There’s a minute and forty seconds left in the match and your team is down by a goal. An opponent’s shot arcs towards you, but you manage to boot it back downfield to stave off their attack. You loop back around to grab the corner boost, start to head back downfield, aaaand find yourself locked head-to-head with an opposing player.

Your battlecar is stuck with the gas pedal to the floor, grinding grills with your opponent and bringing a sudden stillness to what’s normally a chaotic and fluid game. Since every car in Rocket League has identical acceleration and top speed stats, you both know that nobody will win this battle. And yet, neither of you will jump, turn, or flip out of the way to rejoin the ongoing

match.

You’re locked in place until either team scores, you’re bumped by a third battlecar, or you or your opponent admits defeat by backing down. It’s a miniature game of Chicken within a Rocket League match — players are confident their team will be the first to score after initiating the challenge, even without their help.

This is Rocket League’s unwritten Rule Number One, and it’s as old as the game itself.

If you’ve played Rocket League enough, you’ve undoubtedly run into this scenario before. There’s something satisfying about locking heads with an opponent in such a direct (and literal) way, and the game’s competitive spirit only encourages players to challenge each other to a

face off.

A perfect example of Rule Number One comes from Rocket League legend SquishyMuffinz, who followed the rule to a T on-stream and held his opponent in place for almost a whole minute until his team scored. Rule Number One is observed at all levels of Rocket League, and casters and Twitch audiences alike are quick to point out those who break it. Indy Gaming League commissioners Tnow and Smash are no exception, jokingly calling out IGL community member Jakarr for jumping out of the way of a Rule One challenge.

Even in the Rocket League Championship Series, Rocket League’s biggest stage, you’ll see players looking to initiate Rule Number One with others, though it’s often broken rather quickly since the chance at a million dollar prize pool just might be worth more than a bit of virtual bragging rights.

While Rule Number One might just be a silly tradition among Rocket League players, I think there’s a bit more to it. Not only does it show a sense of lightheartedness within an intensely competitive game, it’s yet another example of the accessibility of Rocket League to even the most casual players.

The game is simple to pick up, fun to play, and even the community’s “inside jokes” like Rule Number One are easy to observe and learn, even if you never knew it had a name.