Seb 'numlocked' Barton is the tank player and team captain of the Team Dignitas Overwatch team. A veteran in esports, numlocked has high hopes for the Team Dignitas Overwatch squad. He and the other five players were on Creaton eSports but were picked up by Team Dignitas shortly before Gamescom where they played their first LAN together. In this interview, we discuss numlocked's role as the team captain of the Overwatch team, Gamescom 2016, and the potential longevity of Overwatch as an esport.

Welcome to Team Dignitas! How's it feel being sponsored by Dignitas?

numlocked: Feels great. Proud to be representing a prestigious UK organisation.

Your first game with Team Dignitas occured at Gamescom where the team went 0:2 against Misfits. What do you think went wrong there?

numlocked: Our defence was really good on both maps, but our attack was pretty sloppy. Poor ult management cost us fights where we could have snowballed.

Prior to joining Team Dignitas, the entire team played together under Creation eSports. How long have you guys played together?

numlocked: The core of the team (Art1er, Draceus, LiNkzr) have played together since November. Bromas joined around December/January, I joined in February and Toxiken around May. So a long time!

Following that up, how would you describe your overall synergy?

numlocked: I think our synergy is really good. Art1er, Draceus and LiNkzr have been teammates for a super long time (even before Overwatch), and Bromas and Toxiken were close friends anyway. Everyone gets along really well too, both online (in other games for fun) or in person.

What's your main role in your games as the team captain?

numlocked: I handle the shotcalling – so like, engages, teamfights, focus targets, etc.

In the team, your role focus is as the tank. What made you decide on that role?

numlocked: I mostly just played whatever the team needed. When I first started playing Overwatch, I played a bit of everything (support, dps, tank), but when we were unable to fill the tank role), I made the switch and I’ve just been playing it since.

How did you feel about the new map that Blizzard is releasing for Overwatch?

numlocked: I like the new map a lot. My only issue with it is the last point where everything is really narrow and cramped. With a lot of spam or Mei, it’s gonna be a really anti-fun point.

What's your opinion on the upcoming changes to the Overwatch ranked system?

numlocked: Huge improvement on season one. Was really annoying to not really know how you were doing in terms of SR because of such small decimal changes, so the new system is really nice.

What do you think Blizzard needs to do to ensure success for Overwatch as an eSport?

numlocked: Definitely need to put focus on a proper spectator client, replay system and more in-game stats for the spec client. DPM, KDA, etc etc.

So let's get silly. What Overwatch hero is your favorite?

numlocked: Probably Roadhog. A lot of fun and infuriating to play against.

Where did your in-game name come from?

numlocked: This is such a boring answer. I always have the numlock key turned on, so I’m numlocked. zzzzzz...

Who on the roster have you known the longest?

numlocked: Art1er, Draceus and LiNkzr. They were on the team in the first place when I originally scrimmed against them.

How does your family feel about you pursuing a career as a professional gamer?

numlocked: My family are super supportive. They’ve always supported me in this path (even before it actually made money all the way back to TF2!)

What would you be doing if you weren't a professional Overwatch player for Team Dignitas?

numlocked: I’d still be working a 9-5 job in law. Very glad I’m not doing that anymore. 9-5 isn’t for me!

What other games do you play, casually?

numlocked: I don’t really play anything outside of Overwatch. If I’m not scrimming or in a tournament, I’m usually playing competitive mode. If I am playing anything other than Overwatch, it’s probably some random game from steam that I’ve convinced my friends to get with me and we end up refunding it.

How does your average day look?

numlocked: So I’ll wake up around 10/11, make sure scrims are sorted for the week, check emails etc. I’d sort lunch whilst watching a vod or something, then I’ll play competitive mode, sometimes streaming, sometimes not, until scrim time at 5pm, then we scrim until 12am. After scrims, we talk a little, maybe watch some vods until 12:30/1am. Then it’s more competitive until about 2/3am and I’ll go to bed to watch some TV + sleep.

That's all for now! Make sure to follow numlocked on his various social media! Also make sure you follow Team Dignitas' social media for consistent updates on our Overwatch team!

numlocked' Twitter
numlocked's Twitch