The Overwatch system has been Valve’s way of involving the community in its reporting system. After a successful track record in CS:GO, Overwatch was introduced to Dota 2, but so far, it has failed to turn into a routine due to a lack of rewards.
When the community regulation tool was first added to Dota 2, it attracted attention simply because it was a new feature. Fans were eager to complete one or two Overwatch cases before moving to their ranked matches. However, this honeymoon period didn’t last for long as community members realized most of the cases were rage reports, and since there were no rewards involved, the process started to feel like a waste of time.
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CS:GO’s Overwatch system was improved with XP rewards. Though CS:GO fans still think that there could be more goodies on offer, Dota 2 doesn’t even have that, leaving fans to theorycraft ways to improve the system.
While some have been more drawn to cosmetic rewards like skins, there have also been others who would be satisfied with a profile badge that would showcase how many griefers or cheaters they helped to ban. Considering a majority of the player base is completely skipping Overwatch cases, even the slightest initiative could help boost the numbers of participating players.
Implementing a reward system to Dota 2’s Overwatch is also a slippery slope for Valve since there’s always the risk of exploitation. High-tier rewards could cause botters to take over the Overwatch system and make false verdicts to farm items.
