[Spoilers] The KeSPA Saga : OSL C Group - Page 15

On May 14 2009 12:40 The Storyteller wrote:
Posted this in a now closed thread, but now might be a good time to bring it up again.

Dear KESPA,

I know rules are rules, but the rules currently in place are totally mixed up. Before making any new rules or changing old ones, you should consider whether they fit into one of these three categories:

1. Rules that make sure the game is fair
These rules govern actions by players that can influence the outcomes of a game, such as using a bug. In this case, the penalty should be a forfeit, whether the breaking of the rule was intentional or not. This is similar to a handball in football/soccer, where even if a player accidentally touches the ball with his hand, it's still considered a foul because it influences the outcome of the game.

2. Rules that uphold the image of the sport
These rules cover things like obscene ceremonies or lack of good manner that give the SC proscene a bad name. Most sporting bodies have these, and the penalty should be a warning, a fine or a temporary ban, depending on the severity of the act. However, the game should not be forfeited because no matter how bad mannered a player is, it's not going to influenece the outcome of the game (not directly, anyway). When John McEnroe flung his racquet around and all, he was fined a lot. However, his matches were not forfeited, because hurling abuse at the umpire does not influence the outcome of the match. Doing things like leaving the game without typing out should fall under this category.

3. Rules that communicate intent
These rules cover communication between the player and the referee and/or the opposing player. The whole point of these rules is to communicate intent clearly. For example, what is the accepted signal for typing out, what is the accepted way of requesting a pause. All sports have a set of guidelines for this, however, there is no penalty for breaking them. The reason is simple: if you can't communicate your intent and it doesn't get through to the other party, you penalise yourself. If you want a timeout in basketball and you don't make a proper T sign, the game continues and that is an automatic penalty. All sports are flexible with this rule as well. If intent needs to be communicated verbally, and the guy talking speaks with an accent, it would obviously be silly to penalise him. If he's understandable, he gets what he's asking for.So if a player types ww instead of gg and everyone understands it, there's no point in penalising him. If a player doesn't type "ppp" when he wants a pause, and the ref doesn't understand, then he doesn't get a pause and he penalises himself. If he types something understandable like "I would like to request a pause please", then it can be left up to the ref to decide whether he wants to pretend not to understand or not. Miscommunication is a risk the player just has to take.


Right now, the rules are getting mixed up between the 3 categories.

For example, a player typing something offensive as he leaves the game falls under category 2, and should not be punished with a warning or a fine. A player typing "ww" or "gg yo" instead of gg clearly falls under category 3, and there's no need to penalise. But under the present rules, EVERYTHING other than gg is treated the same way, which doesn't make sense.

The same goes for other rules, obviously.

Please KESPA, get this sorted out. SC can't be a sport without proper rules, and the rules now are anything but proper.


Obviously, in this case, both "mistakes" come under category 3. Typing "a", especially, was not going to affect the outcome of the game, and he penalised himself by diverting his attention away from his play.