'Overwatch' was an instant success the moment it was launched in 2016. However, the gameplay is not the sole reason for the game's continued success. Blizzard brought to life a futuristic world with an engaging cast of characters through stellar voice acting, animation, character design, music, and storytelling. In fact, the story of 'Overwatch' is half the reason I decided to pick up the game in the first place. But how exactly did Blizzard draw me and so many others in?
First of all, the world. 'Overwatch' is set about 60 years in the future, although it's never explicitly stated. The future Blizzard envisioned is one of worldwide cooperation, largely due to a robot ("omnic") invasion called the 'Omnic Crisis.' The battles of 'Overwatch' lore are not between nations—they are between good and evil (I refrain from saying humans and omnics because not all omnics are evil and not all humans are good). So while the future is still described as violent and war-torn, it is still an optimistic vision of worldwide cooperation.
Two playable maps in 'Overwatch' tell us a lot about Overwatch’s future. These are 'Numbani' and 'Oasis.' Here is Numbani’s wiki description:
“Known as the ‘City of Harmony,’ Numbani is one of the few places where omnics and humans live as equals. This collaboration has led to the creation of one of the world's greatest and most technologically advanced cities in the short time since its establishment after the end of the Omnic Crisis . . . One of the world's most peaceful and foremost centers of scientific discovery and exploration, Numbani is a utopian city on the edge of the African savanna, somewhere near Nigeria.”
Not only did Blizzard suggest there is somewhere so pleasant and inclusive that it is known as the “City of Harmony—” they also dared to set that city in the most historically impoverished, disorganized, and exploited continent in the world. Its pretty clear the omnics are a metaphor for racism, so think of it like this: Blizzard could have put the city in America or Europe, and it still could’ve served as a beacon of equality, with Africans (and omnics) coming there to live in harmony. But setting the city in Africa suggests shouts that Numbani is a purely African creation, and it is the rest of the world that envies it. Rather than being tolerated, Africa is revered.
Another example of great worldbuilding is 'Oasis.' Here’s its wiki description:
“Oasis is one of the world's most advanced cities, a shining jewel rising from the Arabian Desert. A monument to human ingenuity and invention, researchers and academics from around the region came together to found a city dedicated to scientific progress without restraints.”
The wiki soon reveals that 'Oasis' is specifically set in Iraq. Now, any other developer would have designed a map in Iraq the same way we’ve been doing it since video games became a thing: bombed-out rows of dusty, old, abandoned houses. But Blizzard envisions a better future. They say, “The Middle East was not always a war-torn region, and it will not always be!” So they designed a map that looks like this rather than this. Jeff Kaplan, the game’s lead designer, said,
“Oasis is what we want Iraq to be someday. Let’s stop showing it as dusty streets and bombed-out buildings. It’s not like, if you went to Berlin in 1945, it stayed that way for the past 70 years. It’s moved passed that. We’ve moved on. It’s our suggestion that, maybe, it’s time to move on from some of these visions that we keep reinforcing rather than imagining something being a little different.”
Blizzard designed a better, brighter future, everywhere.
But a world is nothing without its characters. The roster of heroes (currently sitting at 26) is a diverse group, both with respect to ability and demographics. Heroes differ in race, gender, sexuality, body shape, nationality, personality and even species. Some heroes adhere to cultural tropes: Genji and Hanzo, the clashing Japanese ninja-warrior brothers, McCree, the six-shooter-slinging American cowboy and Widowmaker, the heartless, slender, French femme fatale sniper. However, even these characters have depth, emotion, and complexity: Genji tries to help his brother find inner peace, McCree has a troubled past as an enemy of Overwatch, and Widowmaker shows hints of remorse in a very Darth Vader way. Even the white, male, gritty action hero (whose gameplay is meant to help players transition from games like Call of Duty) is a total dad, featuring voice lines such as, “I’m not your father” and “Get off my lawn.” Oh, and this unlockable skin.
'Overwatch' also has some more creative hero types. Bastion, a cute, playful robot with PTSD. Winston, a genetically engineered scientist monkey who lives on the moon. Ana, an elderly Egyptian sniper who heals her team with her rifle shots (also the mother of another playable character, Pharah). Zenyatta, an omnic monk who became human, then transcended human suffering. The fact that these characters fit in perfectly with the rest is a testament to Blizzard’s character design and art direction.
With such a diverse cast, Blizzard has plenty of room for representation, without making it seem forced. There are male characters, female characters, characters that transcend gender, LGBT characters, straight characters, characters from every continent, autistic characters, old characters, young characters, human characters, non-human characters . . . I could go on. Everyone is represented in 'Overwatch,' and the best part is, these attributes are not the defining part of any character’s identity. Each hero is a strong character even without the trait that makes them different from their peers.
If you couldn’t already tell, I love 'Overwatch.' It may seem strange to get so passionate about a video game, but it's not the game itself that makes me feel this way. It’s the idea there is good in the world. The idea that the world can be a wonderful, happy place. And the idea that everyone can be a hero.