![]() ![]() Our research team wanted to know if this announcement influenced the game itself. ![]() But some players were uncomfortable with the decision, accusing Blizzard of making money through political correctness, complaining that the announcement was unnecessary, and even threatening to stop playing Overwatch. Many players supported the announcement and liked the tweet. The announcement resulted in hundreds of responses on Twitter and other social media channels. It was a bit of information that is far from unusual in the real world, but in online gaming, it was somewhat revolutionary. He wrote that Soldier: 76 had been in a romantic relationship with another man and identified as gay. In May 2019, an Overwatch writer updated the background story for one male character, Soldier: 76. Still, these stories are so important for the fan base that they influence Overwatch in another way. Their stories have no effect whatsoever on the game they don’t change the characters’ skills or appearance. As an additional marketing highlight, Blizzard regularly updates the background stories of these characters. In Overwatch, players can choose between 32 avatars that have different appearances and skill sets. In that sense, what happens within Overwatch has economic and societal implications. How do players factor in these kind of character traits, and what are the implications for online harassment and discrimination? The first-person shooter game Overwatch, which is widely popular and has generated more than $1 billion in revenue so far for its owner, Blizzard, has turned out to be an ideal laboratory for me and my colleagues to investigate these questions. However, backlash could deter these companies from supporting marginalized groups and discourage gay players from participating. Some companies actively support social movements through publicity and marketing campaigns and product labeling. This is important for the gaming industry. And my research has found that other players in turn might treat those characters differently within the game. But players also make their choices based on attributes that aren’t apparent during gameplay and have no influence on the game, such as a character’s sexuality. When picking out which character to play in a game, players factor in an avatar’s strengths and weaknesses, and even their appearance. If I want to fight like Bruce Lee, I can choose Marshall Law in Tekken. ![]() When I want to feel like a princess, I choose Peach in Mario Kart. I like video games because they give me choices that I don’t have in real life. ![]()
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