![]() ![]() It is unusual for a multiplayer shooter to have fans who are as invested in the lore of the game as the action. Goodman says that it’s something they talk about “quite a bit” but he and Kaplan refer me to Tsang, who tells me that “it’s one of many factors that we’re thinking of”. For example, the female characters, including Ashe, are physically slim – especially in comparison with the male heroes, from the practically spherical Roadhog to the towering, armoured Reinhardt. Overwatch’s fans, the people who have produced the art that decorates Blizzard’s walls, also highlight areas where inclusivity and representation are lacking. Tsang says these concerns “influence certain characters more than others” and Chu adds: “When we’re coming up with characters, there’s intention, but then there’s also spontaneous ideas.” The general sense I get from my interviewees is that, while inclusivity is one thing to consider when creating a new hero, it’s not always a priority. The prevalence of women in the game, as well as heroes of different nationalities, with prosthetic limbs, and the fact that Tracer is a lesbian, are all important to fans. Ashe brings the character roster to male-female parity, with 14 of each and one genderless robot. Overwatch’s relative diversity is another reason it enjoys such a lot of love from its community – other video games have set a low bar in that area. “Right from the get go I a woman to be the leader of this gang,” Hill says. Once the gameplay team realised that she was also the perfect fit for the weapons-based character they’d been trying to create, her position on the roster was sealed. “We were so excited about the character right away,” lead hero designer Geoff Goodman says, explaining that multiple designers presented their own ideas of how she might work in the game. “I remember the first time we showed it, he was just like, ‘These could be heroes’,” Hill recalls. On seeing storyboards, other members of the team began to latch on to the Deadlock gang, and especially Ashe. As well as wanting several characters that could pique the interest of viewers, he knew he needed a leader who could go “toe to toe” with the charismatic McCree, and created the basic idea for Ashe: “A big wide brim hat … a black duster, big white flowing hair.” Jason Hill, who directed McCree’s short, was initially interested in exploring the outlaw gang, Deadlock, that he once belonged to. Bodybuilder Zarya and climate scientist Mei both originated from this process.Īshe is unusual, though, having first been created by the cinematics team. Sometimes, he says, they come from “hero jams”, where all the concept artists present their own ideas. “The characters come from a combination of art, story, and design,” explains assistant art director Andrew Tsang. There is no single formula for creating an Overwatch hero. ‘We’re always trying to reinforce the characters’ … Overwatch. Ashe’s sound quirks include a dinner bell she uses to call down her robot butler. “The design, the way they animate, their expressions, the sounds we add – we’re always trying to reinforce whatever the character hooks are,” says sound design supervisor Paul Lackey. Even between fights, she shifts and rearranges her hands constantly, always ready to go. This is shown in her animations, joysticks and fingers twitching to protect herself and her teammates from each threat. D.Va, for instance, is a Korean pro-gamer turned mech pilot who defended her home against invading robots, and as an esports champion, her quick reaction speed allows for her to target and stop oncoming fire. This makes character-building a collaborative process, rather than the exclusive purview of artists and writers. ![]() Lead writer Michael Chu says: “We let people embrace their initial, visceral, emotional reaction to a character, and then we start building the relationship.”īecause Overwatch is a shooter and not a narrative-driven game, the people behind it have to communicate characters through actions, animations and sound rather than dialogue and cut-scenes. “They’re larger than life but at the same time we try really hard to humanise them,” says Kaplan. The people who have come up with Overwatch’s 29 characters have different opinions on what inspires such devotion, but distinctiveness is a big part of it. One pinned-up post celebrates Egyptian jetpack-using hero Pharah and her mother Ana – good mother-daughter relationships are unfortunately rare in games, especially between women of colour. Mascot hero Tracer is a fan favourite, particularly among LGBTQ+ fans after it was revealed in a comic that she has a girlfriend. Cork boards packed with drawings, internet posts and letters of appreciation decorate many of the office’s corridors. Its cast is what sets the game apart from other first-person shooters, fleshed out in comics, short films, and in-game interactions and inspiring a flood of fan art and fiction. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |