{"id":6112,"date":"2019-01-08T19:49:43","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T19:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/overwatchs-lgbt-characters-are-educating-gamers\/"},"modified":"2019-01-08T19:49:43","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T19:49:43","slug":"overwatchs-lgbt-characters-are-educating-gamers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/overwatchs-lgbt-characters-are-educating-gamers\/","title":{"rendered":"Overwatch’s LGBT characters are ‘educating’ gamers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"AnaImage copyright<\/span>
\n Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first two characters you meet when you play Overwatch are Soldier: 76 and Tracer – and now both of them have been revealed as LGBT.<\/p>\n

Soldier: 76 is the latest to have been confirmed as gay in a short story by Michael Chu<\/a>, the lead writer for the online game.<\/p>\n

He’s one of the most popular characters in the online shooter, which has millions of players worldwide.<\/p>\n

Tracer, who players meet alongside Soldier: 76 in the game’s tutorial, was confirmed as a gay character in 2016.<\/p>\n

Ed Nightingale, a gay gamer from London, hopes representing a “very macho, typically masculine character” as LGBT will help promote acceptance of LGBT people in other gamers.<\/p>\n

“Gaming is a really powerful way of educating people,” he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.<\/p>\n

“When you’re playing through a game and not just watching or reading it, you are actively involved in it and therefore actively involved in a character that is so different from yourself – that has really great educational benefits.”<\/p>\n

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\n Blizzard Entertainment<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n Soldier: 76 was available to play from Overwatch’s launch and is the character played in the game’s tutorial
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In late 2018, a group of gamers were given a permanent ban from Fallout 76<\/a> after they were filmed “hunting” LGBT gamers and using homophobic language on voice chat while playing.<\/p>\n

And since the newest digital comic was published, homophobic slurs have been posted on social media regarding Soldier: 76’s newly revealed sexuality.<\/p>\n

Ed says incidents like these are why LGBT representation in mainstream games like Overwatch is important.<\/p>\n

“People want to play games online and they want it to be a safe space, and I think gaming is typically seen as the domain of straight white men and anyone outside of that norm is unfortunately vulnerable to attack.<\/p>\n

“It’s really sad that these things happen, but online, on social media, on Reddit, these things sadly do continue.”<\/p>\n

Many players have celebrated Soldier: 76’s news, but others think revealing him as LGBT nearly three years after the game’s release feels like an afterthought.<\/p>\n

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“Is it too much to expect a developer to have thought through their character from the very beginning?” Ed says. <\/p>\n

One person pointed out on Twitter that publisher Blizzard Entertainment may have been hinting at Soldier: 76’s sexuality since 2016.<\/p>\n

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While some just hate his sandals.<\/p>\n

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The sexuality of Overwatch characters is only explored in comic books and doesn’t impact on gameplay, so Soldier: 76 being LGBT will likely pass by casual players who just want to grab a controller and shoot things.<\/p>\n

And while Blizzard has been praised for the inclusive approach to their creations, the company was criticised in 2018 when developers introduced a hamster in a giant ball as a playable character before a black woman was available to play.<\/a><\/p>\n

Newsbeat has contacted Blizzard Entertainment for a statement.<\/p>\n

Follow Newsbeat on <\/i>Instagram<\/a>, <\/i>Facebook<\/a> and <\/i>Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Listen to Newsbeat <\/i>live<\/a> at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra – if you miss us you can listen back <\/i>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n