting from a Match without a legitimate reason for doing so.
- Accepting any gift, reward, bribe, or compensation for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in connection with unfair play of the Game (e.g., services designed to throw or fix a match or session).
- Interfering with the operation of the Tournament, the Rules Website or any website owned or operated by the ECC.
- Engaging in any activity that is illegal in the jurisdiction where the affected Player is located.
- Betting or gambling on your own performance, the performance of your Team or the results of the Tournament or any phase of the Tournament.
- Making any modification to the Game that has not been disclosed to and authorized by the Tournament Organizers.
- Using any Tournament facilities, services or equipment provided or made available by the Tournament Entities to post, transmit, disseminate or otherwise make available any communications prohibited by this Code of Conduct.
- Changing In-Game Player or User Name to a name other than Player’s registered User Name.
8.2. Disciplinary Action
Any punishments or disciplinary action taken by the ECC pursuant to the Rules or any violations listed above will be in the sole and absolute discretion of the ECC
In the event of repeated breaches of violations by a Player or Team, the ECC may hand out increasing disciplinary action, up to and including permanent expulsion from all future play in ECC related events.
8.3. Finality of Decision
Any decisions made by the ECC regarding any disciplinary action shall be final and binding on all Players or Teams. A public announcement shall be made in the name of transparency.