Anyone familiar with eSports knows they are a serious business. The intensity with which players engage with a game like Overwatch changes in the professional scene. As incidents like one pro player being fined for sharing an off-color meme indicate, everything from gameplay to public image becomes more important for a professional gamer.
This has become even more serious with the foundation of Activision's eSports leagues. For many games, even in eSports, there was once an air of informality. That age has passed with the official city leagues set up by Activision. Official teams in the Call of Duty League and Overwatch League purchase licenses from Activision and compete for huge amounts of money.
Nevertheless, many players find fulfillment in jumping into intense eSports competitions. This was the case for Noh "Gamsu" Yeong-Jin, an eSports regular in the League of Legends scene. For a little over three years, Gamsu played LOL professionally before retiring. Some time after, he took on the role of a professional Overwatch player and stuck with it through the formation of the OWL. In a recent tweet, Gamsu announced his retirement from the OWL. Rather than switching to Valorant like Jay Won after he quit Overwatch, Gamsu has gone back to professional League of Legends.
While the tweet is not specific, there could be any number of reasons for Gamsu's departure. The future of the OWL, along with other live events, has been in flux thanks to COVID-19. When the March and April OWL events were cancelled, a major source of income for the League was likely affected. This has been the case with the OWL and the Call of Duty League. With an uncertain future, it would make sense to jump ship.
On the other hand, this could be a result of more personal reasons. Perhaps Gamsu has simply had enough of Overwatch, or the stressful scenario of the OWL. One Overwatch player even collapsed from exhaustion after a game live on camera. While LOL is intense in its own right, it is most stressful in short bursts as opposed to the constant, on-the-fly decisions required from a game like Overwatch.
The response to his choice has been mixed. While many have wished him well, some have lamented his new game of choice. Still, if he re-commits the way he has been committed to Overwatch, there's a chance Gamsu could be counted among the best at League of Legends when next the world championship roles around.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.