Win.gg
News
Shroud addresses smurfing in Overwatch, gives developers advice Shroud addresses smurfing in Overwatch, gives developers advice
In a recent stream,
Michael “shroud” Grzesiek gave some simple tips for developers on how to deal with smurf accounts. He gave the advice after an experience playing popular FPS Overwatch.
The former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional does not normally stream Overwatch, but recently dove into the game’s ranked play and has played many different games where the practice of smurfing is commonplace. Shroud now has some thoughts on ways to deal with the issue.
Smurfing is where a person may have multiple accounts of the same game in order to play ranked games below their true rank and against easier opponents. While the practice is generally frowned upon, there can be legitimate reasons for doing so.
A player may wish to practice a different role or a different champion in a competitive game without their main rank being penalized, and they similarly may wish to play against a lower rank while playing in a role other than their main. Smurfing is also distinct from boosting, which is against the Overwatch terms of service and involves a high-level player getting paid to boost an account to a certain rank or to then sell a ranked account.
But Shroud explained that one of the biggest reasons for players smurfing is their wanting to play with friends.
“The main reason why people smurf is because they want to play with their friends who don’t really play the game. If they’re too high level they’ll have to make a new account,” Shroud said.
Smurfing can create a negative atmosphere for new players, as the smurf can dominate games at a lower rank than they are accustomed to. Shroud suggests a simple solution.
“The main reason why smurfing exists is because there’s a gap, and you aren’t allowed to play with friends if you are too high a rank. All you have to do is make so you can play with whoever at any rank and you’re fine,” Shroud said.
Other games such as CSGO have created a
“prime”
feature whereby a player registers a cell phone number to an account. The theory being that this will reduce the number of smurfs in the matchmaking mode, as well as the number of cheaters, as it matches prime users together.
Nina Forneloza
About Nina Forneloza
Nina Forneloza is a huge fan of gaming, but her favorite genres of games above all other are gacha games, first-person shooting games, and role-playing games. When she isn’t looking for a lucky pull in the latest gacha, you’re likely to find her in a competitive Valorant lobby or playing the latest big single-player RPG. Either way, you can be assured that she’ll be into it and ready to write about the experience.
View full profile
Read Also
Twitch
MrBeast marries Thea Booysen: How it could affect the YouTuber’s career
Khizar Mundia
YouTube giant Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson has married his long-time partner and fellow creator Thea “TheaBeasty” Booysen in a low-key ceremony. MrBeast met Thea Booysen during a trip to South Africa in 2022, and the two started dating in the same year. Booysen is also a content creator known online as TheaBeasty. She is famous for gaming streams. That’s not all she does, though, as Thea Booysen is also an author ...
News
Kalshi had it right: Victor Wembanyama confirmed as NBA 2K27 cover star
Zachary Roberts
Victor Wembanyama is the latest NBA superstar to grace the cover of a video game, with the San Antonio Spurs star landing on NBA 2K27. This comes as little surprise, as Wembanyama cemented himself as one of the sport's best players last season. He really came on in the playoffs, carrying the Spurs from a lottery team to the NBA Finals. It also shouldn't be that surprising because for months, ...
Valorant
OBS Game Capture isn’t working on Valorant and League of Legends? Here’s why and how to fix it
Khizar Mundia
Several reports suggest that OBS Game Capture is broken, with Valorant and League of Legends streamers only being able to broadcast a black screen. OBS has responded to the issue, confirming that it exists and also provided a way to fix it. Valorant and League of Legends are two of Riot Games’ most popular titles, and they are being streamed on streaming platforms by creators regularly. On July 21, 2026, ...
News
Kalshi gives election forecasts a tradable market, launches US midterm 2026 prediction hub
Khizar Mundia
Election predictions have always been a numbers game, as metrics are used to forecast which party or candidate has a higher chance of winning, but Kalshi is giving it a trading angle with a new midterm prediction hub. Prediction markets are consistently gaining traction among traders. They have particularly become popular in jurisdictions where traditional gambling is banned or heavily restricted. An NBC News analysis reveals that Kalshi and Polymarket ...
Twitch
IRL Streaming: What Is It and Why Is It So Popular?
Khizar Mundia
IRL streaming has become commonplace on all major streaming platforms, and millions of viewers tune in every day to be a fly on the wall as streamers showcase their life. There are numerous IRL streamers, with some showcasing their everyday life and others producing large-scale content for their viewers, such as Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. Regardless of whether you watch Speed broadcasting a World Cup match or a streamer walking ...
Dota 2
Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged
Michael Hassall
The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...
Twitch
Who is SuburbBaby? Here’s everything about Streamer University 2026’s breakout star
Khizar Mundia
Jacob “SuburbBaby” Ogunlade was already famous on YouTube and TikTok, but Streamer University 2026 has been the breakout moment for his career. Here’s everything we know about the streamer, including his background, dating life, and much more. Kai Cenat created Streamer University for smaller streamers to gain exposure, and SuburbBaby is going viral, seemingly the creator to benefit the most from the 2026 edition. SuburbBaby has been on Twitch for ...
