Players have already started complaining that the Overwatch community is too toxic to play with but industry experts claim that it is nowhere near to how the rest of the multiplayer community is.
Overwatch is a fairly new game which combines the best of DOTA 2 and Unreal Tournament in a single package. The game opened to much positivity as people loved the powers the heroes possessed and the maps were fairly bright. All was not great as players started losing, they accused the rest of the team or the enemy team for the loss. It created a toxic community which bumped to new levels when the competitive mode got launched.
When compared to top games like Counter Strike Global Offensive, Dota 2 or League of Legends, Overwatch is in its infant stages. The number of people who use swear words in the title is very less and it still is less toxic compared to others. However, those who are first time gamers who had spent most time in here and not in any other title find this offensive. Patience and tolerance is at its bare minimal level.
If someone is not playing good or co-operating in a game, they start shouting and scolding them for being a noob. Soon, the cursing reaches phenomenal heights making it difficult for the particular player to stay onboard. Sometimes, the same will be aimed at those in the opposite team.
Talking about the current situation, Jeff Kaplan, director of Overwatch confirmed that they are seriously concerned about the problem. “We are well aware of the issues and the toxicity that takes place in competitive play. While it is a fairly common thing found in most multiplayer games, we should add that Overwatch is not so bad yet. Many players are understanding and forgiving while it is obvious to see many lose patience when the stakes are high,” he said.
Competitive mode is where the most arrogant and annoyed players are. Blizzard has introduced report feature in Overwatch making it easier for players to report others in case they find them feeding, abusing or doing something that could hurt the team as a whole.
When a report is made, it should be clear and Blizzard will respond the player to let them know that they have taken due action. Such things and a lot of tweaks in the matchmaking should lead to better competitive modes, Kaplan added.