Welcome to The Overwatch Casual Report! If you clicked on this link, you’re probably a fellow fan of Overwatch, and interested in learning more. I thought I would just take this week’s post to let you know my intentions in creating this website.
I created OCR with the intent to be a kind of periodical for “casual” fans of Overwatch and the Overwatch League. When I say “casual,” I have a big tent of people in mind. What I generally mean, though, is people like me, people who play Overwatch for a handful of time a week as a hobby. It’s a game, and “casuals” treat it as such. Casuals approach competitive Overwatch with the mentality of playing pickup basketball; you try your hardest, but you’re really just there to have fun.
The OW community in particular is notorious for its toxicity, bolstered by a strong devotion to the SR ranking system. The average Overwatch player is in gold, and everyone seems to forget that. We see storylines about the exceptional players, the Top 500 players who will be doing this for a living. As it is with video game culture, people become so familiar with this caliber of player that it becomes the norm. So many people who I see in Overwatch take it way too seriously, and that’s a problem.
Don’t misconstrue my last sentence as an excuse to be a leaver or a thrower. Just because you don’t have a future career in something isn’t a valid excuse to not give 100%, especially if you’re in competitive play. But the truth is, most of us simply won’t get to that high level. Statistically speaking, most of us won’t even make it to plat. If you’re in high diamond, you are in a very talented minority, and even that’s nowhere near enough to be on the big stage with JJoNak or SoOn.
I should know all this, because I’m part of the statistically unexceptional faction of Overwatch players. I have never climbed out of high silver. I main heroes with very little to no aiming needed (I’m a main tank main, especially Reinhardt). When I queue with my higher-ranked friends, I’m not much more than the Aquaman to our Justice League, if Aquaman had poor reflexes and got bullied into playing Mercy. And that’s okay.
Anyway, I’ll do my best to bring you weekly articles on the game and on Overwatch League. There won’t be any articles on what DPS to pick to solo carry out of bronze, or any in-depth VOD analysis explaining how to track enemy ults. This is a website by a casual, and for anyone who wants to hear my perspective.
We will start with a weekly Overwatch Main Review, where I run through one of the six big Overwatch positions (main and off tank, hitscan and projectile DPS, main and flex support), starting next week with main tanks. Check back next week for a casual’s take on Reinhardt, Orisa, and Winston gameplay. For all my fellow main tanks out there, I know these CC abilities are getting you down, but hang in there. You’re doing great.
See you next week.
The Overwatch Casual Report 