Code of Conduct

Last updated: 2 January, 2023

Introduction

The LPL Player Code of Conduct was developed to aid in making clear, specific and consistent rulings network-wide at LPL. Since 2007, CyberGamer (before being acquired by LPL in 2019) has been running competitions both online and offline - with the help of hundreds of admins and staff. Due to the sheer number of assisting members; consistency within the branches of games and platforms was difficult to maintain. The LPL Player Code of Conduct clearly defines what penalties exist, which section they fall under - and the minimum severity for that offense.

With CyberGamer being acquired by LPL at the beginning of 2019, this approach has not changed, however has become more refined with the combined experience of previous CyberGamer staff and admins, as well as the new experience of the LPL team.

Categories

Categories determine the severity of the penalty. Penalties can apply to (but are not limited to) the forums, league or open matches, and/or specific tournaments. All match bans affect all games on all platforms unless otherwise stated. In the event that a penalty is not to be imposed globally, this will be stated in the administrator notes on a player’s LPL profile page.

We have developed a system of categorised severities of violations, with set penalties listed for our leagues, ladders and tournaments.

Player Code of Conduct Terms

  1. The category designation for an offence increases by one each time an LPL Member violates a particular category at an LPL Admin’s discretion. LPL Members should expect harsher sanctions and in all likelihood a lifetime ban from LPL.
  2. LPL Admins reserves the right to give out any penalty, including penalties not outlined by this document as outlined in the Terms under Section 7.1 and Section 11 (r). Ban length may be varied pending on the severity of the situation, or the number of repeat offences by the LPL Member in question.
  3. LPL Admins reserves the right to change the rules of a tournament before its start point at any time without notice as outlined in the Terms under Section 11 (j).
  4. LPL Admins reserves the right to receive any form of evidence from any source as outlined in the Terms under Section 6.1.
  5. All circumstances that happen during an LPL Match or on the LPL Play Platform, may be punished. This includes in-game chat, forums, comments, private messages, and match pages. Incidents that occur outside of LPL may be punished as outlined in the Terms under Section 7.5.
  6. Circumstances will be assessed by LPL Admins on a case by case basis, decisions made by LPL Admins will be final.
  7. LPL Members found to be advocating for, or encouraging any violations outlined by this Player Code of Conduct document will be subject to penalties, at the discretion of LPL Admins.
  8. LPL League or Ladder specific violations (those listed within a particular League or Ladders rule-set) should be updated and designated as one of the categories of violations listed below.

Category 1

Formal Warnings
Advertising & Self-Promotion on LPL Channels

All forms of advertising products, self-promoting live streams and videos, or other services without the prior permission of LPL Admins and LPL Staff, will be subject to a Formal Warning and the respective post/message being removed. LPL Members are free to share information, videos, or streams of LPL related content or matches in our forums, and Discords freely. However, external content and information with no relation to LPL must be about a game that LPL supports, and be a discussion post, or useful information that does not conflict with LPL. Subsequent offences may result in Category 2 and above penalties.

Posting inappropriate and/or derogatory content, spamming or disrupting LPL Channels

All forms of spam, hijacking or inciting disruption of LPL channels (including streams, socials, forums and discords) will be subject to a Formal Warning. Inappropriate content includes anything that is not appropriate based on the context of the situation where it is shared, and derogatory content is defined as anything that has the intent to harm another person (whether they are LPL Members or not). ALL NSFW/NSFL content published will be removed and be subject to instant removal from LPL Channels. Subsequent offences may result in Category 2 and above penalties.

No Shows

Teams must make reasonable effort to be open for communication with both their opponents, and LPL Admins in order to avoid situations where a no show occurs. Teams that do not show up to a scheduled match will be subject to a Formal Warning and a Match Forfeit.. Subsequent offences may result in Category 2 and above penalties.

