Overwatch Director Confirms that Symmetra has Autism

Symmetra is one of many Overwatch characters designed to be diverse and representative to players from all walks of life.

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Answering a fan letter, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan confirmed that Symmetra, a support character best known for building turrets, is on the autism spectrum disorder (via Yahoo eSports). Her autism was hinted at in the Symmetra: A Better World comic published last year.

"I'm glad you asked about Symmetra," Kaplan replied to a fan named Samuel (via Mashable), who wrote in to thank the Overwatch team for giving him another means of bonding with his brother. "It was very astute of you to notice that she mentioned the spectrum in our comic. Symmetra is autistic. She is one of our most beloved heroes and we think she does a great job of representing just how awesome someone with autism can be."

With Overwatch, Blizzard set out to create a diverse cast of characters. Another comic published last December confirmed that Tracer is a gay woman. Although such character traits have no gameplay-specific effect on matches, the game's commercial and critical popularity may encourage other triple-A developers to create more representative characters in their titles.

Just as importantly, the presence of characters like Tracer and Symmetra gives fans personalities to identify with and rally around, even if only for a match or three in a multiplayer shooter.

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    March 9, 2017 2:30 PM

    David Craddock posted a new article, Overwatch Director Confirms that Symmetra has Autism

    • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      March 9, 2017 2:48 PM

      Christ.

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      March 9, 2017 2:52 PM

      In the next Overwatch update... yamakas.

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      March 9, 2017 2:59 PM

      Its really hard not to see this as a stunt or "Shock value" to get more people into the game.

      LOOK A GAY CHARACTER!

      LOOK A AUTISM CHARACTER

      LOOK A HANDICAPPED CHARACTER IN A WHEELCHAIR!

      It doesn't add anything to game play.

      to quote Adam Sandler "Gold Jacket, Green Jacket, Who gives a shit"

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        March 9, 2017 3:03 PM

        People like to see themselves in their media. Edgy white military dudes are so 2000s

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          March 9, 2017 3:11 PM

          Its not that. It just seems they added stuff in like this to be "edgy" and "Different"

          it adds nothing to game, since the characters don't interactive with each other on a personal level in game, Like in mass Effect.

          Just bugs me. Do something because it makes sense or adds value to the character.

          This stuff just seems like shock value, needless shock value.

          An extreme example would be like they made a character Gay so more gay people would buy there game. Not saying Blizzard did this, but you get what Im saying.

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            March 9, 2017 3:17 PM

            [deleted]

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            March 9, 2017 3:19 PM

            No, I don't get what you're saying

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            March 9, 2017 3:35 PM

            [deleted]

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            March 9, 2017 3:35 PM

            It seems like you're getting worked up about something that has no bearing on your enjoyment of the franchise. You can still play and enjoy the game just the same as you have been regardless of any character development that might be revealed.

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            March 9, 2017 3:57 PM

            Jesus fucking Christ Greg.

          • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            March 9, 2017 4:02 PM

            You might not realize it but your attitude is very dismissive of people who are different than yourself. If a character is just like you then it's normal and not worthy of comment. If a character is too "different" then it's a gimmick and must have ulterior motives. Why are some people more deserving of representation in video games than others? Must every character adhere to the same mold of normalcy so as not to rock the boat? This sort of attitude stops short of real discrimination but it still makes people feel marginalized and unwelcome.

            This stuff matters to the people who identify with it. It doesn't matter to you and that's totally fine, just ignore it.

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            March 9, 2017 4:26 PM

            It's a character design. Why aren't all characters just differently colored stickmen? It doesn't affect the game.

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            March 9, 2017 5:50 PM

            [deleted]

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            March 9, 2017 6:08 PM

            Hey there Greg man, I get what you are saying. For what it's worth, I felt the same way reading the headline.

            HOWEVER

            I don't play Overwatch (competitive ruined it for me but that’s beside the point). I don't follow the comics or the website or the hidden (or not hidden) bits of lore spread all over the place. So I think, in my ignorance of the whole game's story, it seems to me that they just keep releasing "shock value" bits of lore. Upon closer inspection (reading this thread, mostly) it appears that Blizzard has fairly carefully planned out this stuff.

