Scholastic
By participating in the PlayVS league, you are agreeing to the terms outlined in this Code of Conduct, PlayVS Rulebooks, and Terms of Service. PlayVS is committed to providing the best player experience in high school esports. Coaches are an extension of PlayVS, and to ensure the highest standard of sportsmanship, PlayVS has outlined the following standards.
Responsibilities and Behavior
Standards of Behavior
All members of the coach community are expected to:
Be respectful to all players, coaches, PlayVS League Officials, and any other person in contact with the coach before, during, or after the match time. Display and model control, respect, dignity and professionalism to all involved in the sport.
Be responsible for all affiliated teams and players. It is the coach’s responsibility to manage player behavior and content. See the next section for a list of coach responsibilities.
Maintain all equipment affiliated with the team and players, including weekly game updates.
Practice open and frequent communication. Use appropriate language in any chat or communication channels.
Encourage playing with integrity to the game, team, and sport. This includes properly completing objectives and match completion.
Be present for all matches at the scheduled time, or coordinate a substitute coach to be present.
Follow all PlayVS league protocols listed in the PlayVS rulebooks.
Promote scholar-athlete relationship by encouraging commitment to education and school attendance.
Communicate exclusively with PlayVS coaches and League Officials. Coaches should not engage in conversation with players from another school.
For state association leagues, please reference our Play From Home Guidelines to determine bylaws around on-campus vs at-home competition.
Coach Responsibilities
It is the coach’s responsibility to:
Ensure all affiliated teams and players follow the PlayVS Rulebook, Player Code of Conduct, and Coach Code of Conduct. Be knowledgeable of rules and Codes of Conduct, and communicate them to players and parents as needed.
Maintain open and frequent communication.
Communicate issues with PlayVS League Officials and opponent coach including player’s change of information, tech issues, reschedule requests, or forfeits.
Respond to PlayVS League Officials and/or opponent coaches immediately, and within 24 hours to avoid forfeit.
Provide accurate team point of contact with current phone number and email.
Have all lines of communication open during matches and 30 minutes after match completion.
Answer calls from PlayVS League Officials and/or opponents during match time and 30 minutes after match completion.
Manage player conduct and in-game names.
Provide screenshots or other substantial evidence when reporting opposing teams or players to PlayVS League Officials.
Promote game integrity by minimizing game pausing, tardiness, excessive reschedules, and/or forfeits.
Allow for a 30 minute grace period for teams that are having technical or other issues.
Politely accept or decline reschedules with clear communication.
Manage team rosters.
Players may play for only one team per week.
Rosters must reflect the most current players and their positions, if applicable.
Resolve all match issues in a timely manner.
Take all necessary steps for quarantined matches within 24 hours of the match completion.
Contact PlayVS League Officials if issues cannot be resolved immediately.
Inappropriate Behavior
In abiding by PlayVS Standards of Behavior and Coach Responsibilities, all members of the coach community are expected to refrain from:
Hate speech such as homophobia, sexism, racism, and ableism.
Inappropriate language including using abbreviations, symbols, or phonetic spellings.
Inappropriate includes, but is not limited to, language that is obscene, foul, vulgar, insulting, threatening, abusive, libelous, slanderous, defamatory or otherwise offensive or objectionable.
Inappropriate in-game names, team names, accounts, or images for game clients or PlayVS accounts for all players and persons affiliated with the school.
See our Competition Rulebooks for more information.
Taunting or excessive celebration.
Intentionally ruining the game for other players.
This includes leaving the match or game once the Game of Record is determined, stalling the game with farming or excessive pausing (see our game glossary for more information), or unnecessarily disruptive language or emotes in any chat or communication channel.
Tardiness to a match.
Matches must start within 30 minutes of the match time.
Reschedule requests must be made by the end of the 30 minute grace period.
Matches must be rescheduled by the end of the block.
Starting a match or game without opponents present and ready (false starts).
All starters need to be in the match lobby and ready before starting the individual match or game.
False starts require both teams to back out of the game and start the current game over.
Coach absence during a match or matches played off campus.
Coach substitutes must be approved by the athletic director or school administrator.
Using multiple accounts for any player.
All in-game accounts used during the PlayVS season must be connected in the PlayVS client.
Players may only play on the in-game account connected in their PlayVS settings.
Inappropriate forfeiting.
Refusing to start the next game within a match that is a ‘best of’ series.
Leaving the match play before the ‘best of’ series is complete.
Indulging in conduct which would incite players or spectators against the PlayVS League Officials, players, and/or opponents. Public criticism of officials, players, and opponents is unacceptable.
Seeking an advantage by circumvention of the spirit or letter of the rules.
Levels of Consequences
Unsportsmanlike behavior may result in disciplinary actions. League Officials at all times may act with the necessary authority to preserve the best interests of the league. PlayVS League Officials may contact school administration and/or state associations about misconduct and subsequent consequences. Further actions may be taken by the school administration and/or state associations. League Officials may in their reasonable discretion impose any of the following penalties depending on the severity, intent, and frequency of the inappropriate behavior:
Level 1 Consequence: Official verbal or written warning, written record of misconduct, request to change inappropriate names. Loss of side selection for current or future game (the opposing team may be given the privilege of side selection).
Level 2 Consequence: Official verbal or written warning, written record of misconduct, required to change player or team inappropriate names or images, 1 week suspension, and/or forfeit of the match.
Level 3 Consequence: Written record of misconduct, suspension or banning team or program for the season, suspension or banning coach for the season, forfeiting of all associated matches, multiple season or permanent suspension or ban of coach, team, or school program, and/or forfeiting of all associated matches.
Finality of Decisions
All decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules, player eligibility, scheduling and staging of the league, and penalties for misconduct, lie solely with PlayVS, the decisions of which are final. PlayVS decisions with respect to these Rules cannot be appealed and shall not give rise to any claim for monetary damages or any other legal or equitable remedy.