Missing LPL Premium/Entry Fee

Every LPL Member must have an LPL Premium if they play in any Amateur Division and above matches, or otherwise specified tournaments. If an LPL Member is found to be in or have played a match without an LPL Premium, they will be subject to a Formal Warning and Match Forfeit/Overturn. If entry fees are used instead, teams must have their entry fees paid before their first match is played in a tournament or league, otherwise they will be subject to a Formal Warning and a Match Overturn. Subsequent offences may result in Category 2 and above penalties.

Failure to provide Demos/Replays/Moss

LPL Members who fail to provide demos/replays/moss asked for by an LPL Admin will be subject a formal warning and a Match Overturn. Subsequent offences may result in Category 2 and above penalties.

Category 2

Ban/Removal from Communities and TournamentsMatch Bans
Disruptive Behavior

Users found to disrupting the flow of matches, or disrupting a broadcast will be subject to a Match Ban. This includes tampering with game servers, spamming in-game chats, purposefully reporting incorrect results (with no intention to dispute a match), and other similar violations that disrupt an administrator's duties at the discretion of an LPL Admin. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Harbouring

Members of teams and organisations found to be knowingly (beyond reasonable doubt) harbouring players who are in breach of the Player Code of Conduct (including but not limited to; hackers, account sharing, 'smurfers' or general ban evaders) and/or other website terms will be subject to a Match Ban. Whilst all members of teams and organisations are liable under this rule, team captains are especially responsible for ensuring that they have no cheaters on their team. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Disobeying Administrator Rulings

If an LPL Member has been found ignoring an LPL Admin’s rulings and/or directions, they are subject to a Match Ban to the admins discretion. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Purposely reporting incorrect results and having no intention to Dispute

If an LPL Member has been found to be reporting incorrect results and having no intention to dispute, they will be subject to a Match Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Inappropriate Names/Aliases/Profile Images

This includes (but is not limited to) images that are inappropriate, pure commercial, defamatory, offensive, vulgar, obscene or inciting hatred. To ensure the LPL Play Platform remains a safe online environment for everyone, LPL Members, players and admins included, must ensure their names/alises/profile images must be appropriate. LPL Members who violate this will be subject to a Match Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

LPL Admin written communications published without express permission

LPL Members have the option to create a private forum and open dialogue with LPL Admins via a Support Ticket and DM’s. We respect confidentiality and we expect the same from LPL Members. If an LPL Member is found to publish support tickets and/or other forms of written communications without express written permission from LPL Admins, will be subject to a Match Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Discrimination and Bullying

All forms of hate speech (including insults and offensive behaviour), or verbal abuse related to sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, physical appearance, body size, age or religion is not tolerated and will be subject to a Match Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Sexualised Comments and/or Jokes

Sexualised comments and/or Jokes will not be tolerated and will be subject to a Match Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Abuse of LPL Admins and LPL Players

Members should treat other players and administrators in a reasonable and courteous fashion at all times. This violation includes but is not limited to, speaking or posting in an insulting, abusive or threatening manner . Use of foul language also falls into this category. This violation applies across the LPL Website and in LPL Matches and includes but is not limited to the LPL Forums, in-game chat, streams, and Discords. Any misconduct related to this category that is not within the realms of the LPL Network may still cause an LPL Member to be liable for punishment. LPL Members who violate this will be subject to a Match Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 3 and above penalties.

Category 3

Season Bans12 Month Bans
Falsifying Information and Impersonation

LPL Members found to be providing false information and/or impersonating another LPL Member across any LPL Channels will be subject to a 12-Month Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 4 and above penalties.

Bribing, Gambling/Betting and Match Fixing

LPL Members found to be bribing LPL Admins and/or LPL Players will be subject to a 12-Month Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 4 and above penalties.LPL Members who place bets or gambles on a match they are on a roster for will be subject to a 12-Month Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 4 and above penalties. LPL Members may also be subject to this Violation if they have been found to profit from any LPL Match they are involved in directly or indirectly. For example, if an LPL Member has an accomplice place a bet on their behalf and receive some of the winnings they will also be subject to a 12-Month Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 4 and above penalties.

