Description, Link and Screenshot

Overwatch is a multiplayer first-person shooter game where each player controls one out of six hero shooters in a team. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in May 2016, Overwatch has gained immense popularity and is recognised as an esport with the establishment of the Overwatch League in 2017.

The main goal of Overwatch is for players in a team to work together to defeat opposing teams by defending certain or escorting payloads to a certain point in the map. Besides this competitive mode, Overwatch also offers various other modes such as arcade mode and training mode.

https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/

Elemental Tetrad

Story

While the gameplay of Overwatch is not directly dependent on a narrative, a backstory has been developed to enrich the player’s experience and understanding of the game itself.

In the game’s backstory, Overwatch is the name of a global peacekeeping force that fell apart due to a rift between its leaders. The current game environment is set some years following this event, where former Overwatch agents regroup and recruit new allies in an attempt to protect the world, while others work to stop its reformation.

Aesthetics

In Overwatch, there is also a high level of attention to detail in both the visual and audio aspects, which not only increases the player’s involvement with the game, but also contributes to the gameplay in a significant way. For example, noises made by other players allows for quicker detection of enemies and reaction. Additionally, each hero is given unique dialogues and emotes to provide the player an additional layer of understanding about the personality of the characters.

The visual aesthetics Overwatch utilizes very vibrant color schemes, such as in its maps and character skins. The characters, objects, and effects of the game are also designed to be very cartoon-like, which reinforces the playful and unserious nature of Overwatch.

Mechanics

While the specific mechanics of each hero in Overwatch is different, every character has an attack weapon with basic shooting abilities, an ultimate ability and a range of other unique abilities such as healing and sprinting.

Overwatch caters to a wide audience by creating a diverse cast of characters that can accommodate different levels of skill. For instance, certain characters have simpler mechanisms and are more suitable for new or casual players, while others have a very high skill ceiling that allows experienced players to improve and advance quickly.

Technology

Overwatch runs on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.

Lenses

Lens 2: Surprise

As a multiplayer game, Overwatch is constantly providing its players with the element of surprise through their interactions with other players. The fast pace of the game gives each player limited reaction time, causing the players to act based on instinct and experience. This creates a sense of unpredictability and surprise for players that is sustained through the gameplay.

Lens 5: Endogenous Value

Overwatch uses endogenous value both in and out of the actual gameplay. In the game, players can unlock the hero’s ultimate ability each time they accumulate a certain level of damage to opponents. For such a fast paced game, the usage of endogenous value as such is just enough to motivate a player without being too much of a distraction.

Outside of gameplay, Overwatch provides players with additional incentives such as extra character skins, dialogues and emotes as they progress to each level.

Lens 6: Problem Solving

Problem solving in Overwatch presents itself in determining the best team composition and gameplay strategy based on the strengths of each character and on the composition of the opposing teams.

Lens 37: Cooperation

As a team game, Overwatch is heavily dependent on the cooperation of players. Each player contributes to the team in a certain way based on the hero’s abilities, where different types of characters have specific roles in the gameplay.