With over 40 million players worldwide Overwatch is one of the leading games in the eSports market and for good reason.
eSports athletes compete in team-based video game competitions. Like other sports, eSport athletes are required to have a significant amount of experience, talent, sharp reflexes, and just a strong overall sense of teamwork.
The industry of eSports has blown up in the past few years and is expected to get even bigger. According to reports put out by Newzoo, the global leader in games and eSports analytics, the global esport market will exceed $1.6 Billion dollars by 2021.
It's growing so fast that even traditional sports teams’ owners are getting in on it. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft paid $20 million to own the Boston-based Overwatch league team.
The game puts players and five teammates against 6 foes. Sure, that sounds like other games, but it’s not. Overwatch is unique because it offers 31 different playable heroes who all bring something different to the table. Within the game, there are three different classes of heroes.
These guys are made to lead the charge. Their primary function is to soak up all the damage and take down heavy defenses, which helps their teammates progress.
Next, there’s the damage class. These heroes love to fight and they thrive on combat, but they are traditionally weak characters, so they need a lot of support from teammates.
Last but not least is my favorite, the support class. These guys are exactly what they sound like -- they support. The Support Class is the backbone of any team and in order to win you need these. Support heroes empower teammates by healing, shielding, and boosting.
With these different classes it's important for a team to know what suits each player and what is needed to win. This is one reason Overwatch is apart from the rest because who you play has consequences for not just yourself, but for your team.
Just like Overwatch, Hocking College is set apart from most two-year schools. This fall, Hocking College introduced their very own esports team. The team is being coached by Steve Wilson, Hocking College’s chief information officer, who has won several tournaments in World of Warcraft.
The campus community should be very excited by this unique opportunity, as this will give anyone a chance to be a part of the team. If you think you would like to give Overwatch a try, contact coach Steve Wilson by emailing wilsons@hocking.edu.
This blog was written by Dakota Crist, a student intern in the Marketing Office at Hocking College. Dakota is in the Animal Assisted Therapy - Canine program and hopes to either open his own boarding facility in the Hocking Hills, or work as an investigator for the Humane Society.