In competitive gaming, split second reflexes and quick decision thinking are essential skills needed to be successful. Often times, optimal frame rates and high resolution displays give tactical advantage to player which could be the difference between victory and defeat. As an example in Overwatch, a recent discovery by tweaking graphic settings can make sniping easier.
It may sound ridiculous but having a low end graphics card or setting the graphics to the lowest setting can give players a tactical advantage. In professional gaming, players lower the graphical settings to boost frame rates making the gameplay smoother and eliminate motion blur. But by lowering graphics, character models will have also more pixelated models. Now this may or may not help with player but in some cases, having more pixelated models can lead to some advantages. In Overwatch, by lowering the graphics setting, not only do the players gain an increase in frame rates, some obstructions are also removed which can help in sniping.
When the graphics are lowered, character models will have more pronounced shapes due to the lower amount of pixels. On the other hand, for trees and other foliage, a low graphics setting would decrease the number of branches and leaves. This provides players new vantage points to use a sniper rifle and have a clear sight of a shot. The trees can also provide a cover for snipers hiding them from the view of the opposing team. Player must find the perfect spot behind and tree, sniping through the spaces in between the leaves to take advantage of this exploit.
Overwatch is Blizzard's own version of a multiplayer competitive first person shooter. It combines elements from several shooters including Team Fortress, Quake and has a touch of Dota in it. Similar to Dota, a player chooses a hero with his own specific set of skills and role. Hero composition and teamwork is vital in winning a game. Blizzard plans to make Overwatch a staple in professional gaming joing CS:GO in the first person shooter category. So far, Overwatch has a lot of catching up to do as it still doesn't have the draw of big Esport games like Dota 2 and LoL. But with Overwatch's massive popularity and Blizzard's constant improvement, it wont be long before Overwatch will be among the Esport greats.
