The Philadelphia Fusion has decided to make a stadium for their team here in Philly, and this isn’t some small theater. The Philadelphia Fusion team has put $50 million into construction, and it is expected to start hosting games as soon as 2021. This is huge for video games as it shows that not only “real sports” can have stadiums. Overwatch was and is still one of the biggest games in recent times, and received a lot of attention on release. This will make it so that the game has a bigger player-base, and just branches out to new communities.
We decided to interview some FCS community members who have heard about the stadium.
Q: What Do You Think Of this Upcoming stadium?
Isaac Dubb ‘24
A: “I think it’s stupid and I’m being serious here. Because Overwatch is stupid and more people like other games, like Fortnite. If they’re not going to use it for other games then it’s really dumb. And I think they should just make it into a soccer field because the Union’s field is really far away from the city, and more people should be encouraged to work out than play video games. And you become obese when you game. So, in conclusion, they should change it into a multi-video game stadium or a soccer stadium so people don’t get obese and America doesn’t look bad on international obesity charts.”
Myles Roche ’24
A: “Um, I think it’s a really cool thing ’cause it’s making advancements towards e-sports and e-sports is the new thing.”
Daniel O’Connell ’24
A: “I think it’s a great idea. I personally love playing video games, it shows that video games are coming more into our daily lives, and this is a huge step in the development of e-sports in our society.”
James Pendrak ‘24
A:”Well, in my opinion, I think it’s a cool addition to the Overwatch scene to have a stadium in a major city in the USA, it could bring attention to the game, new fans, and I think it’s a great marketing strategy.”
Q: What do you think of them putting $50 million dollars into this stadium?
Isaac
A: “If I had fifty million extra dollars, I would donate it to charity and not e-sports, so Philadelphia looks kinder compared to other places. If Philadelphia looks kind, then we can get money to donate to charity and to e-sports so it’s a win-win overall.”
Myles
A: “I think it’s cool because they would all play in one stadium and it’s cool to branch out, and they could have meets and host some games at the Philly stadium.”
Daniel
A:” Ok, that’s a lot of money, but I think it’s a good thing for kids that aren’t athletic to have good role models. It’s a good change.”
James
A:” I think Overwatch is a big company and they can afford to do that.”
We also interviewed some people who didn’t know about the stadium.
Q: The Philadelphia Fusion Stadium is an e-sports Stadium for Philly’s Overwatch team, and they put fifty million dollars into its construction. What do you think about the amount of money put into it, and what do you think of the upcoming stadium?
Kyle Brady ’23
A: “I don’t think it’s worth it, honestly. All that money, like, for literally just a place where you can get on a computer and play some games.”
Theo Schneck ‘24
A:”The money is too much. You could fill a whole suitcase with that money, you could save the world, but instead they’re putting it into this stadium. I think this stadium should be demolished as soon as it’s built.”
by Leo Kaufman ’24 and Lyle Goldader ‘ 24