Be still the beating heart, it appears as though CSPPA has managed to make headway in spite of their bickerings with certain tournament organizers over allegations of misconduct.
In spite of the disagreements, it appears that CSPPA has managed to take a first step in ensuring players aren’t working for twelve hours straight in the near future, as both Dreamhack and ESL have come to the table to discuss how the TOs could offer amendments of the tournament schedule to ensure that players have enough time to rest during the day.
CSPPA is also a player-led organization; they could have simply been too busy grinding matches to work closely with TOs.
A growing problem and concern as the logistics that were standard were suddenly canceled, and matches could be held between anyone and everyone with little notice to raucous applause to fans (until they started to get burned out too).
This resulted in teams playing for upwards of sixteen hours a day in some cases as they bounce from server to server in a never-ending grind of Counter-Strike that would probably be enjoyable for the average human for roughly a day until exhaustion seeped in.
Matches played at the beginning of the day would look drastically different from matches at the end with the same team, meaning that not only were players being burned out at an obscene rate but the matches were only vaguely competitive as one team (or both) would be fatigued to the point that they struggled with tactics and coordination.
Last night, CSPPA put forth a tweet outlining the agreements made between the three organizations to ensure player health and well-being.
First step in the right direction @ESLCS, @DreamHackCSGO. pic.twitter.com/xeFjtVHx0b
— Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association (@CSPPAgg) October 8, 2020
It’s all generally pleasant to read, minus the first aspect that removes round-robin formats from the group stage. That in itself isn’t the worst idea unless you’re a fan of a low-tier team that has suddenly been thrust onto a stage due to a lack of competition; enjoy the showings while they last.
A second note is that all matches will be scheduled so that ‘no match ends after midnight’ to ensure players are well-rested (as they hop into FPL matches on streams), and that finals and semifinals will both be played only after both teams have a minimum of three rest days.
Even if you are a bit flummoxed with how CSPPA has handled certain recent events, this is a solid agreement that can be built upon both to protect the players and the integrity of the sport.