            So my question for you is: how invested are you in Overwatch lore? If you aren't at all, consider that maybe Blizz has done a lot of work you aren't aware of and this newest headline isn't for shock value but part of creating a better representation of the world's culture wrapped up in a fun multiplayer shooter.

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            March 9, 2017 6:37 PM

            [deleted]

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            March 9, 2017 9:25 PM

            Autism isn't edgy dude. What.

            If you don't care, cool, but lots of people do.

            DEAL WITH IT. (Imagine the gif because I'm too lazy to go get one.)

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            March 9, 2017 9:38 PM

            You sure her having autism doesn't resonate with you?

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            March 10, 2017 3:30 AM

            Whether Blizzard says "Tracer is gay" or "Symmetra is autistic" because they cynically want to get more money from a new/expanded audience, or simply as a matter of that being how they designed the character, the end result is more representation for groups that often don't see any.

            And that isn't a bad thing, even if it's coming only because some suit wants the appearance of being a good social actor.

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            March 10, 2017 5:49 AM

            It may add something for someone who can relate.

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          March 9, 2017 8:31 PM

          How many of them are transgender? There's got to be a couple.

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          March 9, 2017 9:43 PM

          I've hated them f o r e v e r.

          I always wanted the option in games like Unreal Tournament to represent as avatars closer to your actual appearance. I think that'd be hilarious.

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        March 9, 2017 3:04 PM

        The lore of Overwatch is a big draw for some people. This was revealed in a comic.

        I'm not one of those weirdos and I just play the damn game, but if they want more varied characterization in their official fan fiction it doesn't affect me any!

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        March 9, 2017 3:11 PM

        why can't they all be white, healthy males between the ages of 18 and 35?

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        March 9, 2017 3:15 PM

        [deleted]

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          March 9, 2017 3:19 PM

          It's not I care. I honestly don't care if a person is Bi, Straight, Gay, Trans, whatever, it's honestly none of my business since it doesn't effect me at all.. However i worry about the reason behind doing things like this. I just can never tell if something like this is Genuine, or just a ploy to get a certain audience to play the game.

          Stuff like this always happens in the film industry.


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            March 9, 2017 3:37 PM

            what do you mean "stuff like this" - aren't films and games supposed to represent more people? appeal to more people? that's the goal here. expose the content to more people that can associate with it. not limit it or pigeonhole it.

            there is no reason to "worry" about the reason behind it.

            are you similarly worried about what cast members are of what potential attributes in Mass Effect andromeda?

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              March 9, 2017 3:40 PM

              [deleted]

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              March 9, 2017 11:31 PM

              Isn't that what a lot of the hoopla over the recent Ghostbusters movie was about? "LOOK we reversed the roles and now it's a woman team with male secretary/sidekick!" Funny movie or not, that was one of the so called selling points.

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              March 10, 2017 6:11 AM

              [deleted]

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                March 10, 2017 6:58 AM

                Hooray for being a cynical asshole!

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                  March 10, 2017 7:03 AM

                  [deleted]

                  • reply
                    March 10, 2017 7:34 AM

                    Yeah this isn't something secretive. It's known and confirmed from insiders just not super officially, although in some cases I believe it has been.

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            March 9, 2017 4:14 PM

            If they did do it to target a certain audience why would that make it not "Genuine"? That seems like a perfectly valid reason for doing something.

            If the actual implementation seems forced, tasteless, or ham-fisted then criticize that, but if not then what's the problem?

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              March 9, 2017 4:21 PM

              Yup. In this case their execution so far has been to make their differences "normal"

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            March 9, 2017 6:39 PM

            You sound concerned

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            March 9, 2017 9:27 PM

            The problem with your logic is you think these are all other. Your idea of default is the issue.

            They are all normal and genuine.

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            March 9, 2017 11:46 PM

            Even if we assume that companies are doing stuff like this purely for the worst, most cynical reasons, it can still be really powerful for people to see characters like themselves represented in media in positive ways. If it's a stunt this time, it'll be less of one next time, and eventually we'll have media that represents the actual demographics of our society. That's a good thing.

