The minimum age is 18
We’ve seen the Korean player Whoru of team Lunatic Haicompete before as Genji — he’s a beast, and he’s just 16 years old. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to compete in the Overwatch league, and the APEX South Korean tournament as he doesn’t meet the age requirement of 18.
Kotaku reached out to Blizzard about the situation, who noted that players will need to turn 18 before the April 5, 2018 deadline if they want to sign with a team for Season 1, otherwise they’ll have to wait for the next run of eligibility. Unfortunately, he can’t even compete in the minor league (which accepts players who are 13-17), as Korea isn’t included. It makes perfect sense why Blizzard wouldn’t want kids to drop out to pursue eSports, but the issue here is that he can’t even partake in regional/local tournaments officially sanctioned by Blizzard in his own country.
It’s an interesting development given that a lot of pro eSports players are under 18, and a growing pain that eSports in general will have to deal with as it continues to explode. There are just so many unknowns, and so many different organizations all with different rulesets. Just this year EVO, the world’s biggest fighting game tournament, is toying with the idea of adding coachesfull-time— much to the ire of many fans.
Top Genji Player Can’t Compete In Blizzard’s Overwatch League Because He’s Just 16 [Kotaku]