In the meantime, let's talk about the growth of eSports, the Overwatch League, and how players are expected to represent their teams. If you follow the League, then you already know about a member of the Dallas Fuel, Félix Lengyel, being suspended after uttering a homophobic comment at an opposing player. He'll be benched for the remaining first round of tournaments. This isn't the first suspension, and will most likely not be the last. But it is a case study into how future players should be expected to hold themselves in the sport.
eSports is young and must overcome a juvenile image to be taken seriously. I.E. "games are for kids." Many of us know that this is not the case, but in the wider world of sports, this is the stereotype. All sports, from Futball to Hockey, require players to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner on and off the field. eSports should not be any different. This is why the teams are cracking down on the behavior of their players. Blizzard certainly won't put up with it, so the teams shouldn't either.
The problem is that trash talking is considered a sport unto it's own. Getting into the heads of your opponents with vitrol words to throw off their game. This has been part of the gaming lexicon since the days of arcade brawls. And for a number of younger gamers, they expect it. They watch the streams, play the games, and assume it's part of the culture. As such they grow up knowing their favorite eSports stars as trash talkers, and want to emulate them.
It's a lot for the Overwatch League to overcome if they expect people to take gaming seriously. Will these slate of suspensions help curb bad behavior? Or will this always be an ongoing issue with eSports without a resolution?
eSports is young and must overcome a juvenile image to be taken seriously. I.E. "games are for kids." Many of us know that this is not the case, but in the wider world of sports, this is the stereotype. All sports, from Futball to Hockey, require players to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner on and off the field. eSports should not be any different. This is why the teams are cracking down on the behavior of their players. Blizzard certainly won't put up with it, so the teams shouldn't either.
The problem is that trash talking is considered a sport unto it's own. Getting into the heads of your opponents with vitrol words to throw off their game. This has been part of the gaming lexicon since the days of arcade brawls. And for a number of younger gamers, they expect it. They watch the streams, play the games, and assume it's part of the culture. As such they grow up knowing their favorite eSports stars as trash talkers, and want to emulate them.
It's a lot for the Overwatch League to overcome if they expect people to take gaming seriously. Will these slate of suspensions help curb bad behavior? Or will this always be an ongoing issue with eSports without a resolution?
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