Terminology

Please note the below terminologies

  • Staff – Referring to any Fenworks or MNVL staff member or affiliate working on behalf of Fenworks/MNVL
  • Affiliated Members – This includes all affiliated members of the Fenworks programs or events. Affiliated Members consist of all students, players, school admin, General Managers (GMs), sponsors, fans, or any other person associated with the Fenworks programs or events.

Code of Conduct

Fenworks and MNVL have adopted the AnyKey Keystone Code as our Code of Conduct. All Staff and Affiliated Members are expected to follow this code at all times during their involvement in Fenworks/MNVL Programs and Events, including in-person and online communication, in their own or others’ stream or chat, and on social media.

Fenworks/MNVL is dedicated to fostering respectful, enjoyable, and harassment-free gaming experiences for everyone, regardless of sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, or religion.

The Keystone Code identifies four fundamental values as guides for positive and fulfilling engagement in gaming spaces, even while players compete with one another. These values are actively demonstrated across the healthiest online communities.

The four Keystones shape our understanding of how people can comport themselves and interact with one another to foster positive communities where Staff and Affiliated Members from all walks of life can feel welcome. Below are what the Keystones look like in practice.

Compassion

You value the diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and opinions of others, even when different from your own. You appreciate that all viewpoints come from the life experiences of fellow human beings. You understand that online interactions impact real people in real ways, both offline and online.

Integrity

You behave honorably and honestly. You take responsibility for your words and actions. While playing games, you honor the rules and spirit of honest competition.

Respect

You respect everyone regardless of background, identity, physical appearance, or beliefs. Even in competitive gaming, where “trash-talk” is common, you are a good sport and respect opponents as fellow human beings, keeping the banter to the game, not ever making it personal.

Courage

You have the courage to moderate your behavior, speak out against harassment, and report violations by others. You do not tolerate harassment or hate speech of any kind, even when you are not directly involved.

 

Fenworks/MNVL Expectations

Responsibility Under Code

By participating in the Fenworks/MNVL Programs or attending Fenworks/MNVL Events, you agree to abide by the Fenworks Code of Conduct. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action, as found below under the Rules and Conduct Violations section. Violations include successful or unsuccessful offenses and infringements, whether they were committed intentionally or not.

All students/players are expected to always play at their best within any Fenworks/MNVL match and avoid any unsportsmanlike behavior that threatens the actual or perceived integrity of competition or is otherwise inconsistent with the principles of good sportsmanship, honesty, or fair play.

If anyone notices any breaking of the Code of Conduct or Rulesets, they are responsible for reporting it to Staff immediately. If a violation occurs during gameplay, the person reporting it should immediately stop playing if it is in a match, report it to the other team, and fix it if possible. If the issue cannot be fixed between the teams, the reporting person should immediately notify Staff, who will then work to solve the problem between the affected parties.

Examples of Code of Conduct violations can be found below and are listed for illustrative purposes only. Please note the list is not exhaustive of all offensive. Fenworks/MNVL has final, binding authority to decide all disputes concerning any portion of the Code of Conduct or Rulesets, including the breach, enforcement, and interpretation thereof.

 

