Overview

Beyond the Game™ Challenges engage students in exploration and understanding of the variety of career pathways in the esports ecosystem. In today’s world, particularly the burgeoning esports industry, an understanding of business principles and entrepreneurship is key. Venture Valley is a free-to-play video game that brings entrepreneurship skills to life as players build businesses and complete virtual in-game challenges.

NASEF’s Entrepreneurship Beyond the Game™ Challenge will be offered beginning in Fall 2023. Participants will download and play the popular, free game of Venture Valley, striving to get the leading score for Valuation, Revenue, and/or Sales. Entrants will be judged on a combination of their score and a video they submit that summarizes their learning experience. 

Challenge Sponsor: Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship, 177 E Colorado Blvd, Suite 200, Pasadena, CA 91105.      

Challenge Administrator: NASEF, Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations, 1428 Tugaloo Drive NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319 

Eligibility

All students who submit a Beyond the Game Challenge must: 

• Be an active member of a Club activated in NASEF, the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations.
• Complete registration on the Beyond The Game webpage. The registration form must be completed by an Adult Facilitator (educator, parent or guardian). If you are competing in the collegiate division, you do not need an Adult Facilitator.
• The Adult Facilitator will be responsible for their team(s).
• Each team member must live in the United States or Canada.
• Each team member must read and agree to the Team Guide.
• Each team member (under 18 years old) must have parent approval in order to be eligible to compete for their team.
• Throughout the competition, entries:
  • is obscene or offensive;
  • unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, professional or age group;
  • endorses any form of hate or hate group;
  • invades privacy; or
  • violates any applicable law
• Must be your own original work.
• Must not contain any content that:

Schedule 

• January 23, 2024: Registration begins 
• March 18, 2024: Survey distributed to Adult Facilitators for participant completion
• Friday, May 3, 2024: Final submissions due 
• Tuesday, May 14, 2024: Winners announced

Code of Conduct

We hold our partners, Players, Adult Facilitators, Coaches and beyond to the same standard: ensure our esports environment is inclusive, supportive and excellent.

As a team member, Adult Facilitator, Coach, or team supporter in our competition, you agree to: 

• Speak Positively About All Others
• Be Respectful of Others with the Words You Use
• Choose Your Usernames and Nicknames Carefully
• Avoid Harassment, Because Yes Always Means Yes
• Stay Away from Verbal Harassment by Thinking About Your Words
• Respect Everyone’s Personal Space
• Show Respect to Others with Your Words and Actions
• Embrace Diversity of All Kinds
• Keep Speech Positive and Uplifting
• Keep Your Hands to Yourself & Never Express Yourself Violently
• Keep Your and Anyone Else’s Personal Information Private

As a player, while competing in any round of the competition and live events, you agree to: 

• Play Fairly Against Each Other
• Don’t Team Up with Opposing Teams to “Game the System”
• Don’t Install Hacks or Exploits to Cheat
• Don’t Seek an Advantage Through Game Bugs
• Always Obey the Law
• Don’t Bet On Matches
• Never Bribe Anyone - Win the Right Way
• If You Wouldn’t Say it in Front of Your Grandmother, Don’t Say It Online
• Use Your Words to Lift Up Others, Not Bring Them Down
• Respect Your Teammates, Opponents, and Their Property
• If You’ve Been Asked to Sit Out, Serve Your Time & Learn Your Lesson

Reporting Misconduct

If you experience any form of misconduct from other teams, Adult Facilitators, or any other NASEF affiliated parties, please use this form to report the incident. We thrive to keep the NASEF community safe and welcome to individuals of all backgrounds. The form can be completed by any team member, Adult Sponsor, spectator, etc.

Participation

How to register

1. If you haven't yet, join NASEF free to unlock student opportunities in esports.
2. Sign up on the Google form to get your teams registered. 

Team Requirements | How Many Team Members Can a Team Field?

There are no limits to the number of teams participating from each site.

In the multiplayer games, there are three different maps that allow different numbers of players. You can set up teams in these from 2V2 up to 3V3.

• Mapleburgs - 4 players
• Brickyard - 5 players 
• The Palms - 6 players

Download and How to Play Guides 

Download Venture Valley from the website.

Check out this guide for educators on how to use it in your classroom and a more in depth guide on how to download the game.

Check out this guide on how to play Venture Valley.

Leaderboard and How to Submit Your Score

After completing a game on Venture Valley, make sure to take a screenshot of your score. In order to be eligible for prizes, you must:

1. Submit your score on our leaderboard.
2. Record your video on Flip or using your own software and upload it to our Flip group. If preferred, students may submit a written reflection addressing the same questions in lieu of the video. Please submit the written reflection on our leaderboard.

How to Create A Flip Account

• Go to info.flip.com and log in.
• At the top right, click Signup.
• Choose Sign Up with Microsoft, Sign Up with Google, or Sign Up with Apple.
• Important: Verify you have a Microsoft, Google, or Apple account. Even if your email doesn't end with @outlook.com, @gmail.com, or @icloud.com, it may still be associated with Microsoft, Google, or Apple. Learn more about how to find out if your email is associated with Microsoft, Google, or Apple.
• Choose an email.
  • If you're going to use Flip for your school or organization, use the email provided by them to sign up.
  • If you've logged in to your Microsoft, Google, or Apple account on the same browser, you'll find that email listed as an option to create an account.
• Important:
• Click Create account.

How to use Flip

To access your Flip account, please follow these instructions:

• Go to: https://flip.com/5d2aed76 
• Login with your Flip account.
• When you’re ready to record or upload your video. Click on the topic you are planning to submit to. Click “Record” and record your video. If you created your own video using your own software, you can click on the top right icon, to upload a clip.

Judging Guidelines

Categories for entry:

• Highest business valuation (ie business revenue plus loans or loans paid off & investments = the overall health and wealth of a business)
• Most revenue generated (the most $ achieved in a business) 
• Sells of the highest number of units of products (ie number of pizzas or movie theater tickets sold)

Rubric / Thought Starters for Students: 

• When did you play cards, and why? How did you structure your deck (or did you use Auto-Deck)?
• What cards or strategies  did you find most useful and why? Did you use mostly defense (Blue), offense (Red), or a mixture?
• What did you do to draw in customers (low prices, good service (wages), marketing, cleanliness)? Did you buy marketing? If so, what kind and why?
• As your business grew, did you adjust prices and wages to reflect changes? This can be how you determine a "good" or "Optimal" selling price for products, using the leaderboard or your competition for information, or offering bonuses to workers.
• Did you pay off your loan early, and if so, why?
• What would be your main takeaway from this competition?

Prizing

Prizes are limited to one prize per player/team. 

Technical Requirements

All team members are responsible for ensuring the performance for their chosen setup, including computer hardware, peripherals, internet connection, and power. 

For NASEF x Venture Valley Entrepreneurship Beyond the Game™ Challenge,  technical requirements include but are not limited to:

• Venture Valley can be installed on a PC, iPad/iPhone/Mad, Chromebook or Android phone. Read here for more information.
• Flip works on almost any device with a camera. Read here for more information.
• Internet connectivity and power

Player Equipment Responsibility 

All Players are responsible for ensuring the performance for their chosen setup, including computer hardware, peripherals, internet connection, and power. 

Announcements

Large announcements, general information and challenge details can be found here: NASEF x Venture Valley Entrepreneurship Beyond the Game™ Challenge. The website and emails will serve as an information hub for Teams. 

Email

Event updates, sessions, and general NASEF news will be emailed to Adult Sponsors throughout the competition. If you have any questions please email NASEF at [email protected] or Venture Valley / Tech Support at [email protected]. 

Official Rules

Reservation of Rights

NASEF reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the competition, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, human error or any other factor within or outside of the NASEF’s control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the competition, as determined by NASEF. If the competition is so terminated, NASEF reserves the right to determine the winners of said competition from among all non-suspect Participants.

Official Rules

School / Organization grants will be issued in the form of a check or wired payment. Student participant awards will be issued as an electronic gift card. The Adult Facilitator for winners will be notified at the email address provided during registration. In addition, winners will be notified by email at their Valid Email Address which is the email on their Game user account. Winners who don’t respond to the email notification within five (5) days will forfeit their prize.

