Kotaku game diaryThe last thoughts of a Kotaku employee about a game we’re playing.I have a confession to make: Despite being Kotakuthe number one Overwatch fan, I haven’t played in two years. But buffeted by my optimism for Overwatch 2 and being unable to get my Overwatch fix it because the Overwatch League won’t be back for a month, I decided to play it again, hoping to recapture what I loved in the game.
Cooperative snipers have never been my thing. In my mind, they had a reputation for being relentless in terms of the player’s skill and toxicity requirements. However, helped by the fact that it is made by Blizzard Entertainment, a company that I have learned to love over many years of gaming World of Warcraft, When Overwatch arrived in 2016 i thought this could finally be a sniper for me. And it was. Overwatch it was the game that took me out of multiple comfort zones. I was not just playing a cooperative first-person shooter, but I was gravitating towards supporting heroes – something I had never done in any class-based game before. Overwatch just clicked for me. I didn’t feel any undue pressure to be good, and the diverse cast, bright colors and the message of hope put me at ease with the light brown seriousness of Modern war et al no.
Overwatch League arrived in 2018, galvanizing my commitment and love for the game. I had a serious esports case. I was infinitely excited about the idea of video games getting the same treatment as professional sports – finally, something competitive I want to participate! But all the most popular sports titles—League of Legends, Call to action, and Dota 2– they were not games that I was interested in or could even understand. I would watch The International, Dota 2The competitive annual end-of-season tournament, feeding on the contagious energy of the crowd, casters and players, without understanding anything that is happening in front of me. What the hell is a BKB? I don’t know, but everyone seems very excited about it. Overwatch League became the bridge that connected me to something that I was desperate to be a part of, but couldn’t understand. I bought it all the way, and although the League has its problems with decreasing interest, lack of players, and player protections, I really feel that it is a community that I will remain with until the end, whether I am playing or not.
Almost three years ago, I just stopped playing Overwatch. Although my love for watching the game via the Overwatch League was at its peak (and is still there), playing the game has become a chore. Arcade and Quick Play modes have been deprecated, the workshop it was not yet a thing, the newest heroes were not exciting and I avoided the competitive ladder, because it contained the worst “git gud” elements of the community. There was also racism. Despite having a good overall experience, Overwatch has the dubious honor of being the game in which I experienced the most racism. In-game chat filled with the word n was a common occurrence. Reddit and the Blizzard The forums have topics asking why innocuous meme phrases like “GGEZ” are banned, but if you turn off the profanity filter, the words with n become a fair game. As I was falling in love with the game and before I stopped completely, I remember talking to myself before logging in. I weighed how much I wanted to play against my strength to deal with any racist or misogynistic shit that could happen. And when my strength to cope waned, my desire to play waned and I finally stopped. My friends noticed my absence. They would playfully send me screenshots of their Battle.net buddy list with the “Offline” timer below my name growing bigger.
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Last week, I decided to play again for the first time in years. There was no real precipitating incident that got me back – I just did it. It took a few months to install the updates, but I was back in the game. It has changed a lot. There are minor adjustments to the quality of life that are good to see. The “mark everyone as seen” button for any new cosmetic is good (although sometimes I would like to clear the notification manually, just to spend more time with the characters.) I like the game to tell you how long you can wait to stay in line and that you can spend time on the practice field while lining up for a match. The queue of papers is a blessing. In the early days, I spent a lot of games fighting damage or tank heroes because all the support slots were filled. The queue of papers eliminated that anxiety. It is undoubtedly the best thing about returning to the game.
Returning to Overwatch it didn’t seem like much, on the contrary, it was a collection of small moments that reminded me why I fell in love with this game in 2016. I remember opening the game for the first time, hearing trumpets sounding “The world could always use more heroes”And feeling my lips automatically curl up in a smile – like hearing a greeting from an old friend. I was delighted with the muscle memory that came up while playing Zenyatta. I didn’t have to remember the keyboard shortcuts for their damage and healing orbs, throwing them all over the place, without fear of getting close to the center of the battle. This fearlessness was rewarded with gold and silver medals for healing and death assistance. I felt like I had never stopped playing – although my final time is still a little rusty.
Overwatch, it seems, is still my comfort zone smashing game. I feel better able to try other ways that I have ignored in the past. I experienced different heroes on Team and Solo Deathmatch for the first time and I was quite surprised at how well I did. I’m even thinking about trying the Competitive seriously. One of the best things about Overwatch is that I don’t have to commit myself to that. I can get everything I want from a session in 20 minutes or less, making it the perfect palate cleanser for when I need a break from endless hours of Final Fantasy XIV. Although I needed time away from Overwatch, It is very good to come back.