The special snowflakes of the video game media, who grew up winning a trophy at every soccer tournament and cup-stacking meet, cannot comes to terms with the increasing competitiveness of Overwatch.
The game, which is solely composed of team based competition, recently added a “competitive mode” that allows skilled players to play in high stakes matches with a particularly punishing ranking system. While the mode is far from perfect, Blizzard plans to progressively tweak the rules with future updates.
This shift from fun low stakes “quick play” matches to more hardcore gameplay was inevitable in a game that is beloved by hardcore gamers and casuals alike. But this didn’t stop game journalists from griping about it.
Kotaku’s Nathan Grayson fears that a “spirit of competition” will be bad for Overwatch:
Overwatch is, most of the time, a feel-good team game. Introducing high-stakes competition with a muddled message about the importance of individual skill drags the game into confused, oftentimes negative territory. If Blizzard wants this thing to work, they’re gonna have to figure out a competitive framework that’s true to Overwatch’s spirit, rather than just the spirit of competition.
Essentially, Grayson’s safe space bubble has bursted with the release of competitive mode. He believes an influx of competitive-minded players (some admittedly jerks) will rob Overwatch of its fun freewheeling positivity.
But in reality competitive mode has just moved all the hyper competitive and toxic players into another mode. If he wants a relaxed, chill atmosphere, just play on quick play. No one’s forcing him into competitive.
The evidence of Grayson’s “everybody gets a trophy” attitude is apparent in his article:
Unlike in regular Overwatch, which is designed to make you feel like a winner no matter what with all its experience points and commendations and medals and loot boxes, losing in competitive mode carries consequences.
Oh, no! You mean that I won’t win if I lose! Why bother playing at all?
Forbes’ Paul Tassi echoes the sentiment in an article, The Honeymoon Is Over: Competitive ‘Overwatch’ Brings The Toxicity. Tassi complains about all the mean players treating him badly and having to finally figure out where the mute button is. “Blizzard is going to have to put a lot of effort into doling out warnings and bans in the coming months,” he writes.
If we ban everyone who looses their temper on voice chat, there probably won’t be anyone left to play with.
The notion that competitiveness will hamper Overwatch’s community is just complaining about inevitable change. It is absolutely pointless to worry about the innocence of Overwatch’s community. It is too bountiful to wall off from the wider gaming population. Hyper-competitive players are already migrating from the distant lands of League of Legends and Starcraft and bringing a bit of their culture with them, for better or for worse.
If you can’t handle a little unfriendly competition, maybe you shouldn’t be in competitive mode. Just be happy with the constant unearned rewards of quick play.