It turns out many of the other players didn’t like that one bit. This lesson was driven home with particular force when I began to use Overwatch’s only in-game representation of Soldier’s sexuality while playing. Blizzard has spearheaded initiatives to discourage in-game harassment, such as Play Nice, Play Fair back in 2017, but it’s clear the company didn’t have the tools necessary to protect the players it wants to bring into the game. Homophobic behavior isn’t rare in gaming, but the comments about Soldier: 76 were focused on his sexuality so often, the homophobia began to feel entrenched in Overwatch’s community culture. The problem is that, by doing so, I was hearing pointed, ongoing homophobic slurs directed at the character and, by extension, myself. Revealing this truth about Soldier to the world re-contextualized so much of the character’s story the fact that I was gay myself may have been peripheral to this player’s outrage, but I bought the game partly to be able to play as a character I could relate to. But that fact gave the player an excuse to focus his insults on my, and the character’s, sexuality. Would that interaction have been less hostile had Soldier’s past relationship never been revealed? Maybe. Many players just want to ignore the lore and play a competitive game Blizzard Entertainment In one instance, a player pointed out I was low on health and told another that “Soldier Seventy Faggot” needed healing, then berated me, my choice in hero, and Blizzard for writing a gay character in the first place. This detail in the lore seemed to focus the anger of certain players, however. There’s a wide spectrum of genders, backgrounds, and combat roles in Overwatch already, but now there is one who is like me, and it created a sense of empathy and connection I wouldn’t have been able to find as easily in Reinhardt or McCree. I made the leap to Overwatch when Blizzard’s team revealed that Soldier: 76 is gay. Overwatch is a toxic place - be ready for it But the fans often feel strongly attached to their favorite characters, and these story or character details such as sexuality matter to them on an emotional level. Overwatch is a competitive, hero-based shooter that doesn’t take into account the stories behind these characters in the game itself. These details don’t change the game itself in any way.