If you've been following the scene since it's earliest days, you have probably stumbled across at least one of Harsha's YouTube videos at ggHarsha_. His channel is a collection of opinions and critical takes on various moments in competitive Overwatch's history and the formation of the OWL. Specialize hardcore content to the extreme, the videos grew popular within the competitive community and, before you knew it, Harsha was routinely sounding off on the biggest issues the scene faced.

Harsha isn't a pro player, but he has ended up working with them as the analyst for San Francisco Shock.  With the start of the league coming soon and Harsha having some time to transition into his new job, I had some questions, including what an analyst does in OW and how did Harsha go from amateur Overwatch analyst to a professional one:

Please introduce your self and what first drew you to Overwatch?

"I'm Harsha! I was formally a college student who played video games casually and am now the analyst for the San Francisco Shock. I was interested in Overwatch after getting bored of League of Legends, as something about a game with both shooter and MOBA aspects appealed to me. It was a fresh game at that point and I enjoyed it a lot casually before discovering a fledgling esports scene, which I was drawn to immediately."


What were you doing professionally before you became an analyst?

"I was a college student who basically was just spending his time studying, playing and watching Overwatch, and creating content."


What, in your opinion, is the most important part of being an analyst?

"Perhaps it's a bit different in my case, because in working with San Francisco, I've much less of a barrier between myself as an analyst and the rest of the team, but I think that making the team as efficient as possible is the most important function of an analyst. I devote my entire day to studying the team's gameplay, so I should be the one making sure that every action has a purpose and is the correct one in the path to victory."

"I originally created my YouTube channel to actually help with speaking up, as I've always been a poor public speaker, but I continued uploading after garnering a small fanbase that listened to me."

What are the most important skills an Analyst needs to be of value to a team in Overwatch?

"I think that being able to watch the game and understand the intricacies is really important. While you can see a lot of 1v1 scenarios and frags are impressive, the game is fundamentally a team game, and usually, every hero on the map is trying to set up a common goal in pro play that you have to be able to recognize once you take a step back. With that in mind, it's far easier to understand map movements, set plays, target selection, the line of sight, etc."

What drew you to SF Shock? How do you enjoy working with the team?

"I originally worked with LegitRc on mixed teams and tier 2 teams in the past and had been working with him during his time on Cloud9 to create their new roster until the org decided to go with GC Busan and Kongdoo Panthera. After that, I sorta stepped back and evaluated my options, while he linked up again with his Selfless co-coach Brad and recommended me to the organization. When I was approached, I trialed for a few days and felt like it was a good fit (and apparently they did too!). One of the cool things about working with this team is that many have lower expectations for the roster, whereas I personally see a rough diamond of untapped potential. Working with this young group of guys gives me a ton of room for growth as we both work to become the best team we can be!"

Did you ever have aspirations to be a player your self, or has analyst always been your goal?

"I never really had any aspirations to become a pro player, and I've hovered around low GM or high Masters my entire time in Overwatch so I know I'm not that great at the game! My goals don't necessarily end with being an analyst for a team, but this is a logical step for me in the grand scheme of things and I hope to build upon the knowledge I gain from this position in years to come, either in coaching or analyzing for broadcasts."

"I probably created content and wrote for little-to-no pay for over a year before getting a real position, but I did all of this out of enjoyment and love for the game."

What is your take on one-trick and the communities volatile relationship with them?

"I agree that they aren't necessarily contributing to a healthy environment and are not doing everything that they can be doing to win, but the situation is tricky in my opinion because one-tricking is essentially allowed. I'm less worried about people who one-trick a DPS hero or Mercy or something to that effect than I am about Torbjorn and Symmetra players, as those are significantly less effective than other choices in attacking situations."

What inspired you to create your YouTube channel and create Overwatch content?

"I started creating written Overwatch content simply out of enjoyment, as I've always had a fickle writer's itch that comes and goes frequently. Making feature pieces and guides was a way to take care of that itch and become a part of the community. I originally created my YouTube channel to actually help with speaking up, as I've always been a poor public speaker, but I continued uploading after garnering a small fanbase that listened to me. Uploading to YouTube lets me put work out in just 20-30 minutes, while articles generally take me several hours, so doing both allow me to dedicate the amount of time I feel is appropriate to a piece of work."

What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to work in the esports industry as a content creator?

"It's a bit presumptuous of myself to hand out the advice given that this is my first "big-time" position in esports, but from observing other hirings, I think that the most important thing is to just do the work. If it's good, people will notice and you'll "level up." I probably created content and wrote for little-to-no pay for over a year before getting a real position, but I did all of this out of enjoyment and love for the game. I imagine that if you do the work and don't step on any toes, you can go anywhere in esports."