Overwatch's notoriously toxic community is no secret among competitive gamers. While the game is no doubt fun and addictive, its reliance on aggressive tactics and complex team play mechanics can cause even the most relaxed players to fall victim to "heated gaming moments."
Although game developer Blizzard Entertainment is working hard to curb these issues of interpersonal toxicity, there seems to be something about the game itself that can cause gamers to lose their cool. Case in point: A recent Twitch clip shows how Overwatch gameplay caused one of streaming’s most beloved personalities, Shroud, to snap.
Unlike many of his fellow popular streamers, Shroud, who can pull in more than 60,000 viewers per Twitch stream, has largely been able to avoid the type of controversy worthy of Twitch bans, viewer backlash and clickbait videos. His mellow disposition paired with top-tier gameplay makes him a favorite of people looking for an entertaining and drama-free stream.
Unfortunately, it appears there’s one game that can cause even Shroud to crack. A clip taken from a recent Overwatch stream on Shroud's Twitch channel shows this fan-favorite gamer exhibiting some some extremely toxic tendencies during a match.
“Lady, I’ll just stick my d**k in your f***ing ass, okay?” Shroud said on July 27, around four hours into a nearly nine-hour stream.
“I don’t know, man, this game brings the worst out of me,” he said soon after, seemingly in response to his chat.
“God, you are a f***ing whore, you know that? I bet you didn’t,” Shroud then said while grappling one player and getting pushed by another.
It’s important to point out that few who play competitive player-versus-player games are immune from frustration that may lead to angry outbursts or less-than-amicable gameplay. But most gamers won’t have thousands of viewers’ attention when they lose themselves in these moments.
Plus, it’s particularly notable that it’s Shroud in this case - almost iconic for his ability to never lose his cool. As a former competitive CS:GO player, Shroud has likely encountered his share of toxicity and negativity in his time. He has, for the most part, opted out of it and encouraged his viewers to do the same. It’s hard to know if his thoughts reflect his experience with the game or simply some external factors that contributed to his frustration.
But there seems to be something about Overwatch that can cause an emotional trigger in many who choose to play it. What is it about this game in particular that can cause such heightened tension?
It’s possible that this has roots in an early player base that came to rely on a reporting system that was largely regarded as ineffective. While the Blizzard team continues to improve the reporting system across PC and console platforms, the community as a whole may still reflect a longtime edge toward toxic behaviors.
Ohers claim it has more to do with the game’s team play mechanics, an opinion that eSports consultant Rod “Slasher” Breslau shared via Twitter late last year.
Purely on the game design perspective, Overwatch and hero shooters in general are likely the most team reliant games of all the major team esport titles, with the least amount of ability to individually carry the game yourself. This makes for a really rough experience.
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) November 15, 2018
While it’s tough to hone in on a single element of the game that contributes to its toxicity challenges, fans are hopeful that Overwatch’s recently-introduced role lock system will lead to a better gameplay experience for its entire player base. The system now requires team compositions that include 2 tanks, 2 DPS (high damage) heroes, and 2 supports, effectively phasing out the 3-3 composition the dominated the meta. Called GOATS, this referred to an all-star team comprised of D.Va, Reinhardt, Zarya, Brigitte, Zenyatta, and Lucio, which led to mirror-matching as teams comprised of any other heroes were deemed inferior.
It’s a relief that Blizzard is working so hard to curb in-game toxicity. As of March of this year, Blizzard reported that Overwatch in-game toxicity was down 40 percent. However, the fact that the game can frustrate even someone like Shroud is a telling sign there’s still more room for improvement.