Although fans all over the world are able to watch the inaugural season of Overwatch League online on sites like the official OWL Twitch or even on OverwatchLeague.com, UCI students are still stuck in the middle of classes and might find making the hour-long drive from Irvine to Burbank difficult. Unfortunately, streams only showcase so much of the newly refurbished Blizzard Arena, often leaving out the charm and atmosphere of the rest of the location. If you’re one of these students worried about never being able to experience the arena, don’t fret, because UCI Esports is here to give you an inside look of this world-class stage!
On December 9th, 2017, UCI Esports had the chance to attend the last day of OWL’s preseason matches. The Blizzard Arena located in Burbank, California, had been specifically fitted for OWL, and every bit of attention the company paid to detail was not overlooked.
After being renovated for its current purposes, the untrained eye might have never realized that the Blizzard Arena used to be NBC Studios. Instead of the set for The Tonight Show, guests entering the lobby are surrounded by monuments of past Blizzard competitions and Overwatch memorabilia.

This is the perfect pit stop in case you wanted to grab some gear for your favorite players to sign. Blizzard will be organizing and scheduling meet-and-greets so you can make that dream a reality.

As the Blizzard Arena is slated to host future esports events, the merchandising will rotate accordingly. Although there was exclusively Overwatch goods during our visit, it’s fully expected that the atmosphere will change once the arena organizes events for other Blizzard titles. In short, the gift shop is as dynamic as the games it sells for, ensuring that future visits will always have something new.
But of course, the heart of the Blizzard Arena still is its front stage. At its peak, the arena can house about 450 fans from all over the world, gathering them under one roof for a unique experience.
Distinguished talent like Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles and Erik “DoA” Lonnquist provide their expert analyses and predictions, making it difficult to not feel as equipped for the upcoming match as you are excited. And if the immersion isn’t enough, the circular light fixture on the ceiling (pictured above) is synced to the in-game control point meter. In other words, as one team successfully captures a point, the fixture will accordingly fill up with that team’s color.
These welcoming lights don’t hold a candle to the celebratory lights at the end of each match, however… Even if your favorite team hadn’t won, the display fills the room with pride and triumph as each second in this league marks another second in esports history.

UCI Esports: What advice do you have for college students looking to enter the pro scene?
Dallas Fuel’s xQc receives a phone call from his mother but quickly silences the ringtone. A short debacle between Fuel teammates xQc and Mickie occurs.
MICKIE: I was in college–
XQC: So what was the path like?
MICKIE: I mean. My life is just about playing the game with my friends first, and then just doing very well, and then we made a combination. And we did it at Blizzcon. And how I became a pro player…
XQC: Yeah, so what would you recommend for someone that’s good and–
MICKIE: I would recommend them to be–
xQc’s phone rings once more.
MICKIE: STOP DOING THAT. [The whole room laughs.] Be responsible. If you’re working or you’re studying, you should focus on your main– If you’re a student in college, you can study for eight hours, and you can practice the game for eight hours. I mean, everybody has 24 hours [in a day], it’s the same. And start playing with friends, and become a good player, and… exactly. Join a combination.
CUSTA: I think playing in the amateur leagues, and the college– you know, tournaments is a good way to get your name out there. And there’s just like, practicing and balancing life, college, and y’know, gaming.
MICKIE, interjecting: Oh, wait. Another thing is, I think streaming is really important.
CUSTA: Yeah. Streaming is a really good way to get noticed.
CWOOSH: Discord is really helpful, and there’s a lot of different channels in there for new players. People looking for teams, and et cetera. So, use discord.
ZUPPEH: Stay in school before you go pro [The room laughs]. You need a backup plan.
ARK: For me, I think conversation skills because like, it is team play.