First of all I will like to write here the definition, one of the definition of “smurf” in urban dictionary.
In multiplayer online gaming, the term “Smurf” (noun) is used to refer to an experienced player who creates a new account for the purposes of being matched against inexperienced players for easy wins.
Ok we can disagree about this definition, and consider only smurf accounts the ones that are in competitive, not in quickplay or arcade. Ive seen a lot of people talking about this and defending that an alt account cannot be taken as a smurf.
We can check in internet a bit about where this name came from and decide.
This definition of smurfing comes from 1996 and the game Warcraft II when certain well-known players made up new names, pretend to play badly, then beat the other players. They picked the names PapaSmurf and Smurfette.
You may consider smurfs is just about competitive that lose ranks intentionally. Thats your definition, and I respect your interpretation of “smurf”. Please do not take me wrong but, definition is not the same as “banneable in Blizzards communications”.
Ok, now…about smurfs. I only play in arcade and quickplay, Im a casual player, Im a bad player and do not pretend to play better, improve or get a name. I do not take my pride in a videogame and just want FAIR matches, not to be stomped 50% of the time, or be stomped the other 50%.
To the coaches, youtubers, people that consider themselves the elite of this videogame… Im now an old player, Ive lost reflexes as we all do when I was young and cannot compare or pretend to “LEARN” not to “get good” or “watch videogames”
To the people that consider themselves entitled to decide if Im just matched with a “good player” not a smurf… let me explain this first:
I have lots of hours in this videogame since it came out, when there was not a competitive scene, everything was brand new and people were amazingly kind.
When people did not created youtube channels or “coached” others trying to make them believe this videogame was a sport to be taken more seriously than basketball with friends. When people simply had fun and not wanted to make a “career” in this.
So… when I see a soldier level 2, like the other day…stomping others, dueling everyone 2 vs 1 and knowing perfectly where the healthpacks are…, when that same person start saying “you are really dog sh**” to new players. When that same person makes even the enemy team apologize for his behaviour and consider the match was broken and was “weird”.
When you see an account lesser than 100 or even 150 that dominates widowmaker, then switches to genji and master both, does routines from healthpacks and back, know to manage skills and health, counters and has that game sense and… as well, dominate mechancias that are pretty specific of this videogame.
Thats not a NEW good player, thats a SMURF. Or in some peopel definition “and alternative account that at the end, messes with the matchmaking”. People can have great aim, is unlikely they master the mechanics of genji and then tracer to that point, both of them, know perfectly the healthpacks whereabouts (I have thousand of hours and did not take time of my life learning the maps to that extreme… interesting a level 5 knows where it is and does routine around them).
Im not a good player, I do not have aim, but… as I said I have time enough to see what is a good aim, pure luck as hanzo headshots or… not appropiate behaviour in a player of low level.
If someone is better than me, congrats, there are always someone better and, in my case, a lot of people. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, is the marvel about videogames. I repeat I play in arcade and quickplay, I do not take this game seriously like …lets say 99% of people outside this strange vicious elitist circle of players that now dictates the rules for the rest. I have other, same as many casuals, interests in my life and enjoy the game without pretending to be amazing.
BUT…
When you are told if you consider the game is in good state, you say NO
When you are asked by a new player if they should buy it, you say NO
When you talk with other casuals that left the game, most of them never came to the forums cause is not worth it… they tell you how many smurf they have found, the balance issues, the lack of attention and how infuriating some mechancis are.
When you return to the game, you find a worse state of toxicity, smurfs and people that take this game as…a videogame, not a sport, not a career not anything else.
To those new people or casuals…theres no more space, the elitism of the playerbase that keeps with the game is one of the reasons why overwatch have decayed these years. Balance issues, design issues, characters released without taking into account the frustration they could add to other players… the amount of CC… the lack of changes… we could have lived with all of this, but add to it the smurfwatch.
When I started we were able to choose 6 mercy, fly around in arcade or quickplay, even make jokes. When I started I was able to use voice channel and give calls as support to my team, now I would laugh if someone asks me to be in voice (i play arcade and quickplay, as a note). When I played I always recall the anecdote of a kid and his father playing… in short so you see the difference…
The kid picked a reinhart, and was so amazingly excited about the game “go team go!” it was awesome. I picked mercy simply to make his match the best experience ever, so in the middle of the match he was talking … and all happy and motivating people and said “mercy do not care so much about me, heal others as well!” …and ended with “you are a great team, you did awesome!”.
FIRST TIME EVER someone says “heal …OTHERS”, of course more than 2 thousand hours later as mercy …I cant recall nobody said that ever again. I wont see that happening again. I expect instead people calling him names as well as the rest of the team, use racial insults or sexist, or most of the time not being anything close to sportive.
NOW, youtube, channels, how to improve, road to platinum. Strategies, coaches and people telling you to “grow mentally strong” to “watch videos” to …train hours and hours just to face someone that simply can be better than you and the rest, abuse of his or her skills and really ruins the experience of others. This is not an issue they say, is your fault for not coping and improving, they mention. Well other companies like riot adressed this with communications like…
“The climb takes a lot longer now. This is intentional. We really don’t want players creating alt accounts just to blow through the climb. We encourage players to stay on their mains. Smurfing ruins the game experience for others.”
Basically companies, have adressed as better as they could the situation, other games like DOTA 2 consider it a bannable offense.
In our case it comes really late and covers the fact that from 50 million of players, now remains only an elitist bunch of them, few new players, less casuals but in events and a lot of new accounts. Independent data showed 600 000 concurrent players.
Is time we stop making excuses, is time we accept this IS a problem, that avoids new players to come, avoids casuals to return, ruin the experience for many and that creates games hardly enjoyable, no matter if it is a victory or a loss.
The more we excuse them, the more we tell others to “git gud” the less playerbase that will remain, the more we tell people to invest a time they do not have about a videogame they do not care so much to consider it as it is…a videogame, the more casuals and other people that wants to enjoy the game will leave.
Slowly but noticeably, in the forums, in the game… there are few remains that take this game as a game, that plays for fun, not for an empty victory that goes nowhere. People that do not tell others who and what to play, or blame the rest with a “garbage team” before leaving when they lose or… “best genji wins”.
You can say is not banneable, you can say Blizzard politics consider this or that, you can tell me that smurf is another definition, you can tell me I must get better (not going to, thanks). You can say all of this and more and that Blizzard right now do not care about the game so… wait for ow2. As a resume, you can excuse anything you want but, smurf definition is not always what you decide it is, other companies have adressed it good or bad, but they acknowledge it is a problem and toxicity in the community and lack of FAIR matches have increased exponentially.
And all we ask for is not to win, not to overcome anyone but to play with people according to our rank and skill. If doing so we improve to that point we are over the rest…step up in the ladder. We all play videogames to have FAIR matches, enjoy the competitive ones even if we lose them. Not to increase the ego of someone that considers as the next candidate to contenders league.
Now …excuse whatever you want but it is a shame the game that joined so many people around of so many skill levels , that wanted to welcome everyone and try it, the same one that was a success for that goal has turned into what it is now.