            I'd also suggest that it's hard to know what Blizzard could have done to avoid your reaction. How could they persuade you (and do they really have an obligation to try hard?) that they're doing this out of genuine desire to tell rich stories that appeal to a broader audience? The impression I get from your comments is that you are reflexively suspicious of motives when things like this happens. It might be worth thinking a bit about why you feel that way and if you want to react like that.

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            March 10, 2017 6:45 AM

            [deleted]

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            March 10, 2017 7:42 AM

            maybe if you were a part of one of these under represented groups, to have some kind of representation in a game you play might mean something to you. especially when there's nothing or hardly anything out there in TV, Movies, video games that do. i think that it doesn't affect gameplay is part of the point.

            it doesn't really matter to me whether or not blizzard does this. just gonna move on with my life.

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        March 9, 2017 3:40 PM

        I'm with you. That's the first thing I thought when I saw the headline

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          March 9, 2017 3:50 PM

          [deleted]

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            March 9, 2017 3:55 PM

            I didn't

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              March 9, 2017 3:58 PM

              [deleted]

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                March 9, 2017 4:00 PM

                Well its "news" Now. why wasn't it news last year? Or maybe I missed something

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                  March 9, 2017 4:02 PM

                  [deleted]

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                  March 9, 2017 4:06 PM

                  Did you not even read the article? Dude was responding to a fan who noticed and was thanking them for it, because it meant a lot to him. Then Craddock wrote an article about it.

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                  March 9, 2017 4:09 PM

                  [deleted]

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                  March 9, 2017 5:09 PM

                  [deleted]

                  • reply
                    March 10, 2017 4:57 AM

                    really, everyone acting out their parts in this little, predictable play triggered by a consumer product is the terrible look.

          • reply
            March 9, 2017 4:00 PM

            It's just my cynicism and skepticism getting the better of me. We live in a world of shock headlines to get views. IT's hard to think that stuff isn't manufactured.

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              March 9, 2017 4:05 PM

              A physical response to a fan that sent him a letter is "shock value"?

              http://68.media.tumblr.com/5a34ca6e969e9344dde6924129f7c43e/tumblr_omik0xyihX1sg2p9io1_1280.jpg

              Seriously dude?

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                March 9, 2017 4:08 PM

                No, my bad. I was wrong. http://www.shacknews.com/chatty?id=36075557#item_36075557

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                  March 9, 2017 4:18 PM

                  All good. People are way too quick to kneejerk. I don't see a problem either way, Overwatch's diverse cast is a huge reason why it has connected with so many people. There's a significant number of people are who are super into the characters but don't even play the game very much. At Blizzcon there were cosplayers of both sexes in all ages, shapes, and sizes, and it worked because the cast can actually back that up.

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              March 9, 2017 4:09 PM

              ^ this is basically my fear. If it is Truly genuine thats great! if not well that's the part that gets me upset.

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                March 9, 2017 4:13 PM

                Glad we have brave warriors on the lookout for game designers and film directors who are potentially quota filling and virtue signalling.

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                  March 9, 2017 4:17 PM

                  As the the only point, I was trying to make. I just want it to be Genuine. Not Manufactured. Having read read the article it is. However the media just make it look otherwise, so I guess it's my own fault since im Media lol

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        March 9, 2017 3:46 PM

        [deleted]

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          March 9, 2017 4:06 PM

          I take what I said back. I hadn't read the article and just assumed the worst. I read the article and I agree with what you said.

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          March 9, 2017 6:03 PM

          Yeah one just needs to look at that stunt EA tried to pull a few years back to see how a company can do this the wrong way.

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          March 10, 2017 7:02 AM

          Exactly. These traits don't define the characters. They exist as a part of their backstory. It's very well done.

      • reply
        March 9, 2017 3:48 PM

        Greg, you quoted Adam Sandler. You quoted Adam Sandler, Greg.

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        March 9, 2017 4:46 PM

        So where exactly on the spectrum do you think you fall?

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        March 9, 2017 8:15 PM

        That's what the whole roster is comprised of already.

