Nerd Street Gamers Handbook

Nerd Street Gamers’ purpose is to help potential and current esports athletes realize their full potential and use esports as an avenue for an active and healthy lifestyle. We are excited to have you ("You") as a participant during this Event (in-person and online tournaments and other events whether organized, operated or sponsored in whole or in part by NSG, hereby, "Event(s)"). This NSG Handbook (“Handbook”) establishes the code of conduct, and important terms which govern how You participate during Events.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1- NSG Philosophy- What we’re about.
Section 2-Applicability- Do the rules in this Handbook apply to You?
Section 3- Eligibility- Can You participate?
Section 4-Code of Conduct- Here are the rules You must follow.
Section 5-Penalties- What will happen if you break these rules?
Section 6- Third Party Bans-Have you been banned before?
Section7- Consent to Public Disclosure.
Section 8- Media Waiver-When You flex Your skills for the camera.
Section 9- NSG Decision Final and Binding-We mean business.
Section 10- NSG Staff-These are some of our people.
Section 11- Registration Guidelines and Rules-just some basics before You play.

Section 1- NSG Philosophy

We, at Nerd Street Gamers (“NSG”), believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate, grow, and thrive in esports. We strive to help potential and current gamers excel in esports and support their long-term development. Our mission is to lower the barrier of entry of the casual gamer to esports through our infrastructure. We believe in creating positive, competitive experiences for all gamers and are committed to laying the foundation not only for esports now, but for future generations to come.

We aspire to make esports available to all gamers everywhere because we believe esports will provide more opportunities than any other form of entertainment in the future.

Section 2- Applicability

Please review the terms contained in this Handbook carefully. In order to participate in an Event, You must agree to the terms contained in this Handbook, as well as any rules specific to that Event. This Handbook is applicable to all participants, including but not limited to, individual competitors, substitutes, teams, and all team officials.

Please be advised that in the course of administrating and operating any Events, from time to time, we are responsible for ensuring compliance with specific publisher rules (which will be made available to You). As such, in the event of a disagreement between this Handbook and a publisher’s rulebook, the publisher’s rulebook governs.

***You acknowledge your acceptance of this Handbook by participating in this Event.

*** BY ACCEPTING THIS HANDBOOK, YOU WAIVE AND HOLD HARMLESS NSG and its shareholders, members, directors, managers, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, partners, distributors, service providers, landlords, property managers and licensors (collectively the "NSG Parties") FROM ANY CLAIMS RESULTING FROM ANY ACTION TAKEN BY ANY MEMBER OF THE NSG PARTIES DURING OR AS A RESULT OF ITS INVESTIGATIONS AND/OR FROM ANY ACTIONS TAKEN AS A CONSEQUENCE OF INVESTIGATIONS BY EITHER A MEMBER OF THE NSG PARTIES OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.

Section 3-Eligibility

All participants must meet the requirements laid out by NSG to be deemed eligible to participate. NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine eligibility on an Event-by-Event basis, subject to a participant’s skill level and other relevant restrictions, including but not limited to, a participant’s age. NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to investigate participant eligibility at any time during the course of any Event (whether in-person or online).

You agree to cooperate with all NSG requests to verify your eligibility.

Section 4- Code of Conduct

4.1-Inappropriate Behavior

You must not behave inappropriately with other individuals during any Events (regardless of whether such Event is in-person or online), including, but not limited to, participants, coaches, guests, or NSG staff. Inappropriate behavior includes, without limitation:

