Overwatch is a game franchise from Blizzard which encourages cooperation between and amongst players. Owing to this, when playing the game, players only play as part of a six players’ team. Overwatch is a first person shooter game with the main objective being to annihilate the opposing team to win the game.
As the game starts, the player is presented with an opportunity to choose a character (hero) from a list with over two dozen unique characters. Each of these characters does come with his own specific set of skills and abilities. However, the characters are generally classified into three groups according to the skill set and abilities they possess. These three groups are as follows:
- Damage Heroes: Damage heroes cause the most damage to members from the opposing team or their control points
- Tank Heroes: Tank heroes are able to absorb the greatest amount of damage that may be caused by the opposing team
- Support Heroes: Support heroes are there to offer support which can come in the form of healing during gameplay
While the game characters are generally classified into three groups, players ought to know that during gameplay, they are able to change their game characters. This of course being in line with Overwatch’s aim to encourage dynamic team compositions which adapt to different situations.
Overwatch as an eSport
According to the game developer, Overwatch is a game that was developed without focusing much on eSports and its related benefits. Rather, the main motivation behind the creation of the video game was to build a “great competitive game”. However, though this is the case, the popularity of Overwatch amongst gamers necessitated the game to be incorporated into the eSports realm.
The first foray of Overwatch into the eSports realm came in August 2016 when the eSports organizer ESL designed an Overwatch competition dubbed Overwatch Atlantic Showdown. Since then, more and more Overwatch eSport competitions, tournaments and leagues have been organized. Looking at the year 2021, the Overwatch tournaments that players and fans alike can look forward to include:
Overwatch Major Tournaments for 2021 (All events Online)
- Overwatch League 2021 – May Melee: May 1 – May 8 – Prize Pool ($225 000)
- Overwatch League 2021 – June Joust: June 5 – June 12 – Prize Pool ($225 000)
- Overwatch League 2021 – Summer: July 10 – July 17 – Prize Pool ($225 000)
- Overwatch League 2021 – Countdown Cup: August 14 – August 21 ($225 000)
- Overwatch League 2021 – Regular: April 15 – August 22 – Prize Pool ($4 250 000)