Playing Overwatch at the highest level can be a daunting task for the players. Many of the players are very young and it is their first experience at such kind of success. However, with success, the players also have to deal with the fans’ expectations and wrath during their failures. With the number of fans for any player in the top tier of Overwatch running into thousands and millions, it is a difficult task for the player.
Last year, Effect had problems in dealing with these pressure situations and had to take a break from the OWL. In a carefully worded statement after their victory over Seoul Dynasty, this is what Effect had to say.
We were able to win against Seoul Dynasty but after this match, rather than my mistakes, I became more worried about the level of hate Seoul Dynasty players would receive from the fans.
It pained me just thinking about the stress they would have to endure from this loss. How do they do it? As for me, my mentality is really weak… If I were a player in the Seoul Dynasty, I would have already died from the pressure. I was thinking about those things as I took the taxi home after the match, and as expected there were insults towards Dynasty and my performance all around me. I hope fans don’t cross the line. There are too many fans that go overboard.
Effect plays for Dallas Fuel and is a part of their Season 2 roster. The Dallas Fuel has played two matches in Season 2 so far and they won one while losing the other. The question of fans and their behaviour towards professional players is an ongoing one. We see fans resort to toxic and unruly online behaviour when their team loses.
We hope that players speaking up against such actions will help fans understand the consequences of their words.