Competitive Integrity

  1. Cooperation or conspiracy to cheat or deceive others. Cooperation or conspiracy can occur among Staff and Affiliated Members. It can be done to the sole benefit of the parties involved in the cooperation or conspiracy. The list of conspirators is not exhaustive. Collusion includes, but is not limited to, acts such as:
    • Any agreement among two (2) or more players to damage, impede, or otherwise not play to a reasonable standard of competition in a game
    • Any agreement between teams on “teaming” or working together to gain an advantage.
    • Pre-arranging to split any award such as compensation, gifts, and/or prizes
    • Sending or receiving signals, electronic or otherwise, from outside sources to/from Staff and/or Affiliated Members
    • Deliberately losing a match for any reason or attempting to induce another Staff and/or Affiliated Members to do so
  2. Match-Fixing. No Staff and/or Affiliated Members may offer, agree, conspire, or attempt to influence the outcome of a game or match by any means.
  3. No Staff and/or Affiliated Members may offer any gift or reward to a Staff and/or Affiliated Members for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in defeating/throwing or attempting to defeat/lose against a competing team.
  4. Ghosting/Screen Peeking. Looking at or attempting to look at other monitors and/or opposing players’ screen(s)/game(s) to gain a competitive advantage. This rule also applies to a live stream of a match. No player should actively watch a live stream of a match in which they participate.
  5. Ringing/Sharing Accounts. Playing under another player’s account to deceive Staff and/or Affiliated Members on who is playing in a match. This includes soliciting, inducing, encouraging, or directing someone else to play under another player’s account.
  6. Smurfing: Any attempt to mislead or hide a player’s actual account, such as boosting or using a lower-ranked account, a lower-level account, concealing what characters a player uses, or an account that is used to deliberately conceal a person’s game identity to avoid being properly scouted or identified. An exception to this rule applies if an organization requires its players to create organization-specific accounts. This must be made explicitly clear to Fenworks before the start of the season.
  7. Cheating: Cheating includes using any cheat device and/or cheat programs/software, outside aid, coaching while in competition, hardware modifications, or anything else that would give a player or team an unfair advantage.
    • Any modification to the game that creates unfairness or advantage.
    • Intentionally using any in-game bug to an advantage.
    • Breaking the Ruleset: Intentionally not following the enforced ruleset for the league.
  8. International Connection: Using an international connection without a proper and explicitly stated reason, such as a VPN. An exception to this rule applies if an organization requires it to get around firewalls or other blockers. This must be made explicitly clear to Fenworks before the start of the season.
  9. Event Interference. No Affiliated Members may touch or otherwise interfere with lights, cameras, or other studio equipment unless directed by Staff. Everyone at an event must follow all instructions of Staff personnel.
  10. Usernames: Fenworks/MNVL reserves the right to ban a player from playing if the username for their account is inappropriate. If a player is banned for an inappropriate name, they must change their name to continue competing.


Behavioral Responsibility

  1. Harassment is forbidden. Harassment is defined as systematic, hostile, and repeated acts taking place over a considerable period of time or a singular egregious instance, which is/are intended to isolate or ostracize a person and/or affect a person’s dignity.
  2. Sexual Harassment. Sexual harassment is forbidden. Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances. The assessment is based on whether a reasonable person would regard the conduct as undesirable or offensive. There is zero tolerance for any sexual threats/coercion or the promise of advantages in exchange for sexual favors.
  3. Profanity and Hate Speech. Staff and/or Affiliated Members may not use language that is obscene, foul, vulgar, insulting, threatening, abusive, libelous, slanderous, defamatory, racist, sexist, otherwise offensive or objectionable, or promote or incite hatred or discriminatory conduct at any time. A Staff may not use any facilities, services, or equipment provided or made available by Fenworks/MNVL or anyone else working on behalf of Fenworks/MNVL to post, transmit, disseminate, or otherwise make any such prohibited communications available. Staff and/or Affiliated Members may not use this language on social media during public events such as streaming or coaching.
  4. Hostile Verbiage. Using any verbiage relating to violence or self-harm is forbidden. Even if the words/phrases have alternative meaning(s), there is no excuse for using such verbiage. Ignorance is not a valid reason.
  5. Discrimination and Denigration. Staff and/or Affiliated Members may not offend the dignity or integrity of a country, private person, or group of people through contemptuous, discriminatory, or denigrating words or actions on account of race, skin color, ethnic, national, or social origin, gender, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, financial status, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason.
  6. Staff and/or Affiliated Members may not give, make, issue, authorize, or endorse any statement or action having or designed to have an effect that would be prejudicial or detrimental to the best interest of Fenworks/MNVL and/or its Affiliated Members. Inappropriate statements are determined at the sole and absolute discretion of Staff.
  7. Disruptive Behavior / Insults. Staff and/or Affiliated Members may not act or perform any gesture directed at another Staff and/or Affiliated Members or incite any other individual(s) to do the same, which is insulting, trash-talking, mocking, disruptive, or antagonistic. This also includes any violent behavior or “griefing.”
  8. Abusive Behavior. Abuse of Staff and Affiliated Members will not be tolerated. Repeated etiquette violations include, but are not limited to, touching another player’s computer, body, or property without consent will result in penalties. Staff and Affiliated Members must treat everyone respectfully.
  9. Alcohol and Illegal / Controlled Substances. Staff and Affiliated Members are strictly prohibited from consuming alcohol or being under the influence of illegal / controlled substances. This rule includes but is not limited to matches, coaching, streams, interviews, and/or media and content creation relating to Fenworks program or events.
  10. Criminal Activity. Staff and Affiliated Members may not engage in any activity prohibited by common law, statute, or treaty that leads to or may be reasonably deemed likely to lead to conviction in any court of competent jurisdiction.
  11. Match-Fixing. Staff and Affiliated Members may not offer, agree, conspire, or attempt to influence the outcome of a game or match by any means.
  12. Staff and Affiliated Members may not engage, nor attempt to engage, in any legal or illegal gambling activity relating in any way to any Fenworks/MNVL program or event. This rule applies to all esports gambling activities, including, without limitation, those available in any physical retail location or those conducted via the Internet. Gambling activity is placing anything of value – including real currency, virtual currency, or other digital assets – at risk in connection with a bet or wager.
  13. Staff and Affiliated Members may not disclose confidential information to any third party.
  14. Staff and Affiliated Members may not accept any gift, reward, or compensation for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in connection with competitive play of the game, including services related to defeating or attempting to defeat a competing team or services designed to throw or fix a match or game. The sole exception to this rule shall be performance-based compensation paid to a team member by a team’s official sponsor or owner.
  15. Any use of sponsorship affiliated with any competing team in Fenworks events must adhere to all game title’s community guidelines rules, even if not formally contracted to the Code of Conduct. Please check all game title’s community guidelines to read more about each game title’s prohibited sponsors and advertiser list. Examples include but are not limited to references to gambling, firearms, drugs, alcohol, tobacco products, etc.