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        March 10, 2017 2:18 AM

        Oh come on. I've got autistic cousins and suddenly they have one, ONE, video game character who is like them. You're knee jerk reacting because this feels token, whereas I think it's great that a dev even thought of doing this. Just like tracer being gay they didn't make a big deal of it at all and rightly so - it was confirmed in a fan letter FFS.

        There are 24 characters, and roughly 1% of people are somewhere on the autism spectrum, so that's a decent 1 in 4 chance that one of the Overwatch characters would be autistic whether Blizzard mentioned it or not. And they did. Casually as no big deal, in a comic.

        Honestly? If you think they're pushing diversity for the sake of it, or even marketing, I'm totally fucking okay with it normalising minorities of all sorts.

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        March 10, 2017 7:14 AM

        Maybe they should change lucio from being black as it doesn't add anything to gameplay.

        Some people have autism. Blizzard are big fans of lore and backstory for their games.

        The fact that it bothers you at all completely justifies why Blizzard should have bothered to put someone like that in the game.

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        March 10, 2017 7:46 AM

        need a TOP 10 MINORITIES SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS IN VIDEO GAMES list

    • reply
      March 9, 2017 3:02 PM

      Considering what she does involving the level of math it would require, it makes sense.

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      March 9, 2017 3:03 PM

      the fuck...?

      whats the minimum size character roster to include every permutation of possible human characters?

      you'vd got:
      lawful good - chaotic evil spectrum
      hetero- homo- bi- and a-sexual
      + trans-sexual (miss any?)
      human, robot, animal, etc
      body size
      age
      physical disabilites
      mental disabilites
      corporeal-ness?
      live, undead, inanimate object (poltergeist possessed)
      social status
      economic status
      policital leanings
      ethnic background
      geographic origin
      ...
      favorite food...

      this should be fun

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        March 9, 2017 3:06 PM

        i mean, im not against it. And it's not being shoved in the players face in game, or shown at all really.

        but i wonder at what point it's jumping the shark, if that's even possible

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      March 9, 2017 3:07 PM

      I hope this thread doesn't get too stereotypey. People have some weeeiiird pre-concieved notions far different from what it actually IS.

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        March 9, 2017 3:15 PM

        Rain man mixed with Tourette's guy from La Law. ... with guns

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      March 9, 2017 3:14 PM

      [deleted]

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      March 9, 2017 3:16 PM

      Hahahaha. I always thought it was just the playes that chose her... this makes so much more sense.

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      March 9, 2017 3:32 PM

      Who's has ADHD? And Ashma?

      • reply
        March 9, 2017 3:38 PM

        You mean asthma? You can't even spell the physical condition you're trying to make light of in comparison to a mental disorder.

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          March 9, 2017 4:42 PM

          jokes on you, you just made fun of dyslexia :P

    • reply
      March 9, 2017 3:55 PM

      [deleted]

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      March 9, 2017 4:06 PM

      [deleted]

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      March 9, 2017 4:22 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        March 9, 2017 6:00 PM

        This made me chuckle a bit more than it should have.

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      March 9, 2017 4:45 PM

      [deleted]

    • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      March 9, 2017 5:00 PM

      Overwatch is really awesome about diversity for the most part. Yes Blizzard is clearly going out of their way to reach under-represented groups with these comics (as needed when it's something deeper than just race/gender/ethnicity). And that's a good and healthy thing that more companies should do, not something we need to crack jokes about. Their treatment of the subject matter is respectful and understated.

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        March 9, 2017 5:57 PM

        [deleted]

        • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          March 9, 2017 6:53 PM

          I'm not going to stop anybody from making jokes about it, but from what I've observed (here and elsewhere), more often than not it comes from a place of cynicism. The undertone there is "lol this is dumb, what's next?"

          Put yourself in the shoes of someone who sees this (or the Tracer reveal if you prefer) as really heartwarming because it's a respectful representation of someone like them in their favorite hobby, when usually they feel ignored and left out. They start to feel like maybe they're recognized and accepted after all, and then all their friends are cracking jokes about how silly it is. You don't see how that could be hurtful?

