Titles cement legacies, narratives solidify legends, and legends play for the right to be remembered.

These laws hold true in every competitive arena, but in the realm of esports it is accentuated tenfold. The titles that people are awarded, either tangible or intangible, are key in approximating their success. As Blizzard Entertainment's newest title that enters the esports arena, Overwatch is set to do big things. With rumors swirling that the Overwatch League will not be a year long, this opens up the groundwork for new or returning organizations to throw their name into the proverbial ‘Overwatch hat.’

With more tournaments, this allows for more exciting and compelling stories to be told to the millions watching at home. If Blizzard was to sanction something akin to the Golden Mouse Award from Starcraft or the new Intel Grand Slam from Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) this would be a serious game changer. But, before we go into why, let’s take a look at how these added awards for greatness could elevate people from mere players and mold them into demigods. Becoming a repeat champion is one thing, but receiving the moniker of “the Ultimate Weapon” is another thing entirely. Let’s journey back. It was the birth of the millennia and the genesis to one of the forefathers of esports world-wide.

Starcraft: Brood War was released in 1998 and exploded into one of the earliest esports back around the early 2000’s in a little country called South Korea. Tens of thousands flocked to a myriad of stadiums across the country to watch an ever aging PC game. Tens of thousands of dollars were awarded to the victors that stood atop billboards and graced the country's television screens. Many names have stood the test of time, but only 4 have won the Golden Mouse Award. The Golden Mouse Award was awarded to players who have won 3 of the most prestigious tournaments in their careers; the OnGameNet Starleague (OSL).

In 2006 Lee "NaDa" Yoon Yeol was awarded the first Golden Mouse after his wins at the Panasonic OSL, IOPS OSL 2006, and the Shinhan Bank OSL Season 2. His intelligence was otherworldly for the time period and his byname represented this. NaDa was known as the “Genius Terran” and the “Tornado Terran.” After his wins at the Gillette OSL, EVER 2005 OSL, and the EVER 2008 OSL. Park "July" Sung Joon was the next to receive the Golden Mouse in 2008. Known for his aggressive play, he was given the moniker of “God of War” due to his in-your-face playstyle with the Zerg race. Lee "Jaedong" Jae Dong is widely considered to be the best Zerg player ever. After his streak of wins culminating at the 2009 Bacchus OSL, “the Tyrant” took home his own Golden Mouse. The moniker “Tyrant” was coined by OGN commentator Um Jae Kyung for his aggressive nature in-game, which set him apart from the rest of the Zerg players. In the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA) Rankings, Jaedong held the number one spot for 43 straight months.

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“I’ve said this before for Zerg vs. Zerg, no matter what the opponent opens with, I still think ‘I’m the winner,’ so I don’t think I will lose.” - Lee "Jaedong" Jae Dong

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This leaves us with “the Ultimate Weapon”, Lee "Flash" Young Ho. Considered to be the best player to ever grace Starcraft, Flash has over 10 tournament victories and peaked with an overall win rate of 75% in 2010. His wins at the 2008 Bacchus OSL, 2009 EVER OSL, and the Korean Air Starleague Season 2 granted him his Golden Mouse.

Something many don’t know about the Golden Mouse is that following NaDa’s successful Golden Mouse run in the 2006 Shinhan Bank OSL Season 2, OnGameNet was in talks about its intention to extend the Golden Mouse Award. As no progamer has ever managed to secure four OSL titles, the plans for more Mouse trophies has never been elaborated upon. The Platinum Mouse after 5 OSL wins and Diamond Mouse after 7 are left in their case still to this day.

This same concept has been lifted and applied to the FPS, Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). At this year's E3, Intel revealed an expansion in its partnership with ESL and announced the “Intel Grand Slam.” The first team to win 4 premiere events organized by ESL or DreamHack out of the 10 yearly events will be awarded the Intel Grand Slam title and take home $1,000,000. An added bonus for teams that would headhunt and prevent a potential Grand Slam candidate with 3 out of their 4 wins, receives a $100,000 “spoiler” bonus. FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, and SK Gaming are front runners for the first Intel Grand Slam, but with 10 events slated for this season, anything can happen.

“Why does the Golden Mouse or any form of award elevate these names; could you not enjoy their performances based purely on merit?” is a question you could ask yourself. I think it’s the same reason why the Emmys or the Grammy Awards exist. Awards and titles and tangible things are ways that people ‘observe’ things. Trophies or plaques or event giant checks all ‘represent’ something, which in this case, a trophy of a golden computer mouse represents a string of commanding repeated victories. These titles not only represent prestigious accomplishments, but they mean something to the audience. Creating an award based on a length of success helps to mold and craft the narratives in any space, not just within esports. This could explain why the American Music Awards has such awards like the International Artist Award of Excellence and the Artist of the Decad.

With the Overwatch League Preseason coming in December and the official launch of the Overwatch League coming in early January of 2018, this could signal the horns of changes. The organizations that stepped back from Overwatch during the creation of the Overwatch League could very well come back and play a serious role in forming additional leagues and tournaments to supplement the Overwatch League’s loft agenda. ESL, Carbon, Dream, even Beyond the Summit could all come back into the fold once the the league begins. With more tournaments adds more chances to furnish a legacy if Blizzard chooses to add a supplementary title like the Golden Mouse or the Grand Slam. The additional awards not only add prestige, but they ramp up existing narratives. This extends beyond a player's control and solidifies their legacy rather than just adding ‘multiple time champion’ to a player's name.

Blizzard could take either of these systems and it would create immense levels of excitement and engagement with the hoards of fans that are incoming for the Overwatch League. These added titles sell fans and spectators on the idea that these championships mean something more to people. They are their tickets into the history books - their pass into legend. When a player or a team does something to the level of repeating victory after victory, against the strongest the world has to offer, it is incredibly important to applaud and give those victories even more prestige.

Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLG’s of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at  @Volamel.

Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment OGN.