Code of conduct

OCElock is competitive, but it must also be safe, respectful, and fair. This Code of Conduct applies to players, captains, substitutes, team staff, and community participants in league spaces.

This policy is designed for a community-run competition: teams are expected to self-correct minor issues early, while moderators step in for unresolved, repeated, or serious conduct risks.

Document version: 1.0.0
Last updated: 2026-03-16 (AEDT)

1. Core standards

All participants are expected to:

- Respect people — Treat opponents, teammates, staff, and community members with dignity.
- Compete fairly — Play to win within rules, without cheating or collusion.
- Communicate responsibly — Keep in-game chat, Discord, and platform communication professional.
- Follow staff direction — Cooperate with moderation and admin requests during incidents.
- Represent your team well — Captains are responsible for team conduct and timely responses.

2. Prohibited conduct

The following conduct is prohibited in OCElock spaces and league operations.

2.1 Abuse and harassment

- Personal attacks, targeted abuse, or sustained hostile behaviour.
- Hate speech, slurs, or discriminatory comments (including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, religious vilification, or similar conduct).
- Threats, intimidation, blackmail, or doxxing.

2.2 Competitive misconduct

- Cheating, scripting, botting, or use of unauthorised tools.
- Match-fixing, collusion, intentional throwing, or betting manipulation.
- Account sharing, impersonation, or use of unapproved player identities.

2.3 Sportsmanship and operational misconduct

- Repeated no-shows or forfeits without valid reason.
- Refusal to follow official match procedures or moderator instructions.
- Evidence tampering, falsified submissions, or knowingly false reports.
- Persistent unsportsmanlike conduct (for example, repeated provocation or deliberate disruption).

3. Where this policy applies

This Code applies to behaviour in:

- OCElock platform interactions and submissions.
- Official match operations and related communication.
- OCElock-operated Discord spaces and moderation channels.
- Any public content materially tied to active league operations.

Serious off-platform behaviour may still be actioned where it creates safety or integrity risk for OCElock participants.

4. Captain and team accountability expectations

- Captains should intervene early when team behaviour starts degrading.
- Teams should resolve minor interpersonal issues without escalating every disagreement.
- Captains must cooperate with moderation requests and provide evidence when asked.
- Repeated “we did not know” claims are not accepted where rule communication was clearly available.

5. Reporting and evidence requirements

If you experience or witness a breach:

Step 1 — Report general behavioural/community issues through General Support as soon as practical.
Step 2 — Include clear context: who was involved, what happened, when, and where.
Step 3 — Attach evidence where available (screenshots, VOD clips, match IDs, logs, links, timestamps).

Reports made in bad faith (for example, knowingly false claims) may result in penalties. For match-specific incidents (results, forfeits, eligibility, draft, technical match rulings), use the match dispute flow on the match page.

6. Enforcement model (moderate ladder)

OCElock uses a moderate escalation model. Staff may escalate faster for severe, repeated, or high-risk behaviour.

6.1 Typical progression

- Step 1: Warning — Formal warning with expectations for immediate correction.
- Step 2: Temporary suspension — Time-limited suspension from matches and/or OCElock spaces.
- Step 3: Extended suspension or season ban — Applied where behaviour is severe, repeated, or integrity-impacting.
- Step 4: Permanent ban — Reserved for extreme or persistent breaches, serious safety threats, or major integrity abuse.

6.2 Indicative duration guidance

These ranges are indicative only. Staff may move higher or lower based on severity, history, and impact.

6.3 Severity-based acceleration

Some offences may skip earlier steps, including but not limited to:

- Credible threats of violence or self-harm coercion.
- Doxxing or major privacy breaches.
- Match-fixing or confirmed cheating.
- Severe hate speech or targeted harassment campaigns.

7. Investigations and decisions

- Staff evaluate reports using evidence quality, context, prior history, and impact.
- Moderators may request extra information from captains or involved parties.
- Interim restrictions may be applied while high-risk incidents are reviewed.
- Final sanctions are issued by OCElock staff and logged for operational consistency.

8. Appeals

Appeals are available for significant penalties (usually extended suspensions, season bans, or permanent bans).

Appeal requirements:

- Submit within the timeframe provided in your sanction notice.
- Include specific grounds (new evidence, factual error, or major procedural error).
- Keep the submission factual and concise.

Appeal outcomes may uphold, reduce, or increase sanctions based on full review.

9. Relationship to league rules

This Code of Conduct works alongside League rules. Match-specific penalties (forfeits, disputes, eligibility rulings) are governed by league rules; behavioural sanctions are governed by this policy.