The tournament organizers of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) championship has implemented crowd etiquette rules with a potential punishment of games being broadcast to the arena without an x-ray for 20+ minutes. IEM Katowice commenced today in Katowice, Poland, and will conclude this weekend in the Spodek Arena.
The topic of crowd interference won traction in the competitive CS: GO community in December of last year throughout the ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals in Denmark. The crowd at the Odense event frequently regarded to cheer in decisive moments that could clue Astralis gamers in things they couldn't see on their personal screens. The issue has additionally been considered to happen at other tournaments across the world, regularly the event's home team.
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Counter-Strike's spectator x-ray, a feature that places a sparkling define round all player models, lets in lovers in occasion crowds to see things the gamers cannot. With the x-ray feature being streamed from the computer monitors, fans frequently get excited and cheer when players come near to an enemy that only viewers and spectator can see. That cheering can tell the players of something they wouldn't realize otherwise and may disrupt the game. Some players have used the crowd to their advantage, shaking their crosshair in an enemy's general course to try and bait a target audience response.
ESL took advantage of Reddit to discuss the organizer's plan
ESL Vice President of Pro Gaming Michal "Carmac" Blicharz took advantage of Reddit last week, outlining the event organizer's plan to curb audience interference once IEM Katowice reaches the Spodek Arena. He states that they may begin with PSAs played in the area before the games start, which purpose to "educate [the crowd] on what we suppose is appropriate and what isn't." He continued to explain that enthusiasts should refrain from cheering earlier than a knife kill, in moments of cause discipline, and for something that gamers can not see. Should the audience fail to observe these guidelines, an x-ray would be turned off in the arena for 20 minutes.
Carmac was clear in saying that the x-ray elimination would only happen in the arena, and would not affect those studying the match's Twitch movement from home. He closes the post by stating that ESL wants to "work with audiences to establish an etiquette of when to cheer and while to remain silent." They additionally plan to get rid of any individual who "merits it."
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Everything you need to know about IEM Katowice 2020
The IEM stream broadcasts on two Twitch channels of ESL simultaneous matches on the platform until the quarter-finals. No movement on the first broadcast or the second channel would be missed in the setup.
The contest will last for seven days, with the grand finals set on March 1. Sixteen groups will compete for a $500,000 prize pool share, while the Intel Grand Slam champion wins one point.
The Intel Grand Slam would be contested for $1 million. Teams are divided into groups, and a GSL double-elimination format is included. Apart from the first-class of 5 grand finals, the opposition will be absolutely played by the Best-of-Three. That group has three top teams advancing to the playoffs that use the one-elimination format. Group level winners will automatically continue to semifinals, and quarter-finals will have second and third-place teams.
IEM Katowice's winner will receive 250,000 dollars. The race will bring $100,000 to home, and the semifinalists will get $40,000 each time.
