DBLTAP's Noam Radcliffe picked Indy "SPACE" Halpern's brain about the state of the Overwatch ladder, the Overwatch World Cup experience, and how he's experienced burnout ahead of Overwatch League Season 2.





SPACE and the Valiant will play their first match of the new Overwatch League season Feb. 16 against the Hangzhou Spark.

“This is the greatest roster reveal of all time. - Michael Scott” -Valiant pic.twitter.com/kHQMKSdap4 — Los Angeles Valiant (@LAValiant) January 29, 2019

Radcliffe: What do you think of GOATs? Fun to play, fun to watch, or no on both counts?





SPACE: I never really focus on the current meta of Overwatch. Instead, I just focus on the competition. It doesn’t really matter to me what I’m playing if my main goal is to win.





Radcliffe: What do you think is the most pressing issue affecting Overwatch's matchmaking? How would you fix it?





SPACE: Honestly, I can’t really say because if you change one thing then another problem will pop up and it’ll get stuck in a constant circle of problem/solution. So I’m happy with the way Overwatch matchmaking is at the moment because my main goal is just practicing and not worrying about ranked.





Radcliffe: What was it like playing for Team USA at the World Cup and did you learn anything that you shared with your team on Valiant?





SPACE: It was an honor to play for Team USA in the 2018 World Cup but also disappointing at the same time. I felt like because we were a favorite team coming into the World Cup at BlizzCon we ended up underestimating our first opponent and it cost us everything. Losing like that taught me a lot and what I shared to my team was to never underestimate your opponent no matter who we’re playing against.





Radcliffe: How have you seen Custa's IGL [in-game leader] style evolve over the months since he joined the team later in the season in 2018?





SPACE: Yes Custa’s IGL style has evolved and adapted to the new meta and his new playstyle on Lucio. I think everyone has learned a lot from the inaugural season and we are all starting to become shot callers in our own way to help out Custa.





Radcliffe: How did you spend the offseason?





SPACE: I visited a lot of my family in LA before I went on Christmas break which I spent with my family in New York. I mainly wanted to catch up with everyone that I hadn’t seen in a really long time just to take a break from Overwatch and refresh my mentality before coming into Season 2.





Radcliffe: What are your hobbies outside of gaming?





SPACE: I like shopping for clothes, listening to music, working out and watching new movies/television to get my mind off the Overwatch League grind.





Radcliffe: Have you thought about what you plan to do when you stop playing Overwatch? Had you applied to colleges before you joined the Overwatch League? Is that something you would want to pursue?





SPACE: No I haven’t thought about what I want to do when I stop playing Overwatch. I haven’t applied to any colleges but college is something I consider going to after my career in Overwatch. My passion is really in working on a computer and it’s something I’ve liked my whole life, so maybe in the future, I’ll pursue something else related to computers and technology.





Radcliffe: Burnout's been a big problem in the Overwatch League, and in esports more generally. Have you experienced burnout? What was it like? What steps have you taken to avoid it in the future?





SPACE: Personally I don’t think I’ve ever experienced burnout mentality-wise, but I have experienced it a little bit physically from playing too much and not balancing my playtime with outside activity. Luckily the Valiant have a physical therapist who helped me workout to make my wrist stronger and my posture better so I could play the right way. After working with him, I haven’t felt pain while gaming in a while.





My advice, if people wan t to avoid physical and mental burnout you need to take time off and balance your gameplay, so you can focus on other things and look at gaming with a clear view.





Interview quotes have been edited for clarity.

Cover photo courtesy of Robert Paul of Blizzard Entertainment