Following the incidents over the last few weeks within the CS:GO Community we would like to reach out in hopes of raising awareness to its members.
The topic at hand is cleared up in one word, a word which seems to escape the world’s vocabulary, RESPECT.
There are many different definitions of respect, about what it means, and how people adapt it to circumstances. It is important to investigate how to act as a part of a community in order to foster something more. A community is a place that is active, open, and welcomes newcomers; a place where people don’t feel stressed out or afraid to attend.
I would like to elaborate on what you should take away when I say, “Respect the players, and Build the Community.”
When you meet a player you don’t like be courteous and professional. If you are on LAN, as the case may be in our community, shake their hand at the end of the match and don’t engage in verbal abuse or banter.
When you meet this person online, whether in a league or through matchmaking, regardless of how much trash they might talk: be polite. Nothing crushes the dreams of a barking idiot as much as no one responding to them.
With that being said, DON’T BE THAT IDIOT. Don’t be the person that talks trash, calls people names and tells them to quit. Remember, first and foremost, that this is a game. If you want to play with people that meet your standards, then wait for your friends to come online. Don’t join pub servers or matchmaking just to be a loudmouth.
This next part should be obvious, but is often forgotten.
Don’t cheat, don’t be the one who ruins things for people, for your team, or for the tournament as a whole. After all the announcements that came before Dreamhack, we are all aware that it is something we need to be diligent about. Although you may think hopping in to a pub server and frustrating the world, or winning a match or tournament is fun, it is not worth having your victory stripped from you, or having your team hate you for doing it.
If you happen to find a map bug, report it. If there is a bug that hasn’t been fixed, let the tournament admins know about it so we can make a judgement call on if the map should be used. Be fair to your competitors, the event, and your fans.
There are long standing teams that attend this tournament that people root for. Sometimes, there are roster changes, but we still want to see you do well. Using a map exploit or “clever use of game mechanics” does nothing but upset all of the other teams. At the end of a match, thank the other teams, congratulate the victors, and shake hands. You need not give them a hug and be their best friend, but make a small effort to be sportsmanlike.
There will always be some animosity between people within any community. But we expect a level of respect. Don’t talk poorly about other players or attendees. If someone asks you a question about someone you don’t like, just tell them you don’t want to talk about that and move on. [That’s grade school social etiquette.]
While you are at an event, treat your admins, all staff and all attendees with respect. The staff works at this event for free. We are here because we love the experience, we enjoy the event and we want to see you all have a good time. Part of the reason that the event has reached the height that it has is because the staff are there making sure you have a good time. Spend some time and say thank you to the staff. Thank the person running your tournament, quite often they work the duration of your bracket with no breaks and are quite stressed out. You might be surprised how much it means to us when the players say thank you for the work we are doing.
Hopefully both the CS:GO and AYBOnline community has taken something positive away from these incidents and will be able to grow. Unfortunately we will be unable to mature until a level of respect is reached.
-David “Owned” Alberto
