It is not surprising that gamers such as myself get heavily into a new series when it takes off by storm. This game becomes the one you play constantly until something new happens – a sequel. Whether it is nearly as good as the original or better, you can’t put it down. You continue playing as each year passes and each new sequel comes out, and then something happens. You put down your controller, and you lose interest. After a significant devotion, you no longer find it satisfying to replay the story mode or play online with others. The game then begins to become irrelevant. Either the franchise slowly dies out, or the company milks the franchise, focusing on quantity instead of quality to where it becomes a laughing stock. Regardless, you stop playing and search for the next big thing. This example is one of many that gamers can relate to. Whether Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed, a gamer has put down controller due to lack of interest and relevancy (No disrespect to those franchises). This has happened to me on numerous occasions with various game sequels and franchises. Though I will play them sometimes for the sake of nostalgia, it does not last that long. It was not until I discovered Overwatch that my interest changed.
Earlier this week, Overwatch announced their three year anniversary with the sneak peek of their new skins, the playoffs, and more. Being a fan of the game, I became thoroughly excited as to what would come. Earlier this year, a new player was released by the name of Baptiste, let alone two other players in the previous year. It is no surprise Blizzard has poured a large amount into its game to not only stay relevant but thrive in new directions. After writing the previous Overwatch pieces on the history lore, I thought it best to cover as to why the game has stayed heavily relevant and why it has continued to grow since its birth (To see the history and lore of Overwatch articles, click here). So, get your armor ready, your guns loaded, and your healers behind you, because we are going in head first!
1. Diversity
Before you roll your eyes just by the word, “diversity,” here me out. What I appreciate that Overwatch does with diversity is that it uses it to its advantage in story-telling. Each character – Omnic or human – has their own story, their own contribution, and their own uniqueness. Having officially 30 players to choose from, one can get lost in a specific character, whether it is their powers or skills, or story. Sombra comes from Mexico, D.Va from Korea, Orisa from Numbani, Reinhardt from Germany, and much more. Adding on to that is the culture of each character. Each uniquely embraces some part of their heritage, from their code of honor to their upbringing. To see Reinhardt portrayed as honorable soldiers embracing the title of “Crusaders” rather than the typical Nazi-like villain was relieving to see. To see Soldier: 76 portrayed as homosexual and leader instead of being the typical straight white male blonde was certainly a twist. To see Doomfist apply his cultural heritage to his identity and philosophy was full of significant depth. See the pattern here?
Adding on to that, it honestly makes me happy to see female characters significantly take the stage in their own, individual ways. Whether they are villains for heroes, they steal the spotlight when it is given. Take Moria and Mercy for example. Mercy is a hero who works significantly in the area of science and medicine. A big trope with females is that females in war are depicted as the nurse figure or the nurturing one of the team. Very basic and expected. Yet, she can hold her own in a fight and even leads the team as a healer. As for Moria, she also is a scientist but is the exact opposite. Rather than focusing on the value of life, Moria sees the value of upgrading humanity, regardless of human life. Both heavily contribute to the story of Overwatch as they also represent the Ying and Yang of the characters, next to Soldier: 76 and Reaper. The difficulty with some female characters is their figure and skins. Are some of these rather stereotypical and borderline sexist? Honestly, yes, and it is rather unfortunate. It has honestly been some time, however, since Blizzard had such a character, the last one being Widowmaker. Outside of that, Blizzard significantly put in the effort for a large set of diverse characters.
2. Balance
Not only does each player have a part on the team, but there is balance for the team as well. Prior to Overwatch, I grew tired to the first-person shoot ’em up games where they were imbalanced. People running around everywhere, too busy focusing on killing each other rather than working as a team. When introduced to Overwatch, I was in absolute shock that they had a balanced system and that each character of each category brought something individually unique. Some characters are simple to navigate while others are more precise and strategic. Some are more skilled in the offense, while others are more defensive or healing. Along with skills, each character has their own set of weapons and powers. This allows the player to experiment with each character to see what fits, what doesn’t, and what they could work on. I was originally horrible as McCree, constantly missing my targets. After watching his animated short last year, I practiced with him more during small matches and the shooting range. Now, I honestly enjoy playing as him, and that is just one of many examples. Regardless of one’s preference, the balance is there to make the game more enjoyable and engaging. Does it have its problems when players don’t cooperate? Absolutely, which is why I heavily recommend having a specific group to play with or friends you have.
3. Lore Marketing
When first introduced to Overwatch, I was honestly very confused with how it all worked. Origins being on Youtube? When you lived in the world of COD or Mortal Kombat for so long, you get used to origin stories being available to play through. With Overwatch, it is the exact opposite.
What makes the origins online more unique is that it allows both gamers and non-gamers to get into the story together, and for free. Sometimes Youtubers simply take gameplay footage and cinematic scenes and put them on Youtube for all to see. What’s the difference? The major difference is that a fan is putting the cinematic scenes up, whereas Blizzard deliberately reaches out to their audience, showing them what they have to offer as a whole. It is absolutely genius in both story-telling, and marketing. Furthermore, the comic books/graphic novel tie-ins contribute heavily to the Overwatch story as well. What is limited in the origins stories and animated shorts are expanded upon on pages. As if this is enough, they do provide story mode gameplay sessions during special events, such as Retribution, Storm Rising, and many more. The fact that these are yearly and add on to character development is absolutely worth investing time into playing and even studying.
This is honestly a fantastic marketing strategy, as it gets to readers to intentionally invest their time outside of the game because in the end, it is more than a game, it is a story. To know more about the story, you have to put in your own time. Again, you don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy the story, since the story is available online to read and watch!
Those are some of many reasons why Overwatch continues to thrive both as a game and story, as there is much more to expand on. What do you think of Overwatch? Think there was anything that was overlooked? Let us know in the comments! Hope you enjoyed! Now go download the game and play!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s, and do not necessarily reflect those of Temple of Geek.
