The best teams in the Overwatch League consist of South Korean players. Sure, the guys and gals are known for being good at video games, especially in League of Legends (LoL) – but less so in shooters. How is it that South Koreans still rock Overwatch?
That Asians, particularly Koreans, are good at video games is a widely confirmed stereotype. Even in StarCraft, hardly anyone could compete with them. Later, in League of Legends, the best players were almost exclusively Koreans or Asians.
The only gaming discipline in which they were regularly beaten was shooters. Until now. In the Overwatch League, there are three purely Korean teams that are really heating things up: Seoul Dynasty, New York Excelsior, and London Spitfire.
Why are Asians so good at gaming?
The best players in most video games come from Asia – specifically from Korea. This is no longer a prejudice but is confirmed repeatedly in many major e-sports events. While there are exceptional talents from other countries, most pro gamers in larger games are Korean – except in shooters.
However, this is not due to genetic predisposition or secret, inherited gaming techniques. There are two relatively banal reasons. First, Asians work hard for something they want to achieve – no matter what. They have a deep dedication to their job and hobby, often nurturing it from childhood.
It is no coincidence that you often see the same people standing at the same machine in Asian arcades every day, trying to get better. The ambition drives them. A deeply rooted cultural phenomenon that particularly Japanese people like to showcase.
Secondly, gaming in Asian countries is not a nerdy topic. It is a recognized hobby and has been celebrated as an official sport in Korea for years. They are not ashamed to play extensively. With the right dedication, training comes naturally.
Why do they rock Overwatch?
As already mentioned, all of this applies to most video games – except for shooters. This is mainly because shooters are simply not that popular. There are hardly any notable representatives of the genre from Square Enix or Capcom, let alone from other Asian developers.
The interest in shooters in Asia is low. One reason for this is that the arcade culture there is still very pronounced – and consoles are more popular. Shooters simply play poorly on machines. There are hardly any of them – and if so, then with guns as controllers.
Overwatch, however, does not behave like a classic shooter. In the genre, it is usually the case that everyone has the same prerequisites, so experience and reaction give the decisive advantage. The learning curve is rather flat.
Overwatch does things differently. The entry is quite easy, and the learning curves are distributed across the individual heroes, making it very steep for the game itself. Lack of experience can be quickly compensated for by intense training with a hero, so you have few disadvantages when facing experienced players early on.
After LoL comes Overwatch
Albertro “Crumbz” Rengifo is one of the analysts of the Overwatch League. He was previously a LoL pro and later worked there as a caster and analyst. Through his experience as a LoL analyst, he brings a different perspective to the OWL, which surprisingly fits well into Overwatch e-sports.
He often examines the tactics of the players to assess their craft with the heroes. Something that can be well compared with League of Legends. However, according to Crumbz, the Overwatch League cannot be compared with LoL, it will never be the same.
The mere fact that players constantly train together and, in this specific case, even live together to continually improve. Crumbz does not expect that Koreans will dominate the Overwatch League for long – at least not as long as League of Legends.
What can Western teams do to win?
Crumbz’s statement about training sums up relatively well why Koreans will not remain the unbeatable kings of the Overwatch League. The past few days confirm him: Time and again, the top teams lose against Western favorites like Houston Outlaws and LA Valiant.
To have realistic chances, the motto is: train. E-sports has long been established in Korea, and the infrastructure is correspondingly designed for such events. Players simply have more experience.
However, Overwatch was released at a time when e-sports had already arrived in the USA as well. The chances are therefore not as uneven as in League of Legends. Nevertheless, Koreans fight hard for their success – the West just has to do the same!
