I wanted to start a thread about SA's verification process, compare that to the industry, and get some feedback from the community about how we operate, in that regard.

For the most part, the majority of online players will never have to go through the verification process - although all are impacted by our Fair Matching system, but some do and there is still some 'mystery' around how players become verified and why they would need to.

Well, what is the verification process? Pretty straight forward, although it can be a hassle for some people. The verification process has two steps. We request video game play of the game in question and a signed document verifying that the player is legit. Seems reasonable, right? Well, some people wish to not go through the process, for whatever reason. The signed document does require photo identification, government issued (driver license, as an example) - which can bother some people. However, the pros outweigh the cons - we can all agree that we do not want a community full of cheaters, so the photo ID is necessary. Plus, you can block out sensitive information, like your driver's license number - but we need the address / name / photo / ect. This is also necessary because it prevents duplicate accounts too, which is also not allowed. The video of the game? Well, most players like to use a free program called Hypercam ( you can Google it and d/l for free) which records your desktop screen while playing. Anyone who is legit in their playing, really shouldn't have a big issue with providing a video of their game play. Even against the argument of giving away secrets/strategy - if you're good enough to require verification, another player using your strategy probably won't harm you.

So, why would a player need to become verified? Two, main reasons, and one catch-all. A player may need to become verified if they are very skilled in a game. How skilled? Well, it depends on the player and the scores they achieve. Consistency, achievement, winnings, ect - all play into the player's skill level and it may warrant us asking the player to become verified. The second reason would be because there is a suspected duplicate account.

You see, for the most part, skill gaming businesses do not allow more than one account per household. At SA, we don't think that is fair, really. It's perfectly plausible that 2 people in the same household want to play with us - a husband and wife, for example. Because of this, we feel we should allow multiple accounts per household, which is why we get them verified. If players register, without notifying us of the multiple account per home, then they will most likely be suspended, or benched, until we sort that out - and that is because we were not aware of the multiple accounts and automatically label them as duplicates, for the safety of the community. All leads back to us providing a safe and fair gaming environment.

What's the third reason? Well, it is at our discretion. Computers, programs, software - all provide excellent security, but sometimes you just can't replace that qualitative analysis straight from a human brain. For that reason, our staff has the authority to require any player to go through the verification process, again in the name of safety and fairness.

You may think that this is unfair or maybe even illegal, but as a business it is our priority to provide the most safe, secure, and fair skill gaming service that we can offer. Also, it is our right to refuse service to anyone - which we don't frequently do, but it is something we can exercise. 

What's the takeaway from all of this? SA considers it a top priority in providing a quality service to our players. Some people can see it as a hassle - but, it's intentions should be understood. There are other skill gaming services out there, but all too often we come across a service that will only drain your time and money. Remember, we - the founder's of SkillAddiction - are skill gamers too. I frequently play in other communities, and it's not only my job, but interest, to find new and emerging skill gaming opportunities. Most of the time, newer communities sacrifice quality, for quantity, which can be disastrous for a skill gamer - especially those playing in cash competitions.

This is starting to get long huh? Well, almost through and onto the Fair Matching topic.

Every skill gaming community has their own fair matching process. And that is important to acknowledge, because there are no governing regulations for how OR that a fair matching system is even needed. Why is that so important? Well, take a quick look around the other skill gaming communities. It is never fun to be matched up against players that greatly outrank your own skill - not to mention that it is no longer fair. Growing communities, new communities, sometimes sacrifice their far matching in order to provide as much gaming potential as possible - translate, that means that anyone can enter and close a tournament. Well, this is good for the business because new players come in and the time it takes to close a tournament is shortened, but is that good for the player? Of course not, odds are that very skilled players acknowledged this and opened up hundreds, if not thousands, of tournaments. So, new players come in, deposit some cash, and are met with impossible to win competitions - where is the fun in that? Of course, even with a fair matching system in place, players can still be matched unfairly - if the skill gaming's fair matching system isn't really fair. It sucks the opportunity out right from the player... not cool.

SA has been acknowledged as having one of the more efficient, better, fair matching systems. It definitely has its issues as well. One of those is that our tournaments can take a while to close - usually for players that have highly increased in their ranking. The economics dictates that there will always be more players in the easier ranks and less and less of a population in the higher ranks. Basically, there will always be more average players than highly skilled players - makes sense, right? But, it is no reason to sacrifice the quality of the fair ranking system. Instead, SA concentrates on providing quality alternatives to players waiting for tournaments to close or participation to pick up. For example, Treasure Hunt is a free game with substantial opportunity. Just today, we had a new, regular member, play Treasure Hunt and win $50! $50, free, just by taking a few minutes and scavenging around the Treasure Hunt. No reason not to check it out! Then here are the You-vs-You tournaments, which close immediately and the token tournaments which are a great cash substitute. Today, we launched the progressive token jackpot tournaments, which is a great way to harvest more skill tokens and reach those prizes. The important thing is to notice smaller skill gaming sites making progress in directions like those - otherwise they may be compromising the fair ranking systems in effort to keep the competition high.

Ok, this is dragging on. Keep up the gaming, win some great prizes, and don't be afraid to get in touch with the SA team. We're always on the lookout for new features you, the players, may want, or games that should be included. Please, leave comments about the topic. Also, head over to the SA Forum where this post has its own thread and other player's responding - it also has some crazy videos of great players and tips that we can all use.

Game on peeps!