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PRACTICAL<br />
EXPERTISE<br />
TECH<br />
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
An Overwatch<br />
League match at<br />
Blizzard Arena in<br />
Burbank, Calif.<br />
ROBERT PAUL— BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT<br />
THIS GAME IS<br />
OUT OF CONTROL<br />
E-sports has grown into a real profession,<br />
touting benefits and other full-time trappings.<br />
But as workplaces go, it’s brutal.<br />
By Lisa Marie Segarra<br />
FOR YEARS, THE IDEA OF MAKING A CAREER out of playing<br />
video games seemed to be little more than a pipe<br />
dream. Then the rise of e-sports leagues made it real.<br />
Today’s professional gamers enjoy salaries, benefits, retirement<br />
plans, and the envy of many a cubicle dweller.<br />
Yet as gaming has grown into a proper profession, so<br />
have its harassment problems—enough so that today’s<br />
virtual workplaces could use an HR department of<br />
their own.<br />
Consider the case of Félix Lengyel, better known by<br />
his digital moniker “xQc.” The 22-year-old Canadian<br />
gaming pro gave the Overwatch League, a division<br />
of entertainment company Activision Blizzard,<br />
www.t.me/velarch_official<br />
23<br />
FORTUNE.COM // JULY.1.18
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