Competitive Team-Based Game Such as Overwatch

Many people would argue that sitting around all day playing video games is a waste of time. People would see it as being lazy, that you are not doing anything with your life, and you are just being useless altogether. But what if I were to tell you that is not the case. If you were to take competitive gaming and compare it with the dictionary definition of what would be considered a sport you would see that there is a shocking amount of similarities. As we create and adapt to new technology, we should also do the same for entertainment. Whenever someone supports converting competitive gaming into a sport, they are not trying to say that this is the new age of sports, but there needs to be recognition that it is an actual sporting event. Games that demand thought and strategy should be considered a sport.

When people hear about competitive gaming as a sport, they automatically go to the excuse that there is no actual physical activity involved. While this is true it is a completely irrational point. There are loads of sports that do not require a lot of physical activity, which are still considered a sport. Sports such as chess, darts and golf do not require you to be at the apex of human physical condition and there also is not a whole lot of physical activity going on there. But they do require you to have a vast amount of focus and talent. Just like any other sport competitive gamers practice for hours trying to become the best at the game they play.

When people are playing a competitive team-based game such as Overwatch, they need to have lightning fast reactions, think quickly and be able to come up with strategies while the other team does the same. These occurrences are fickle which is why you need to be able to think fast and be able to adapt to what is going on around you at all times. Overwatch is a team based multiplayer first-person shooter. There are two teams that play against each other, both teams consist of six players. 

The rules are simple one team will be tasked with attacking an objective while the other team defends the objective. After each round both teams will swap objectives. For a team to be victorious they will need harmonise together and have very good communications in order to complete the task at hand successfully. But not everything goes according to plan, for example the attacking team could think that they have come up with a plan that is going to secure them the win but the defending team predict this and make a counter play and now the attacking team have lost the team fight. If you do not adapt to the game, you will lose.

Practice is very important for athletes so that they can improve and make less mistakes. We know that athletes get exceptional amounts of practice so that they can stay at peak performance and build a relationship with their team. The same goes for gaming. If someone is taking a game seriously to a competitive level, they will most likely dedicate their time to practice. People that are trying to improve at a game they play competitively will have to try and look out for their mistakes and will try to come up with a solution to improve. Competitive gamers will need to be able play for hours without losing focus and always play for consistency. As you are playing with the same people for hours, you will need to build a bond with your teammates so that you can have better teamwork.

If you have played a game to a competitive level or you do not take games seriously then you probably will not know what it is like to watch a play being made. If you did not know a ‘play’ is when someone does something in the game that would be considered a significant moment in the game. But sometimes these plays are usually risk vs reward choices that could bless or deplore the team. The torrent of adrenaline flowing through the players as the play is being made, everything seems to be happening very slowly. Then it ends. Things quieten down and the bright victory screen appears.

What most people try to argue, is that professional gaming will get you no where in life, that it is a waste of time. According to business insider, Professional gamers in the Overwatch League earn fifty thousand dollars a year that also comes with healthcare, a retirement savings plan and housing. But Professional Fortnite player Bugha won three million dollars from the Fortnite world cup and the top four players won over one million dollars. But that is only from one tournament, these players also play in multiple tournaments with prize pools that could be worth thousands or even millions. But not only do they get money from playing in tournaments, but they also get money from streaming. 

Usually, professional gamers will have thousands of people watching their streams. A lot of people like to watch professional gamers play just like a football fan would if they were watching professional footballers play. This then converts into advertisement; sponsors and the viewers can also donate or subscribe to their channel. Not only can you get a job with competitive gaming but at some universities and colleges it can also get you a scholarship. Yep, you can now get a scholarship by playing for your universities/colleges esports team. These professional gamers are making a living by doing what they love and are able to compete with others to be the best just like any other sport.

So, if you want to become a competitive gamer and go pro, now would be the time to. And if you are able to achieve that you will then have a stable income of an above average salary or even more. You will also have healthcare, a retirement savings plan and housing if you join a team. It is also worth noting that at the rate competitive gaming is spreading all over the world, it will most likely become known as a mainstream sport. There is a vast number of fans for esports all over the world, which will only grow as esports broadens the world.