Cheating in an LPL Match

Cheating in an LPL Match is prohibited and will be subject to a Permanent ban to any LPL Player who cheats in an LPL Match, or any server associated with LPL including dedicated servers, competitive LPL Peer2Peer games and LPL affiliated PUG games. Teams found to be playing with a cheater will have their matches reverted and be removed from the tournament.

Cheating includes (but is not limited to):

  1. Exploitation/Glitches - All forms of knowingly using glitches to an LPL Member’s advantage in an LPL Match will result in their team forfeiting the round in which the glitch was used. Glitching includes (but is not limited to) getting to locations on a map that are not intended to be used for play, standing on nothing or using a location that can unintentionally be seen out of or through, but in only one direction.
  2. Use of scripts or 3rd party programs to simplify gameplay - This involves all scripting, config tweaks or external macro programs that enable LPL Players to perform more than one listed command with a single keystroke.
  3. The use of 'aimbots', 'map hacks' or 'wall hacks'. - This includes any additional aliases the 'LPL User' may use. This violation applies to private (non-LPL) dedicated servers, Peer2Peer and Public/Private PUG games and Scrims.

This violation also includes getting a VAC ban for any LPL supported game and supersedes the Category 4 ban for VAC accumulation, which only applies to non LPL-supported games. Please note that LPL supported games is any game with a current LPL ladder, not just games that a player is competing in.

Please note that an LPL player who has been banned for a game in which they have never competed may appeal the ban after 55% percent of completion. If the LPL Player has had no further violations since the implementation of their ban, and the LPL Player has never had a Category 4 or higher ban before, the LPL Admin team should strongly consider removing the remainder of the respective ban.

Cheating in non-LPL Matches does not make you immune to penalties on the LPL system. If LPL Admins receive a demo/replay with sufficient evidence from a partner or affiliated league and after review, confirm the player was cheating. The player in question will be subject to penalties as described by this document.

Witch Hunting

Witch Hunting includes but is not limited to, any post accusing or naming an LPL member of dodging, cheating, exploiting or accusing people of hacking. LPL Members found to be Witch Hunting will be subject to a Season Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 4 and above penalties.

If LPL Members suspect someone is doing any of the aforementioned actions, LPL Members are encouraged to open a Support Ticket and it will be investigated thoroughly by LPL Admins.

Unwanted Sexual Attention

Unwelcome sexual attention, sexually predatory behavior, and/or sending inappropriate photos to another LPL member is not tolerated and will be subject to a 12-Month Ban. Subsequent offences may result in Category 4 and above penalties.

Smurfing/Playing on Alternate Accounts/Multiple teams

This involves having multiple LPL Accounts in order to be in multiple teams at once, or attempting to alias as another player in order to play during their LPL match. If an LPL Player is found to be smurfing again during their ban period, they will be in breach of the 'ban evasion' violation and penalised as accordingly under Category 4. Smurfing yet again during this time will guarantee the LPL Player a Category 4 Permaban.

Category 4

Permabans
Sharing Accounts

This involves sharing your log-in details and letting another LPL Member use and play under the account. The LPL Member using the will also be subject to a Permaban.

Multiple Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) bans

An LPL Member who acquires two Valve Anti-Cheat bans within a 24 month period will receive a Category 3 ban. Please note that receiving a third VAC ban within 24 months of the second places LPL Players at risk of receiving further increased penalties. It is every member’s responsibility to protect themselves with appropriate account and computer security measures.

If LPL Players modify game files, they do so at their own discretion and thus they are responsible for any outcome that may come of it.

LPL Players may use a VAC banned Steam account to compete in LPL matches so long as that account is not VAC banned for the game they wish to compete in.

Ban Evasion

Attempting to avoid a ban by any means will be classed as ban evasion. Creating a new LPL Account, using an LPL Account created by someone else or using a secondary LPL Account whilst serving Ban is considered a Ban Evasion. Ban Evasion on the first offence will result in Category 3 penalties, or the original length of the ban that is evaded being doubled, whichever is greater. Ban Evasion on the second offence a second time, whether for the original ban, or for a different ban at any other time, will result in a Permaban.

