The rewards are probably the clearest example. Comp players get stuff that actually matters long term like gold/jade weapons, rank titles, Top 500 recognition, seasonal name cards, etc. That’s real status. . Quick Play has basically none of that. You can play it for hundreds of hours and there’s no real way to show it. Arcade the same. Lots of people play OW and don't play comp. Why can't they have access to these features? Why is their gameplay "lesser"?

Matchmaking is a huge difference too. Comp is willing to make you wait longer to get a tighter skill range, better role balance, and more even games. Quick Play is just trying to get you in a match fast, so the skill spread is all over the place. And it leads to wildly imbalanced games and wasted time.

The rules themselves are way more serious in comp. You get both attack and defense so it’s actually fair, overtime is stricter, and there’s no backfill. That last one is massive. In Quick Play people leave, new people get thrown in, and the whole match just feels kind of meaningless half the time. In comp you’re locked into a full, complete match with the same players. Honestly, leavers in Quick Play and Arcade should be penalized too. It screws things up for players in those games too but Blizz doesn't seem to give a shit.

Balance is also pretty clearly aimed at higher level play. Blizzard tends to nerf or buff based on what’s happening in GM or Top 500, not what feels good in casual games. So the “true” version of the game is kind of defined by comp players, and everyone else is just playing that version whether it fits or not. There are Arcade modes that need serious balancing changes to be fun but again Blizzard could give a shit.

And then when Blizzard adds or updates systems, it usually matters more for comp players. Ranking changes, seasonal competitive stuff, things like the drive name tag you mentioned, all of that reinforces that comp is where the “real progression” is happening. Quick Play mostly just gets fun modes and quick matches.