You know those people in traditional sports, the people that stand there in the middle of the action in their fancy black and white shirts? Well, esports have those too! You may not have thought about it before, but esports also need referees to ensure a smooth and fair playing experience for everyone. To better understand esports refereeing, we must first distinguish between tournament and game rules.
Imagine you’re playing football with your friends and one of them picks up the ball with their hands and throws it into the goal. You would feel confused and cheated, right? That’s against the RULES! Well, just like traditional sports, esports have certain rules that make a game what it is. Take for example CS:GO, which only allows for 5 players per team and the primary objective is to either plant or defuse the bomb. Even though planting can be the primary objective, it isn’t the only way to win a round. Valve, the game’s publisher, have set out a ground plan of how the game should be played, but tournament organizers have the power to decide the tournament format and how the matches will unfold.
Esports referees come into play to enforce both sets of rules, those provided by the game and those by the tournament organizers. Most commonly, referees are in place to make sure no one is using prohibited software, hardware, or performance enhancements while playing in an official tournament.
While a referee’s main job is to oversee the action, they also help in setting up the hardware needed for a tournament and can be asked to perform other activities such as moderating the Twitch chat, supervising the stream, and documenting the event through photos and videos.
To round it all up, it’s safe to say that esports referees continually work hard to ensure that every player is following the rules and regulations and that there is a level playing field for everyone. Referees must also have a deep understanding of the game they are officiating.
