Overbet, friendly bets on Overwatch esport
Friendly betting web app around the Overwatch League, built in two versions.
The project
Overbet comes from a time when I was deep into the Overwatch esport community. With friends we were already placing bets on Overwatch League matches, and I wanted to build a proper graphical interface with a scoring and ranking system so everyone could join in. The goal was to move from a shaky Excel file to something cleaner and shareable.
The project evolved through two versions.
Version 1
A technical prototype to try out APIs and databases in PHP from scratch, minimal dark-themed design. No longer online.
Version 2
A redesign with a more polished look, more features, and cleaner code. The project was finished and usable, but right when I wrapped it up, the Overwatch League launched its own betting platform, which pretty much killed my motivation to keep going.
Takeaways
Timing is crucial. A project can be technically sound and lose its point if the official platform ships the same thing. It also taught me a lot about PHP development, database handling, and refactoring between versions. In particular, it’s often better to throw a prototype away and rebuild than to let it live when it wasn’t designed to last.
Context
Personal project, built to liven up esport nights among friends.
Tech stack
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PHP (no framework)
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JavaScript
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MySQL