Entrants agree that the Sponsor and/or Administrator have the sole right to decide all matters and disputes arising from this Contest and that all decisions are final and binding in all respects. Acceptance of the prize constitutes permission from the prize Winner and Winner’s Parent or Legal Guardian for Sponsor and Administrator and their public relations/promotional agencies to use the prize Winner’s name, prize, biographical information, state of residence, and likeness for public relations, advertising and promotional purposes online and in print, or in other media, in connection with the Contest, Game and Sponsor and Administrator activities without additional compensation unless prohibited by law.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Game Entries received. In the event of any dispute regarding who is the Entrant that submitted a Game Entry, the potential Winner must provide acceptable proof that the potential Winner is, in fact the individual that played the Game. By entering, Entrants agree to abide by and be bound by these rules and the judges’ decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this
Contest. Prize is non-transferable. Any and all federal, state, and local taxes, and any other related expenses on prizes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winner. In order to claim the prize, the Winners must provide the necessary verifiable legal information (e.g. name and
social security number) to the Administrator for issuance of the appropriate IRS tax documentation and to receive their prize. Prizes which are not claimed in the manner above
may, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, not be awarded. By entering and/or accepting the prize (if Entrant is also a Winner), Entrants and Winners agree that neither Sponsor nor Administrator or their respective, parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, directors, officers or employees will have any
liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, harm, damage, cost, or expense arising from or in connection with participation in this Contest or any prize related activities, or the acceptance, possession, use and/or misuse of a prize including, without limitation, any personal injury or death. Entrant is hereby made aware that Sponsor and/or Administrator may record the registration, Contest, and individual Game play for marketing purposes and hereby grants Sponsor the unlimited, worldwide right to use Entrant’s likeness, Game play, and any other recorded events that depict the Entrant for any such purpose, including recorded interviews by Sponsor and/or Administrator. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the Contest at any time for any reason.

Sponsor reserves the right to update the Contest period and times at any time. Users should refer to the Venture Valley Beyond the Game Challenge landing page for the latest Contest status and details.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Sponsor is not responsible for any lost, misdirected, delayed or illegible entries, nor for any incorrect or inaccurate information (including email address), whether caused by the Entrant, Administrator or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Game, Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of entries or the operation of the Game. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Sponsor is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line-systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of email on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof.  If, for any reason, the contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this contest, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. 

OTHER. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING, REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Without limiting the foregoing, Sponsor may disqualify any Entrants from the Contest who act in an inappropriate manner, fail to comply with Game and site rules or Administrator’s instructions, or deliberately damage, tamper with or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest.

DISPUTES: Entrant and potential Entrants agree that: (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, this Contest (including, without limitation, any alleged violation of these Official Rules, any controversy relating to the arbitrability of any dispute, or any claim that these Official Rules (or any part thereof) are invalid, illegal, or otherwise voidable (or void) shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class
action, or any other types of actions and exclusively by arbitration to be held solely in Chicago, Illinois under the auspices of the American Arbitration Association; (b) any and all claims, judgments, liabilities, and/ or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entrant’s participation in this Contest or otherwise accessing this Contest, and in no event will Entrant or a potential Entrant be entitled to receive attorneys’ fees or other legal costs; and (c) under no circumstances will Entrant or a potential Entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives, all rights to claim, punitive, special, incidental, and/or consequential damages and any other damages, other than out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. Judgment upon the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. This arbitration provision shall be deemed to be self-executing, and in the event that either party fails to appear at any properly noticed arbitration proceeding, an award may be entered against such party notwithstanding said failure to appear. In no event shall entrant seek or be entitled to rescission, injunctive, or other equitable relief or to enjoin or restrain the operation of this Contest, exploitation of any advertising or other materials issued in connection therewith, or exploitation of this Contest or any content or other material used or displayed on this Contest. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Illinois, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules.

ENTRANTS HEREBY WAIVE THEIR RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL WITH RESPECT TO ALL CLAIMS AND ISSUES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS CONTEST WHETHER SOUNDING IN CONTRACT OR TORT AND INCLUDING ANY CLAIM FOR FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT THEREOF.

PRIVACY: Information collected from an entrant is subject to Sponsor’s Game privacy policy. https://venturevalleygame.com/site-privacy-policy/