Full, expensive streaming spoils the magic of esports (I miss the Overwatch League)

Esports used to have this kind of magic, an exhilarating feeling that I can’t quite place. It was like we were part of this crazy new thing that wasn’t sure what the hell it was. Stumbling, true, raw, confused.

I missed that feeling a few years ago and couldn’t put my finger on why. What are you lost? Ironically, it may have been the development of the industry that caused it to lose what made it special.

I saw a tweet this weekend from Marvel Rivals caster Max “KEG” Tompkins that brought it all back to me. The seemingly normal tweet sounded like one of those “thinking in the shower” moments, but I think it explains what has gone wrong with esports in the last few years.

“People need to realize that making esports appear complete, sterile, and soulless is far more damaging than the many mistakes or problems you can cause on the air,” KEG said.

And there is. Over the past few years, esports has been trying to become part of mainstream gaming, using high-end productions and involving popular content creators to attract more than just hardcore esports fans.

Between Ludwig Ahgren buying Evo passes to boost his game’s registration numbers and the over-broadcasting of FGC’s most epic battles in history, esports is starting to feel a bit overdone. The hype feels forced as esports tries to be bigger than it is.

I remember being very involved in the sport when the Overwatch League was announced. What drew me to this scene was the inspiration and authenticity. Even though Blizzard used the franchise circuit (an attempt to increase mass appeal by adding home teams), it was clear that no one really knew what they were doing.

It felt very chaotic, players running away from obscene walks and obscene gestures caught by the broadcast, the broadcast mistakenly showing empty seats on the stage, the actors making dirty jokes on air, and the gameplay itself felt chaotic as the viewers failed to show us some of the most important moments of the game.

But it was very sweet. We felt like we were inside a big meme going on. Since we were just thinking and enjoying esports for what it was: the nerds finally got their moment in the spotlight. It’s weird. I can still go back to the old Overwatch League compilations and almost cry. This is what I thought esports would always be like.

YouTube comments reflect this:

As the Overwatch League hype died down, I got involved in more esports topics. I went to the Call of Duty League Grand Finals in 2022, which was held in Los Angeles, and it was a great hype. But it wasn’t the same for me. The guys came out sweaty, the fog was rolling in, and the big multi-screen stadium felt less intimate. It doesn’t sound like celebrating geniuses. It was as if the CDL was trying to say: “We this is not the case geniuses. This is good. Really???”

And it only gets worse from there. Broadcasting League of Legends can apparently cost anywhere from $75,000 to $200,000 per day if we’re talking about major platforms. It’s all very professional, trying to make esports seem legitimate to non-esports fans.

But I have never understood this desire to appeal to gamers and casual sports fans. Why do we work so hard and face huge financial losses in an effort to become so great? We were happy when this was over. There it was focused on the fans.

I come from the fighting game community, so maybe I’m a gatekeeper. But I saw glimpses of that OG esports magic at FGC events. These tournaments are often the “wild west” of the sports industry, with professionals offering money matches and fans in a friendly environment, people betting on Top 8 times, and winners breaking chairs and crying on stage. The broadcast is amazing and the places are stage, screen, and seats. There are no spectacular walkouts, no echoing play-by-plays from the cast.

But even the FGC was marred by Saudi Arabia’s push to make esports bigger than it should have been on its agenda. Inviting content creators (who don’t power fighting games) to have a demo game at Evo isn’t necessarily the end of the world, but it’s not the genesis of the FGC. It screams a desire to be seen and validated rather than a true fan.

We miss imperfection, anger, mistakes, authenticity. The incredible hype and developer of the latest streaming doesn’t hit the same. It feels like the esports industry is putting on a show for investors and the general, busy public thinking that going to Paris for the Esports World Cup is attractive. These are not real fans. Why do we feed them? Why do we do it for them?

I think the sports industry would save a lot of money if they would admit that they are a niche in the gaming community and focus on true fans. Get rid of mass media and products. Enjoy it like we used to. I can’t be alone and miss what it was like.