Using abusive, offensive, insulting, demeaning, or discriminatory language;
Sharing abusive, offensive, insulting, demeaning, or discriminatory memes;
Using emojis in a manner that is abusive, offensive, insulting, demeaning, or discriminatory;
Using a screen name that is offensive (this includes, without limitation, profanity, references to drugs, racial/sexist slurs);
Hostile actions during the event (including, but not limited to physical and/or verbal acts of aggression);
Causing damage to facilities/equipment, or encouraging another participant to cause damage to facilities/equipment;
You agree and acknowledge that in order to continue making our facilities and Events available to You and other participants, we require that You treat any NSG facilities with respect, and refrain from any conduct that may damage or destroy our facilities. In the event You damage or destroy any element of the facilities, or cause another participant to do so, you agree that you shall fully reimburse NSG for all costs, expenses, damages, liabilities and losses, including any attorneys’ fees, incurred by NSG in connection with any such damage or destruction
Lewd conduct (this includes, without limitation, (i)posting or linking to content that is obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit, (iii) encouraging another participant to post or link to content that is obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit, or (iii) making verbal comments that are obscene and sexually explicit);
Harassment (this includes, without limitation, bullying others, threatening others, or causing any harm or discomfort to others, including NSG staff);
This includes, without limitation,
- Flaming (excessive rage during game play),
- Griefing (intentionally disrupting/annoying /irritating other participants)
- Doxing and Swatting (intentionally harassing/annoying other participants and encouraging others to bully another participant).
Sexual harassment-This includes, without limitation, unwelcome sexual advances, sexual innuendos/comments, or sexually suggestive jokes; and
Please be advised sexual harassment is strictly prohibited.
Deception- In this context, any attempt to deceive NSG staff or other participants with conduct involving, without limitation, dishonesty, fraud, deceit, bribery or misrepresentation).
Please be advised if You make any false claims to satisfy the eligibility requirements to participate in any Event, You will be disqualified immediately (without prizes). This includes, without limitation: (i) lying about your age (ii) lying about your skill level (amateur vs. pro), (iii) falsely claiming an identity, (iv) creating an account with new username after you have been eliminated/disqualified, or (vi)falsely claiming another existing member’s screen name.

**You acknowledge and agree NSG will have sole discretion over determining what conduct is deemed inappropriate behavior. NSG reserves the right to investigate any inappropriate behavior.

4.2-Gambling/Betting

You must not gamble/bet on the outcome (or any elements) of any NSG event. Gambling/Betting may include, without limitation:

placing a wager on the outcome (or any elements) of an Event,
attempting to place a wager on the outcome (or any elements) of an Event,
or asking someone else to place a wager on the outcome (or any elements) of an Event.

***This Handbook also prohibits You from participating in or encouraging anyone else’s gambling/betting activities in connection with any NSG Event.

***Please be advised gambling/betting is strictly prohibited.

**You acknowledge and agree NSG will have sole discretion over determining whether your conduct constitutes as Gambling/Betting. NSG reserves the right to investigate any gambling/betting allegations.

4.3-Cheating

You are expected to compete in Events to the best of your own skill and ability, at all times. Any form of cheating or activities intended to improperly impact the outcome (or any element) of an Event, as determined by the sole discretion of NSG, are prohibited.

Examples of cheating or improperly impacting the outcome of an Event include, without limitation:

Collusion or match fixing (Intentionally alter (or attempt to alter) the outcome of an Event (including intentionally losing);
Any software modification or hardware modification to influence the outcome (or any element) of the game;
Any “match stalling” or delaying of game play to influence the outcome (or any element) of the game;
Any tampering of game play to influence the outcome (or any element) of the game;
tampering of game play may include, without limitation, disconnecting network cables or interrupting network connectivity
Using bots/bugs/hacks or other mechanisms to influence the outcome (or any element) of the game;
Any attempts to interfere with another player’s connection to the game;
Use of an exploit (an exploit may include, without limitation, use of bugs or glitches);
Hacking of game servers;
Screen-looking (looking at another player’s screen during active gameplay to gain information-essentially watching someone else’s gameplay while being a participant in the same game in an effort to gain an unfair advantage during the Event); and
Deception.
- Deception, in this context, may include, without limitation, any attempt to deceive NSG staff or other participants with wrong information or false statements.
- Examples of Deception include, without limitation,
  - Ringing (using an unregistered participant to play on a registered participant’s behalf to gain a strategic advantage during an Event)
  - Smurfing (when a high-level player creates a new account to play against lower-ranked players to gain strategic advantage during an Event)
  - Win-trading (when players set up multiple online accounts to play against each other to gain strategic advantage during an Event),
  - Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS the server of the game (to cause all participants within a tournament to simultaneously drop from the server),
  - Stacking (alter team lineup to give certain team(s) unfair advantage during an Event)
  - Twinking (transferring in-game gear/skins intended for higher-level characters to lower-level characters that would be incapable of obtaining the gear/skin on their own)
  - Teaming (when two or more players conspire to form a secret, unofficial alliance to influence the outcome of the game)
  - Deliberate loss

**You acknowledge and agree NSG will have sole discretion over determining whether your conduct constitutes as cheating. NSG reserves the right to investigate any actual or alleged cheating.

4.4-Doping

You are not permitted to use or distribute any drugs or alcohol, or be impaired under the influence of any drugs or alcohol while at any NSG facilities or in-person NSG Events, regardless of whether such substance is legal in the state of that NSG facility or NSG Event.

