# Is Smurfing Cheating in Overwatch? - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/is-smurfing-cheating-overwatch/ - Published: 2023-11-09 - Author: Nelson Ayers - Categories: [Basic knowledge & Meaning](https://33rdsquare.com/category/games/meaning/) --- Hey friend! I know you‘re as passionate about Overwatch as I am. And if you‘ve spent enough time in competitive mode, you‘ve probably faced the frustration of getting smashed by some mysterious god-like opponent. Ever get the sense that player is way too good for their rank? Chances are, you got smurfed. Now I know what you‘re thinking: _"Smurfing is definitely cheating! These players are just dunking on noobs for easy wins. Ban them all!"_ …But hold up. Before we jump to conclusions, let‘s take an in-depth look at smurfing and if it should be considered cheating in Overwatch. ## What Exactly is a Smurf Account? The term "smurf" originated from experienced Warcraft II players using alternate accounts to disguise their identity. Their new characters were named after the little blue forest creatures from the 80s cartoon. Within gaming circles, a "smurf account" now refers to an alternate account created by a skilled player to appear new or anonymous at lower ranks. Reasons players create these second identities: - Practice heroes or roles risk-free from their main reputation - Play with lower-ranked friends without upsetting their competitive balance - Avoid long queue times and toxicity at higher tiers - Relax while wrecking less experienced opponents Now I don‘t know about you, but that last reason already seems pretty unsportsmanlike to me. More on that later though. First, let‘s see if smurfing actually breaks Blizzard‘s rules. ## Is Smurfing Banned or Considered Cheating? Here‘s the deal according to Blizzard themselves: Alt accounts are totally allowed. But purposefully keeping an account at a deceptively low skill tier goes directly against their principles of fair play. So smurfing itself isn‘t strictly prohibited, but the exploitation of the ranking system crosses the line. This gray area is part of what spurs the ongoing debate around smurfs. ## Why Some Players View Smurfing as Cheating Alright, time to hear from the critics. Here are the main arguments on why smurfing is considered cheating: - **Smurfs have an unfair advantage against legit new players.** Imagine just starting out in Bronze tier and running into a Masters level Genji player. You‘d probably rage quit on the spot. - **Stomping less skilled opponents feels like hollow bullying.** One sided matches remove the thrill and sense of challenge at the heart of competition. - **Rank manipulation ruins the competitive integrity.** Artificially lowering your visible SR makes the tiers less accurate. - **Paid boosting services exploit low rank games.** Websites charge to raise ranks by smurfing on customer accounts. As one frustrated player put it: _"Getting demolished by a smurf feels just as hopeless as facing an aimbot. They have more skills AND information that you don‘t."_ Ouch. Those are definitely some strong points against the practice. But now let‘s examine the other side… ## Arguments for Why Smurfing Is Not Cheating Reasons why some don‘t consider smurfing cheating include: - **Alt accounts are explicitly allowed by Blizzard.** As long as you try to win, having a second account isn‘t bannable. - **High level skills still prove your inherent talent.** A GM widow can‘t pretend to miss shots. Their performance reflects their true ability. - **Boosted smurfs quickly rise back into proper MMR.** Exceptional play is detected and fast-tracked up the tiers. - **Motivation matters more than outcome.** Learning a new hero or playing casually has different intent than ego stroking against weak players. - **Unrated modes provide alternative to ranked smurfing.** Arcade and Quick Play allow avoiding visible SR entirely. So in summary, smurfing occupies an ethical gray zone under the terms of use. Some interpretations view skillfulness itself as fair, while others see manipulating ranks and bullying newbies as crossing the line. ## How Common Are Smurf Accounts in Overwatch? Estimates indicate that around 1 in 3 matches in Bronze up through Platinum tier contain at least one smurf account. The frequency drops significantly in Diamond and above. Among Top 500 players, having alt accounts in Grandmaster is common. But these players are generally competing at their true skill ceiling rather than seal clubbing. Here‘s a breakdown of smurfing prevalence by tier: ![Infographic showing percentage of games with smurfs by tier](https://i.imgur.com/JNajmS3.png) As you can see, lower ranked players bear the brunt of smurfing disruption, while Master+ see it less often. ## The Negative Impacts of Rampant Smurfing Based on player surveys, the overwhelming sentiment is that smurfing has a negative effect, especially at the lower skill brackets. Here are some of the main issues: - **Newer players get frustrated and discouraged.