Online Tournament Guide
Overview
This page of ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ’s online tournament guide provides a high-level overview of how online tournaments should work. Individual tournament directors have considerable latitude to use different technologies and implement different policies, but ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ believes that following this guide results in the best experience.
- The notion of a game room will be replaced by that of a meeting (that lasts for the entire day of competition).
- Moderators and scorekeepers will be assigned to game rooms similarly to how this happens at in-person tournaments.
- Players will sign into the appropriate game rooms in analogy to following a schedule directing them to physical rooms at the school.
- Players will also log into a BuzzIn room on the BuzzIn.Live site, which will act as the buzzer system. This can be done on either the same computer as Zoom or on the player’s smartphone.
- The moderator will read questions aloud. Answers will be given orally (not typed).
- The scorekeeper (who may also be the moderator) will track scores using an online spreadsheet.
- With a few exceptions related to timing games, answering bonuses, and audio issues, the rules for gameplay are the standard Official ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ Rules.
Overall, the individual games should operate very much like traditional, in-person quiz bowl: players form teams, there are tossups and bonuses, questions and answers are spoken, and so on. The biggest changes are things that will be done in advance: acquiring audio equipment, installing Zoom, and just getting comfortable with the new environment.
ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ knows the early months of the competition year will be a learning experience for everybody, but we hope that most of this guide will seem like second nature by January.
If you are new to ÎÞÓǶÌÊÓƵ’s online tournament guide, we recommend moving on to our advice for people in specific roles (player, moderator, etc.) at tournaments.