

The Overwatch preseason is useful for a lot of reasons. It hypes up OWL fans that have been waiting patiently for content, it allows Blizzard a chance to rehearse the broadcast in a live setting and, most importantly, it gives OWL players an opportunity to prepare to see what their new life in the league will feel like.



The noise of the stage, crowds of fans, questions from international media outlets; all of this and more in addition to the inescapable pressure of winning. Thanks to Blizzard's expanded Path to Pro, you can bet a group of hungry newcomers, inspired by the glamour of the OWL, will be gunning for the spot for any poorly performing teams or players.





So what has this adjustment been like so far?



I had the opportunity to sit down with the Los Angeles Valiants (for the very first press conference of the season, actually) and ask them a few questions. They had just come off a 3-1 victory against the Los Angeles Gladiators and, considering the match was only for show, they were about as excited as a group of gamers could be during a mandatory press conference with a room full of strangers.



After the usual questions about LA rivalries between both teams (spoiler: one exists), I wanted to get into more personal inquiries. For the first press conference of the OWL, it was a surprisingly relaxed environment in spite of a reminder by a Blizzard official that every question being asked was being put "on the record."



So, as my questions on player adjustments became a matter of official documentation, LA Valiant coach Henry "cuddles" Coxall elaborated on the biggest hurdles OWL players are going through adjusting to their new league life:



"These players are coming out here to LA to play a long season. Chances are, they won't be with friends and family for a while. A lot of these kids are young -- being away from parents and friends is a big adjustment."



The rest of LA Valiant agreed with the answer, also mentioning the difficulty of adjusting to exclusively LAN play:



"Playing on stage is very different. You have to get used to it and plan because this isn't your comfortable room or own space. You don't have ideal conditions so it's an adjustment.



A new environment to play



For many teams, this is the first time they have played in a LAN environment together and few LAN settings rival the prestige of Blizzards new arena in the Burbank Studios. When asked about the distractions Blizzards new stage might bring, support player Stefano "Verbo" Disalvo offered only one potential criticism:



"When the side of the stage is flashing with different lights, it can get distracting. When you are focused on the game though, you just have to stay in it and ignore it. It doesn't take me personally out of the game."





Travel weariness, distracting play environments, and homesickness are all things these OWL players have about a month to get used to, as once the regular season starts on January 9th, the only thing that will matter is the ability to win.