The Overwatch League has gained popularity in recent months but it has become apparent how exhausting eSports at this level actually is. Billionaire Mark Cuban explains why he does not own a professional team in Overwatch.
What is it about? Billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, Mark Cuban, has commented on Twitter regarding the working hours of eSports professionals. He addresses major criticisms of eSports.
How exhausting is eSports really?
This is the problem: The main reason for the burnout of professionals and thus Cuban’s discontent is that the rules in eSports are constantly changing. It could happen that adjustments and patches are released in the middle of a larger tournament.
This would force the players to always be prepared for the changes and invest even more work into training to remain competitive.
They would have to learn and practice the game anew as a unit after each rule change. This requires an incredible amount of practice and time.
In the NBA, rule changes during competitions are unthinkable.
This is why Cuban does not invest in eSports: Cuban explains why he did not dive “feet first” into eSports. Besides the issue of the massive burden due to balance changes, a single eSport is uncertain.
There is always a new game entering eSports, which then attracts new attention.
This is the background of the discussion: The trigger of the discussion was that eSports professionals according to a report by qz.com are already experiencing burnout in their mid-20s. This developed into a dispute over the training times of eSports professionals, who are said to put in up to 80 hours of training per week.
Cuban has apparently dealt with eSports before. Just recently, his basketball team, which also features the German player Dirk Nowitzki, filmed a hype video in Overwatch style.
This is Nanzer’s response: The head of the Overwatch League, Nate Nanzer, then intervened and addressed the statements of the basketball mogul.
He says: eSports professionals receive fantastic support from their teams and management. Even the Overwatch League has adjusted the schedule, because some players have already suffered from burnout.
Nanzer admitted that there is still work waiting for the organizers in this area, especially regarding handling patches and changes. Such circumstances need to be improved, and the focus should also be on amateurs and high schools to nurture better players.
On the other hand, there are also reports from the players themselves about the pressure to perform. Many of the professionals in the Overwatch League reportedly use the performance-enhancing drug Adderall, according to one player.
The implications: Nanzer added that all of this would ensure an exciting development in 2019, as all of this needed to be addressed.
However, Cuban appeared skeptical. Even 70 hours a week to avoid losing his spot is too stressful.
Cuban and Nanzer could not come to an agreement. The discussion about the organization of eSports and the burden on players is sure to become more interesting in the near future.
The discussion about eSports is also becoming increasingly heated in Germany:
