Best Practices for E-sports Filtering

E-sports in educational settings is gaining momentum, but balancing network security with a seamless gaming experience can be challenging. This guide outlines best practices for filtering esports-related traffic through Securly Filter, especially for Windows devices. We'll discuss Securly's different filtering methods, how they impact esports, and offer solutions for specific services like Epic Games that require bypassing filters. Additionally, we’ll suggest a simpler alternative by placing esports devices on a guest network.

Filtering Methods

1. DNS Filtering

   • How it works: DNS filtering intercepts requests at the domain level and blocks access to harmful or inappropriate websites. This method can also block entire services categorized as gaming or entertainment.
   • Impact on Esports: DNS filtering may block necessary esports services or games, as these platforms often fall under entertainment categories. Windows devices are typically impacted when accessing services like Steam, Epic Games, or Blizzard's Battle.net.
   • Best Practice: Identify necessary esports domains and add them to the global allowlist. This ensures students can access gaming platforms while other inappropriate sites remain blocked.

   Guide:

   • Add required esports domains like Epic Games, Steam, or Riot Games to your DNS allowlist.

2. SmartPAC Filtering

   • How it works: SmartPAC offers more granular control by intercepting HTTP and HTTPS traffic at the browser level.
   • Impact on E-sports: SmartPAC can inadvertently block e-sports platforms. For instance, if Epic Games Launcher traffic is filtered, students may face connection issues.
   • Best Practice: Add specific esports-related domains to the global allow list in Securly, allowing the traffic to bypass the filtering system.

   Guide:

   • Use wildcard entries for domains that need to be bypassed. For example, add *.epicgames.com and other related subdomains to the bypass list. 
   • Make sure to account for download servers, authentication, and service-specific domains.

Handling Specific Gaming Platforms

1. Epic Games Launcher

   • Problem: Epic Games Launcher requires access to multiple subdomains for login and game services.
   • Solution: Add these domains to the global allowlist:
     *.epicgames.com

     *.unrealengine.com

     *.download.epicgames.com

     *.tracking.epicgames.com

     Be cautious with domains like *.akamaized.net, which shouldn’t use wildcards.

   Guide: Add Epic Games domains to your global allow list or bypass list to ensure smooth operation.

2. Steam

   • Problem: Steam requires access to both login and download services.
   • Solution: Add the following Steam-related domains to your allow list or bypass list:
     *.steampowered.com

     *.steamcommunity.com

     *.steamusercontent.com

     *.valvesoftware.com

   Guide: Refer to our KB article on allowing Steam through Securly filters.

3. Blizzard’s Battle.net

   • Problem: Battle.net uses secure connections for game management and chat services.
   • Solution: Add these Blizzard domains to your bypass list:
     *.blizzard.com

     *.battle.net

     *.worldofwarcraft.com

     *.overwatch.com

   Guide: Ensure the Battle.net launcher works correctly by allowing these domains through the filters.

Using the Guest Network for Esports Devices

An alternative method to ensure esports devices have uninterrupted access to gaming platforms is to place them on the guest network. Devices on the guest network, filtered by Securly Guest DNS, bypass many of the restrictions applied to regular student or faculty networks, allowing esports services to function without additional configuration.

Benefits:

• No need to manually configure allowlists for esports domains.
• Devices on the guest network avoid typical filtering that may block gaming platforms.
• Ensures minimal interference with regular network policies while providing esports access.

Guide:

• Place all esports gaming devices on the guest network.
• Configure the guest network to use Securly Guest DNS, which provides a more relaxed filtering policy suitable for gaming.

Best Practices Summary

1. DNS and SmartPAC Filtering: Use these filtering methods to manage esports platforms effectively by adding relevant domains to the allowlist or bypass list.
2. Guest Network for E-sports Devices: Consider placing esports devices on the guest network with Securly Guest DNS to avoid filtering issues altogether.