**You acknowledge and agree NSG will have sole discretion over determining whether your conduct constitutes as Doping.

4.5-Weapons

Absolutely No Weapons. No weapons of any kind are permitted in NSG facilities or at any in-person NSG Events. In addition, no weapons of any kind are permitted on property owned or leased by NSG except as otherwise expressly permitted by applicable law. Weapons include, without limitation, firearms, handguns, rifles, automatic weapons, ammunition, gunpowder, knives that can be used as weapons, martial arts paraphernalia, stun guns/tasers, tear gas, fireworks, explosives, gasoline and other dangerous articles and substances.

***Please be advised bringing a weapon of any kind to a NSG facility or Event is strictly prohibited.

**You acknowledge and agree NSG will have sole discretion over determining whether the item you’re in possession of constitutes as a weapon.

Section 5-Penalties

To preserve the integrity of the competition and our reputation for open and fair competition, NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to monitor compliance with these rules, investigate possible breaches of these rules, and impose penalties for any violations associated therewith. You agree to cooperate with NSG in any such investigation. Your failure to cooperate with any such investigation relating to a violation of this Handbook is, in itself, a violation of this Handbook and subject to penalties.

NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine what constitutes as a breach for any rules in this Handbook (or other relevant rules specific to the Event) and to determine the nature and extent of penalties to impose for such breach. NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to issue additional sanctions if necessary, at any stage, at any time, for any reason.

By participating in an Event, You agree to be bound by the final decisions of NSG, its committees, and anyone acting on its behalf in an official capacity.

Without limiting any other provision in this agreement, if You violate any of the rules or policies in this Handbook, in NSG’s sole discretion, NSG shall have the right to take any or all of the following actions:

Verbal warning
Disqualification/Competition Ejection
Results voided
Forfeiture of prize money
Revocation of any or all of the leaderboard standings and prizes previously awarded
Banned from current Event and/or future Event\
- *** NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine the length of the ban.
- ***Please be advised aggravating circumstances (as determine by NSG, at its sole discretion) may result in a lifetime ban.

***NSG reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to issue additional sanctions if necessary, at any stage, at any time, for any reason. NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine the appropriate escalation path for any second or subsequent offenses, which may be based on the severity, frequency, and context of the offense.

Section 6-Third Party Bans

Third Party Bans--. If Your disqualification status or other eligibility requirement is in question by the publisher of the game played during the Event, NSG reserves the right to exclude You, from participating in the Event, at any stage, at any time.

Section 7-Consent to Public Disclosure

NSG reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to publish public declarations (through any medium, including but not limited to, the NSG website or any NSG social media pages) about any disciplinary action taken against You, which may include, without limitation, details such as Your real name, Your username, the infraction You committed, and the penalties NSG imposed. You agree to waive any right of legal action against NSG which arises from any public declaration about the disciplinary action in connection with the NSG Event.

Section 8-Media Waiver

You agree that NSG and any of its employees, consultants or contractors may record and photograph You, any indicia of Your identity, Your voice, Your conversation, Your sounds, Your stories, Your statements and Your actions (collectively, the “Performance”), during and in connection with Your participation in the Event, and that NSG shall be the sole and exclusive owner of the results and proceeds of Your Performance, including without limitation, any other services You render any and all rights of every kind and nature in and to Your Performance and all contents thereof, including without limitation, all intellectual property, allied, ancillary, subsidiary and derivative work rights (collectively, the “Results and Proceeds”). You further agree that NSG will have the right, throughout the universe, in perpetuity, to copyright, to use and to license others to use, in any manner, format and media, whether now known or hereafter devised, all of the Results and Proceeds or any portion thereof, the Performance and any biographical material or other information concerning You (“Biographical Information”). The Performance or any part thereof, may be edited, cut, added to, dubbed, modified and/or rearranged at NSG’s sole and absolute discretion. You agree that NSG is not obligated to use Your Performance, the Results and Proceeds or Your appearance in any way.
You authorize NSG to make use of Your Performance, the Results and Proceeds and Biographical Information in and in connection with the Event, including without limitation, in the production, broadcast, distribution, exhibition, publishing and/or other exploitation of the Event, and in advertising, marketing, publicity and promotion throughout the universe, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, and in an unlimited number of times, in perpetuity.
You acknowledge and agree that in no event will You be entitled to rescind this Waiver or to seek injunctive or any other equitable relief, or to interfere in any way with the Event or the use of any of the Waiver. You further agree that Your appearance on and in connection with the Event is as a non-performer, is not employment, and does not entitle You to any wages, salary or other compensation under any collective bargaining agreement or otherwise. This Waiver and the rights hereunder may not be assigned by You. This Waiver constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between You and NSG concerning the subject matter hereof and supersedes and replaces any other prior written or oral agreements.
You represent, warrant, and covenant that You will not, through any act or omission, whether taken in the past, present, or future, cause NSG to become the subject of public ridicule, disrepute, or scandal.

