Helen Jarden
Editor in Chief/Writer
hjarden@lc.edu
Esports are becoming more and more popular, and gaming companies are beginning to notice. The Overwatch League is an esports league created by Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the award-winning game Overwatch.
This year marks the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, and many people are curious as to how it works. There are 12 teams who are participating this season. Much like other sports, each team represents a city. From London to Shanghai, teams all over the world have traveled to Los Angeles to participate in the league. The teams are divided into two divisions of six: Atlantic and Pacific.
Two hours until today's broadcast starts! #OWL2018
This clip was Week 3's most watched social media highlight. Check out @LiNkzrOW's inhuman Widowmaker skills!
Catch today's matches here: https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/zAAMlNTGlB
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) January 31, 2018
Future seasons may have games that occur in other locations, but for this first one all games will occur in the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles.
The preseason, which began on Dec. 6 and continued until Dec. 9, allowed fans to see the teams in action and also helped the teams scope out their competition. Fan favorites, such as Dallas Fuel, quickly gained a following after their skills were displayed in the preseason.
1. @NYXL
2. ?
3. @OutlawsOW
4. ?Our @overwatchleague Week 3 power rankings:https://t.co/zFYjcwkPkN
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) January 30, 2018
The regular season may tell a different story, however. It began on Jan. 10 and will continue into July. Matches occur from Wednesday to Saturday, with three matches take place each day. Each match is composed of four map sets.
There are four stages in the season, and wins and losses are counted towards the teams’ season record. Each stage is five weeks long. On the last Saturday of each stage, the top teams compete to be titled as the stage winner as well as to gain a monetary prize of $125,000.
The top team from each division will advance to the championship playoffs, which occur in July. In addition to this, the top from teams in both divisions will also advance to the playoffs, meaning that there will be a six-team playoff bracket.
If you would like to know more about Overwatch League or watch some of the games, you can do so at https://overwatchleague.com/en-us/.
