Gender & Esports Tournaments: Best Practices Recommendations

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
The guide states that all events, online and offline, should have a Code of Conduct and a mechanism for reporting and enforcement. It notes that Codes of Conduct without follow-up mechanisms remain simply symbolic.See it on page 1
02
Citing Twitch, the guide says its "chat rules" tool, which requires participants to click an "I agree" button, has been shown to have a statistically significant reduction in timeouts and bans.See it on page 3
03
The authors argue that legal ID alone is a flawed model for inclusive events and should not be the sole mechanism for gender identification in tournaments.See it on page 6
04
For verifying self-identification, the guide suggests that consistent identity across at least two social media accounts could be sufficient evidence.See it on page 6
05
The guide recommends that violations of gender requirements be treated as cheating and griefing, with punishment that may include a lifetime ban from the platform.See it on page 6
06
Citing Forbes (2011), McKinsey (2015), and Harvard Business Review (2016), the guide states that diversity is tied to creativity, innovation, attracting top talent, and increased financial returns.See it on page 4

Summary

The document is a best-practices guide titled "Gender & Esports Tournaments: Best Practices Recommendations," dated December 2017 and produced by AnyKey, an organization that says it drew it up after extensive conversation with experts, esports organizers, players, and other stakeholders. It covers codes of conduct and enforcement, language guidelines, advertising and press, diversity in tournament organizing, and inclusion guidelines for women's tournaments. It is written for organizers of esports events, both online and offline.

On conduct, the guide states that all events should have a Code of Conduct and a reporting and enforcement mechanism. It cites Twitch, which says its "chat rules" tool showed a "statistically significant reduction in timeouts and bans" (Twitch, 2017). For women's tournaments, the authors argue that gender policies should follow a principle of "you are who you say you are" and that legal ID alone is a flawed model. They propose alternatives such as video conversations with a trained point person, and consistent self-identification across at least two social media accounts.

The guide also argues that violations of gender requirements should be treated as cheating and griefing, with high penalties that may include a lifetime platform ban. It further argues that diverse teams help drive creativity, innovation, and the attraction of top talent, citing Forbes (2011), McKinsey (2015), and Harvard Business Review (2016).