Blizzard shows setup for big tournament – but that reminds many of LAN parties from 2008
The Overwatch League is Blizzard’s official esports league for team shooters. But the place where the pros compete against each other doesn’t really look professional to many.
What is this tournament? The Overwatch League is a professional esports league for the team shooter Overwatch. This regularly hosts games in which Overwatch professionals compete against each other.
In the meantime, the 2022 season is almost half over and for this reason the “Overwatch League Midseason Madness” has been started. There is not only a unique skin for the character Mercy, but also pictures from the tournament room have been presented.
But exactly this room, where the pros are supposed to play against each other, is criticized by many people. Because this place is anything but professional and is more reminiscent of LAN parties from the decade before last.
Official setting for professional gamers looks like it’s from 2008
What is it about? A professional Overwatch player posted the picture of the competition venue on Twitter and wrote: “Tomorrow will be safe… Exciting?!!”. There were many comments on the official setting. That’s not appropriate for professional gamers.
What exactly is being criticized? Many users criticize that the whole room is simply unsuitable for competitive gaming:
- The teams’ tables are too close together. You are guaranteed to hear everything the opposing team is discussing.
- If you stretch out your feet, you would catch the opponents on the other side.
- The cable management also has to take criticism. Because that doesn’t seem to be the case.
- Many also find the rounded tabletop no longer modern.
Some cannot believe what they are seeing. As someone writes: “This is by no means the current setup.”
Soe Gschwind-Repp or Soembie, a well-known caster and analyst for the Overwatch League, also criticized the situation presented on Twitter. She writes on Twitter:
At this point I’m convinced that someone was actively trying to put together a 2008 lan throwback setup. As…?!
If I fight me either [throw hands] or can play foot with my opponent, I’m just too close.
Are there also positive voices? There are also people who don’t see it all quite so dramatically. For example, professionals should be able to use very good gaming headsets that offer reliable noise cancellation. This way you should not be able to hear anything from the opposing teams.
And if you’re wondering why there’s only room for 5 people on either side, you’ve missed the most important change in Overwatch 2. Because the developers have reduced the team size in Overwatch to 5v5. And this has a lasting effect on the entire gaming experience:
Overwatch 2 throws out a tank, is only 5vs5 – this also applies to part 1
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