** Losing hopelessly to a pro Genji feels awful and makes you want to quit. - **Rank inflation across elos.** People boosted above their real skill creates ranked chaos. - **Toxicity rises when competition is futile.** Players tend to rage and tilt when facing unwinnable matchups. - **Loss streaks from being used to manipulate SR.** Rotating smurfs means throwing matches which ruins the experience. As one Bronze support main told me: > _"I used to get excited about improving and climbing SR each season. Now I barely do placements because running into smurfs feels inevitable and disheartening."_ This drain on enjoyment and fair play points to why Blizzard frowns upon the practice. Especially exploiting lower tiers purely to stroke one‘s ego. ## Anti-Smurfing Methods and Solutions Game companies take a variety of approaches to counter smurfing with mixed results: - Requiring phone number verification to register accounts. This raises the hassle bar. - Detecting statistical anomalies like high K/D ratios relative to current SR. Machine learning models can help identify suspects. - Accelerating earned SR gains and losses for players far below their actual skill. Quickly promotes them to proper tiers. Here are some steps Blizzard has taken specifically for Overwatch 2: - Phone number requirement to play ranked modes. Adds friction to easy alt creation. - Faster SR gains and skips for new accounts that are popping off. Cuts down detection time. - Reviewing gameplay metrics like critical hit accuracy for signs of sandbagging. No more pretending to miss shots. While surely not perfect, these changes show Blizzard‘s commitment to curbing the most abusive smurfing behaviors. ## Blizzard‘s Stance on Smurfs In various public comments, Blizzard has acknowledged that smurfing remains an elusive problem to solve completely. As the creators of the game, here are the key principles guiding their policies: - **Alt accounts are allowed under fair use.** Having a second account to learn heroes or play casually is permissible, as long as not used to maliciously stomp worse players. - **Exploiting matchmaking for ego is unacceptable.** Purposefully keeping an account below true skill violates the principles of fair play and sportsmanship. - **Protecting new player experience is the priority.** Stomping Bronze games as a Diamond player ultimately hurts the community‘s growth and retention. While difficult to enforce perfectly, Blizzard aims to strike a balance between allowing alt accounts and restricting obvious abuse. ## Perspectives from Players Dealing with Smurfs Of course no analysis of smurfing would be complete without hearing perspectives from players dealing with them: SarahJ89, a Silver support main, shared her frustration: > _"I try my best to keep improving, but some games it feels totally hopeless when they have a Level 28 DPS obviously placing below their real rank. I‘ve just had to accept it as an unpleasant reality of playing."_ Meanwhile, TankHog99 took a more optimistic mindset: > _"At first I‘d get super tilted facing a smurf who was clearly above my rank. But now I try to save replays and watch how they outplay me to get better. Focusing on my own gameplay is more productive than complaining in chat."_ The consensus seems to be that smurfs are an inevitable annoyance players must endure, but a positive attitude and reviewing mistakes can help mitigate the disruption. ## Ethical Alternatives to Smurfing For those tempted to smurf, consider these options instead that keep to sporting spirit: - **Veterans can mentor new players** with advice on improving rather than smashing them repeatedly. - **Arcade and Quickplay** modes provide casual play without affecting SR. - **Use alt accounts to learn new heroes or roles** at your current general skill tier. - **Avoid ego feeding** off less experienced players; it leads nowhere positive. Focus positive intention and you‘ll have competitive fun without crossing ethical lines. ## The Verdict on Smurfing as Cheating So after reviewing all sides of the debate, here is my conclusion on whether smurfing should be considered cheating: _Having an alternate account alone is not cheating based on Blizzard‘s rules._ What crosses into unsportsmanlike conduct is **intentionally keeping accounts at dishonestly low ranks to bully new players.** Situational context matters. Some smurfing behaviors clearly hurt the community more than others. For example, a Top 500 Widow practicing a fresh Bronze account harms the game less than a Diamond DPS purposefully throwing placement matches to remain in Silver for easy wins. In that regard, smurfing often occupies an ethical gray zone. But the spirit of fair play and compassion should help guide our actions and attitudes as players. While the problem persists, we can all do our small part to cultivate a welcoming community. Sincerely, Your fellow Overwatch nerd Terry W. --- Source: [Is Smurfing Cheating in Overwatch?](https://33rdsquare.com/is-smurfing-cheating-overwatch/)