LPL penalties apply across all games and platforms. LPL Members cannot change games if caught cheating, LPL Members are banned from the system altogether for the period assigned and if they are found to be playing another LPL Game the ban evasion rule will come into effect.

Doxing

Threatening to publicly display or publishing an LPL Player’s personal and private information against their consent will not be tolerated and will be subject to a Permanent Ban.

Threats and Assault

Any LPL Member found to be intimidating, blackmailing, assaulting, or threatening another LPL Member (physically, verbally or online) will be subject to an immediate Permaban. This also applies to telling LPL Members, staff or Admins to kill themselves. Some of these instances may be reported to the authorities immediately.

Penalties

Each time an LPL Member violates and receives a penalty it will be noted on their profile by the LPL Admin applying the ban. This will assist future investigation into the matter and allow for all LPL Admins to easily understand why, for what and for how long the player has been banned.

Ban Appeals

LPL has strict rules for LPL Players who wish to compete on the LPL Platform, all penalties are enforced based on the rules outlined by this document and any LPL Members who are banned and want to appeal, must appeal through a Support Ticket. If you feel the ban was not correctly applied based on the criteria below you must submit a management support ticket.

Please note that an LPL Player who has been banned for a game in which they have never competed may appeal the ban after 80% percent of completion by default. However, in special cases, the time in which the LPL Player may appeal the ban will be provided when the penalty has been handed out. If the LPL Player has had no further violations since the implementation of their ban, and the LPL Player has never had a Category 4 or higher ban before, the LPL Admin team should strongly consider removing the remainder of the respective ban.

Ban Appeals via Support Ticket will be closed immediately if they do not meet the above criteria and banned players repeatedly reopening the ticket if closed will have their ban extended. Do NOT reopen a closed ticket that is the management team telling you that your appeal must go through the Player Code of Conduct panel that placed your ban.

Banned members who appeal are reviewed by LPL Staff and LPL Senior Admins.

The definition of the term cheating does come with unique properties based on the game you are competing in and these are more specifically defined in the rules for each game which can be found at the top of the ladder/league rankings page under a button labelled rules.

Additional information

Whilst this Player Code of Conduct is a concise and complete set of guidelines, there may be instances where a violation may not fall under these exact policies. If this is to occur, the LPL Admin investigating the violation will use the above policies as a guideline and a verdict will be handed out based upon their best judgement. LPL Admins may not always reveal the evidence submitted against an LPL Member who is in breach of the above policies, and are not obliged to do so. When appealing a penalty, it is advised that members take into consideration that the LPL Admin who handles the appeal will have complete access to the LPL Member's history. If it is clearly evident that an LPL Member has violated upon one of the policies outlined above, then in the interest of both time management and common sense, it is advised that the LPL Member serve out their time. LPL Members found to be lying or providing misleading information relating to their ban open themselves up to further penalties under the ban evasion rule.

Whilst the policies and penalties stated above refer to individual instances of violations, it is important to note that should an LPL Admin believe that a team or LPL Member has gained an unfair advantage in a ladder, league or competition due to unfair, unsportsmanlike or cheating behaviour or actions, an LPL Admin may at their discretion, impose further penalties on that team or LPL Member which can include (but are not limited to); the overturning of matches; the deduction of ladder or league points; the relegation of that team or member in a ladder; the removal of that team or member from a ladder, league or competition; or the removal of individual players from their team.

This Player Code of Conduct may differ from ladder to ladder. Please see your Ladder's specific ruleset and/or speak to the respective LPL Admin via a Support Ticket or join the LPL Community Discord. to get further information or clarification.

LPL reserves the right to update/change/modify/remove/add any part of this Player Code of Conduct at any time, with or without notice and you agree to abide by the most recent version of this Player Code of Conduct each time you view and use LPL and it's associated game ladders. Please note that by using this website, you agree to the Player Code of Conduct as stated above.