Overwatch Carnival
-Written by Emily Maahs
Step Right Up!: 2021 OVERWATCH Carnival
USC Trojan Esports is committed to creating a community for students to meet and play together, especially while we’re remote during the pandemic. As a brief respite, USC Trojan Esports hosted its Annual Overwatch Carnival. Student participants went head-to-head in three rounds of 10 minute mini-games. After each game, players accumulated points depending on their rank on the match scoreboard. The top 10 highest scoring players at the end of the third round won cash prizes ranging from $10 to $150 for first place.
Round 1
UNO
The first game to start the carnival was UNO, a recreation of the classic card game in the Overwatch workshop client. This was a perfect game to break the ice and allowed competitors/students to meet each other.
Gun Game
In this game mode, players were placed in what felt like a Battle Royale, where students raced against each other to be the last player standing. To win, students had to be the first to take out every Overwatch hero in the match. We saw the competition start to heat up as players showed off their versatility in every role.
Genji Dodgeball
This game mode was intense, to say the least. In Genji Dodgeball, each of the contestants played as the character Genji. They were challenged with the task of taking out the enemy team by using the hero’s Deflect ability. This game mode was all about timing and deflecting aim accuracy.
Round 2
Ana Paintball
Ana Paintball commenced the second round of mini-games. In this game mode, players played as the hero Ana and moved throughout the map where the physics were altered. This allowed players to jump at great heights and move quickly throughout the map, all while trying to snipe one another. Competitors got to show off their 1v1 sniping skills in this mini-game.
HogHole
HogHole was a favorite among contenders. Using the Illois Well map, players met at the center near the well. Playing as the hero RoadHog, the objective of this mini-game was to hook players into the giant well, securing them a kill and thus higher points on the leaderboard. This was especially fun for players, as there were many opportunities to steal kills and tons of funny visual interactions.
Dodge the Car
This game mode was all about timing and hindering your opponents. Players loaded into the Dorado Map with their eye on the finish line at the end of the map. The goal, however, was not so simple. Players had to simultaneously dodge speeding cars and the attacks of other players trying to slow them down or mess up their jump timing. If you were hit by a car, you had to restart. The first player to reach the finish line with every Overwatch hero won!
Round 3
WarioWare
This game mode was all about reaction times. Competitors read on-screen commands and had to quickly fulfill the objective asked of them. Many students made funny mistakes trying to quickly complete tasks within the time limit. Overall, this mini-game was a great time!
Sleep and Yeet
Another personal favorite for students, Sleep and Yeet allowed competitors to target their competition and jump higher on the leaderboard. The objective of this mini-game was to sleep opponents, using the hero Ana’s sleep dart, and then throw them off the game space platform. There was a lot of teaming up as students tried to close the gap on the carnival’s highest scoring players.
Sigma Dodgeball
Sigma Dodgeball was the perfect conclusion to the carnival. Players were put onto teams with newly made friends to battle it out for points. In this game mode, competitors played as the hero Sigma, using his shielding abilities and movement to play a classic game of dodgeball. As the game progressed, the court gradually shrunk, creating an even greater challenge and need for teamwork.
Overall, the 2021 Overwatch Carnival was a great way to bring students together despite these difficult times. Everyone enjoyed the casual competition, fun mini-games, and the company of students with alike interests.
For more information on future events hosted by USC Trojan Esports, be sure to check out our website and Discord server. Fight On, and Game On!