Rules and Conduct Violations

  1. Investigation Compliance
    • Affiliated Members agree to fully cooperate with Staff (as applicable) in investigating possible violations of the Code of Conduct. If Staff contact an Affiliated member to discuss the investigation, they must be truthful in the information they provide to Staff. Any Affiliated Member found to have withheld, destroyed, or tampered with any related information or otherwise found to have misled Staff during an investigation will be subject to disciplinary action.
    • Affiliated members understand and agree that Fenworks/MNVL has the right, in its sole discretion, to remove an Affiliated Member from or restrict such Affiliated Member’s participation in any event as part of any investigation conducted by Fenworks/MNVL.
    • No Affiliated Member may refuse or fail to apply the reasonable instructions or decisions of Staff.
    • Documentation or other reasonable items may be required at various times throughout Fenworks/MNVL’s competition as requested by Staff. If the documentation is not completed to the standards set by Fenworks, then Affiliated Members may be penalized. Penalties may be imposed if the requested items are not received and completed at the required time.
  2. Disciplinary Action
    • If Staff decides that an Affiliated Member has violated the Code of Conduct or Rulesets, Staff may take the following disciplinary actions (as applicable):
      1. Verbal warning
      2. Loss of in-game privileges if applicable (e.g., Loss of Champion Bans, Map Bans, Loss of Side Selection, etc.)
      3. Match restart
      4. Loss of game
      5. Game and/or match forfeiture
      6. Issuance of public warning to the Affiliated Member(s)
      7. Loss of all or any part of the prizes previously awarded to the Affiliated Member
      8. Disqualification of the Affiliated member from participating in an event or
      9. Stoppage of the Affiliated Member from participating in one or more future competitions hosted by Fenworks
      10. Removal of the premises of the event
    • Any penalty taken will be at the sole discretion of Fenworks/MNVL. Fenworks/MNVL reserves the right to seek damages and/or remedies from such Affiliated members to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
    • The enforcement of any applicable punishment by Fenworks/MNVL shall not provide such Affiliated Member with grounds for claims against Fenworks/MNVL under any theory of law or otherwise be considered a liability by Fenworks/MNVL to such Affiliated Member.
    • Fenworks/MNVL has final, binding authority to decide all disputes concerning any portion of the Code of Conduct or Rulesets, including the breach, enforcement, and interpretation thereof.
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  3. Appeal Process
    • If an Affiliated Member is suspended or banned by Staff, they will be notified via email and/or Discord. An appeal can be sent 30 days after the initial penalty. To appeal, please email esports@fenworks.com or drones@fenworks.com. An admin will respond within 5-7 business days.
      1. Name
      2. IGN/Gamertag
      3. Discord Contact (Format: Discord Name#1234)
      4. Email Contact
      5. Date of Suspension/Ban
      6. Tournament/Event Being Suspended/Ban From
      7. Reason for Suspension
      8. Reason for Appeal