Following the recent Ark Nova Arena season, there have been several controversies involving accusations of players deliberately losing games to help others win the season.
Without commenting on any specific accusations, I think a relatively simple change could help prevent situations like these in future.
My suggestion: Keep arena opponents partially anonymous throughout games, rather than just during matchmaking.
Instead of revealing usernames and profiles when a game starts, BGA could display some approximate information about each opponent which may still be appreciated instead of total anonymity :
ELO: Good, Expert, Master, etc.
Arena rank: League or approximate ranking bracket (e.g. Top 100, Top 1,000).
Experience: Approximate number of games played.
Language: Languages spoken.
Players' identities would be revealed once the game finishes.
Why would this help?
Some of the controversies last season appear to involve players unexpectedly finding themselves against someone they would like to see win the season. Even without any premeditated intention to cheat, this creates an opportunity for favouritism and accusations of deliberately throwing games.
Anonymity wouldn't eliminate deliberate match-fixing, but it would make it much harder for these situations to arise incidentally.
With real prizes now sometimes attached to Arena seasons (even if independently organised), I think this small change could meaningfully improve competitive integrity and reduce unnecessary conflict within the community.
I'd be interested to hear what others think, particularly the BGA developers!
p.s. I should add that this was not wholly my idea and id like to thank those who contributed and gave their support
Without commenting on any specific accusations, I think a relatively simple change could help prevent situations like these in future.
My suggestion: Keep arena opponents partially anonymous throughout games, rather than just during matchmaking.
Instead of revealing usernames and profiles when a game starts, BGA could display some approximate information about each opponent which may still be appreciated instead of total anonymity :
ELO: Good, Expert, Master, etc.
Arena rank: League or approximate ranking bracket (e.g. Top 100, Top 1,000).
Experience: Approximate number of games played.
Language: Languages spoken.
Players' identities would be revealed once the game finishes.
Why would this help?
Some of the controversies last season appear to involve players unexpectedly finding themselves against someone they would like to see win the season. Even without any premeditated intention to cheat, this creates an opportunity for favouritism and accusations of deliberately throwing games.
Anonymity wouldn't eliminate deliberate match-fixing, but it would make it much harder for these situations to arise incidentally.
With real prizes now sometimes attached to Arena seasons (even if independently organised), I think this small change could meaningfully improve competitive integrity and reduce unnecessary conflict within the community.
I'd be interested to hear what others think, particularly the BGA developers!
p.s. I should add that this was not wholly my idea and id like to thank those who contributed and gave their support