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            March 9, 2017 7:11 PM

            [deleted]

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            March 10, 2017 4:00 AM

            Yea the tracer reveal...so edgy. Hey someone is sexualizing our character. Lets sue them and make them take it down. 2 weeks later.... we should sexualize our character to generate more hype.

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      March 9, 2017 5:04 PM

      Next character will suffer from peyronie's

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      March 9, 2017 5:26 PM

      I thought this was a nice story :(

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        March 9, 2017 5:58 PM

        it is! We can't have nice things. :(

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        March 9, 2017 5:58 PM

        It is a nice story. Jeff Kaplan sounds like a good dude.

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          March 9, 2017 6:44 PM

          Still amazes me that Blizzard got this great game designer out of EQ raiding.

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          March 9, 2017 8:32 PM

          He also sounds like beavis and buttheads hippie teacher. Mmm kay.

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        March 10, 2017 2:42 PM

        It is.

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      March 9, 2017 5:57 PM

      Who's the gay Jewish black dude?

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      March 9, 2017 6:31 PM

      Tracer has an eating disorder :(

    • reply
      March 9, 2017 6:34 PM

      To quote a friend: "LOL, Blizzard lore"

      • reply
        March 9, 2017 6:45 PM

        Ah, the low effort trolling in a Blizzard thread.

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      March 9, 2017 6:39 PM

      I hope Doomfist wears a hearing aid so us hearing impaired people can be represented finally.

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      March 9, 2017 6:41 PM

      Mei has severe Raynaud's Syndrome which forces her to wear heavy gloves and boots at all times

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        March 10, 2017 1:43 AM

        Mei is clearly outreach to psychopaths everywhere.

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        March 10, 2017 7:04 AM

        Mei is a character for those people who are always cold no matter the situation. My wife is one. She's finally represented.

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      March 9, 2017 6:54 PM

      I'm actually genuinely laughing out loud at this, fuck me gently lol

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      March 9, 2017 7:16 PM

      hahahahahahha

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      March 9, 2017 8:05 PM

      It explains why so many people exclusively play symmetra.

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      March 9, 2017 8:31 PM

      Which character is vegan?

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        March 10, 2017 3:02 AM

        None. Vegans don't use computers because they contain ingredients derived from murdered animals.

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      March 9, 2017 9:23 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      March 9, 2017 9:25 PM

      ITT: white dudes that can't see further than the end of their own noses.

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        March 9, 2017 9:30 PM

        that's pretty offensive to us near sighted people

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        March 9, 2017 9:30 PM

        Bullshit I can easily see my hand outstretched when I Hitler Salute

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        March 10, 2017 4:03 AM

        Yup...those awful white dudes. Is that supposed to make anyone feel bad?

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        March 10, 2017 7:22 AM

        The hell?

        You don't see any reason to be cynical about a corporation waving the inclusion flag? They do stuff like that all the time.

        Fwiw, I think Blizzard is great for creating an inclusive cast of characters in Overwatch, and I don't think they're anything but honest here. But I can understand the cynicism.

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        March 10, 2017 8:01 AM

        [deleted]

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      March 10, 2017 2:31 AM

      [deleted]

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      March 10, 2017 2:55 AM

      I don't have autism but I am glad Symmetra does.

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      March 10, 2017 3:35 AM

      I look forward to the inevitable Hollywood movie where they white wash everyone.

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      March 10, 2017 4:23 AM

      One of my students plays a lot of Overwatch in his downtime. Next time we meet we're gonna match Chinese names with the English names of each character, and lead into a discussion of these recent character developments.

      Should be a great way to fill up a 90 minute lesson.

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      March 10, 2017 6:21 AM

      [deleted]

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      March 10, 2017 6:51 AM

      I'm personally waiting for them to add a character that complains about Blizzard lore

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      March 10, 2017 7:01 AM

      ITT: people with aspergers bash blizzard for having diverse hero backstories.

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      March 10, 2017 7:09 AM

      i wonder where this thread fits on the spectrum

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      March 10, 2017 7:41 AM

      This thread makes me pretty sad. A lot of people seem to feel pretty threatening by the whole thing.

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