Section 9-NSG Decision Final and Binding

All of NSG’s determinations with regards to any disciplinary action shall be final, binding and may not be appealed in any way. If Your disqualification status or other eligibility requirement is in question, NSG reserves the right to exclude You from participating in any Events.

Section 10-NSG Staff

10.1-Commissioner(s)

***The Commissioner role is an NSG appointed position.

***The Commissioner shall be the head official for all NSG sanctioned Events and shall have the power to:

establish and define the rules and regulations of NSG Events,
formulate, prescribe, alter and amend the rules and regulations of NSG Events,
impose and enforce penalties for any violations of the rules and regulations of NSG Events,
remove or remit any suspension or penalty that has been imposed by an NSG Official (defined below),
appoint committees, and
assign a designee to act on their behalf.

10.2-Committee

***If the Commissioner’s role is vacant, a competition committee will be formed and then shall have the power to:

establish and define the rules and regulations of NSG Events,
formulate, prescribe, alter and amend the rules and regulations of NSG Events,
impose and enforce penalties for any violations of the rules and regulations of NSG Events, and
remove or remit any suspension or penalty that has been imposed by an NSG Official.

10.3-NSG Official(s)

Event Operator(s)-Each Event shall be officiated by Event Operators, who shall be selected by the Commissioner (or their designee) and shall act as the lead official for the assigned competition.

Event Operators are responsible for:

making judgement calls on every match or game related issue/question which may arise during an Event,
seeding and/or scheduling the teams within the competition or bracket,
checking/monitoring player-owned equipment,
assessing the nature of any breaches to the code of conduct of this Handbook, and
official scorekeeping and submission of results to NSG (within 12 hours of completion of the Event).

Event Administrator(s)-All matches within an Event shall be managed by Event Administrator(s).

Event Administrator(s) shall be responsible for:

starting each match,
reporting of scores to the Event Operator(s),
stopping the game in the event of an exploit (or other malfunction that may affect the outcome of the game--in such cases, Event Administrator(s) shall take reasonable steps to resolve the issue), and
ensuring that all NSG rules and regulations are being followed and reporting any violations to the Event Operator(s) for ruling.

Section 11-Registration Guidelines and Rules

Pre-Match Roster Submission-Teams must submit their Starting Roster (including seating order) for each match no later than one (1) hour prior to the start of the first match of the day. Changes of the starting roster after that are subject to rejection.

Substitute Players and Backup Players- Generally, the allowance of substitute players/backup players during an Event is subject to the rules found in the publisher’s rulebook. As such, please refer to the publisher’s handbook for the ruling specific to this Event. In addition, please be advised solo Events do not allow substitute players/backup players during an ongoing Event unless an organization owns the spot, as opposed to an individual player.

Change of Players-If the publisher’s rules allow for substitute players, any teams wishing to make a substitution must notify the Event Operator or the Event Administrator no later than the end of a given match for the substitution to take effect for the next match.

Injured Players -If a player is injured or is compelled to leave the competition due to an injury, such player may retire from the match and be replaced by a substitute. If a player is bleeding, he shall stop playing immediately. The player shall not be allowed to return to play until the bleeding has been stopped and the cut or abrasion has been adequately covered. Any affected equipment/uniform must be properly decontaminated or exchanged.

Competition Ejection-In the event a player or team official is suspended or disqualified during an ongoing Event, such player or team official shall be ejected from competing in the Event and an immediate substitution shall take place. Any Competition Ejection imposed shall be at the sole discretion of the designated NSG staff member for that particular Event. Any player or team official subject to a Competition Ejection cannot remain at or near the playing area of their respective team, nor attempt to direct the play of their team in any way.

***If there is no substitute available, the team may proceed to compete so long as they meet the minimum number of players required for that particular Event (please defer to publisher’s rulebook for such information).

***All Competition Ejections shall be reported to the Commissioner (or their designee) within 24 hours of an Event’s conclusion.

***This rule is applicable only to Events with team competitions.

Please also check NSG’s “Terms of Use,” available on the NSG website, for more rules governing Your conduct when engaging with any NSG equipment at NSG facilities or at NSG Events.