Arena: NA LCS Finals Referees

Riot·9/8/2017, 5:49:19 PM·1 votes·20,326 views

You might have spotted us on stage behind the NA LCS pros, or learned a bit about us in Anatomy of a Pause. We’re the NA LCS Referees.

My name is Raven “Riot Raves” Keene and I’m the NA LCS Head Referee. Myself and all the Finals refs are taking you behind the scenes like CaptainFlowers at TD Garden in Boston. The pros and us have a set routine at the NA LCS studio -- but when we hit the road, everything changes.

Touchdown

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Before Finals begin, we try to make sure everything is working perfectly. However, the stage, pro computers, headsets, and our workspace called the Quality Control Pit (QC Pit) where we monitor and watch the games need to be set up before we can get to work testing the setup at Boston’s TD Garden.

When we land in Boston, I check to see if the venue setup is running ahead of schedule. It’s not, so I gather the referees up to go try out some local cuisine and do some team bonding. No matter where I travel for NA LCS or international events, I always make it my mission to find pizza and desserts. I’ll usually prioritize ice cream above other desserts, but since Boston is known for cannolis, this will do just fine.

Getting Ready

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Once I hear the venue is set up, we head to the venue to make sure the stage is ready. We check for:

Sightlines: Can pros see any of the game feed screens from their seats?
Stage wobbliness: Is it disruptive when someone walks across the stage?
Audio: Are all the player, coach, and referee headsets working?
Lighting: Is the lighting too bright? Or dark? Are there distracting spotlights during special moments?
Equipment: Are all the computers, monitors, and chairs set up and ready for the pros? Did anything get damaged while traveling to the venue?

While the final adjustments are being made, we walk around TD Garden together to nail down our routes and review the flow of show. We confirm how the pros will be entering and exiting the arena, the fastest route to their practice rooms, find the nearest bathrooms, and locate the pro player table. This table has drinks, cups with lids, hand warmers, and snacks, in case the pros want any last minute items before going on stage.

After we’ve walked the venue and we’ve confirmed the stage is ready, event staff queue up for several in-house games called Playtests. During Playtests, we simulate actual games on stage with stand-in refs and coaches, headsets, cameras, big screens, etc. to experience playing League of Legends in the venue. After each Playtest, we confirm that there was nothing disruptive to the testers and we find solutions to any issues they bring up.

Peripheral Checks + Rehearsals

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Today is our last chance to make sure everything is ready for the Finals games tomorrow. We’ll continue to run Playtests and continue to test various situations (such as pauses and Chronobreak) to make sure everything is working as intended.

Once we’re sure of everything, the pros come on stage to test their equipment (mouse and keyboard). After the peripheral checks are done, the pros will do a full rehearsal with the Broadcast team to finalize the flow of the show (opening ceremony, how they exit and return to stage, huddle spots, etc.) so we’re on the same page about where everyone needs to be during the games (and before, and after).

Finals begins

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Before the pros and coaches go on stage for the opening ceremony, we’ll do a quick metal detector scan to make sure they don’t have any unauthorized equipment on them such as cell phones. Before the broadcast begins, the pros will go on stage, set up their peripherals, and we’ll run through their pre-game checklist to ensure there are no delays between opening ceremony and the games start. After they leave the stage for the opening ceremony and return to their practice rooms, the refs will accompany them (as they do at huddles) to coordinate times to come back to stage, coordinate side selection as well as substitutes, and also to make sure they do not attempt to use any devices like electronics. After the opening ceremony is done, the pros will go to their computers and refs will join them on stage.

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During Finals, I’ll watch from backstage in the QC Pit with Live Operations (the people responsible for running the show) and my on-call duty referees to make sure I don’t spot anything weird during gameplay or hear anything odd on player audio.

Sometimes, accidents happen on stage -- like a spilled drink, luckily, we’re ready to help out when they do. We’ll also communicate these delays with Live Ops to the rest of the event team so they know what happened and how long we’re looking at being out of game such as “TSM spilled water. 4 minutes ETA.”

Back on the road again

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Once the Finals broadcast ends, it is all hands on deck. All the refs jump in to help tear down the stage. The more people that help out, the faster we can get these cases back on the road for our next event.

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RAVEN "RIOT RAVES" KEENE works on a team focused on supporting the operations of NA LCS and international events. Riot Raves is the NA LCS Head Referee and currently serves as Head Referee at several international events including 2017 Mid-Season Invitational and World Championship. He also coordinates patch timelines with the gameplay team to minimize disruptions around major events. This ice cream aficionado (3 pints or bust) and dessert connoisseur is always looking for better places to appease his sweet tooth. Tweet @RiotRaves your S+ dessert recommendations.