Yeah, Opera isn’t punk.
1 Like
It can be tough to define genres without saying ‘I know it when I see it’, but for me all the ‘punk’ genres can be defined by the rebellion against an all-powerful evil. Gothic-punk, Steampunk, Cyberpunk. The first descriptor is the clothes it wears, but the ‘punk’ part of it is the feeling it brings. There are lots of ‘punk’ genres, but they all have a common theme(losing to the tyranical evil). The Cyber part is just window dressing.
The really easy examples are Bladerunner versus Star Wars(or Star Trek). Cowboy Bebop is a great example of Cyberpunk, not Space Opera. If your protagonist is winning, or has hope of winning, then you aren’t a punk, you’re something else.
2 Likes
Ya I agree with all that. For me it’s usually a powerful Lawful Evil that’s in control (Forum Moderators) vs an underdog Chaotic Good (Me).
2 Likes
That’s way more concise. Punk is LE versus CG. Cyber is just the tint you put on that.
Someone sent me a 10 row alignment chart the other day. My eyes started bleeding before I could figure it out. 9 total is hard enough!
3 Likes
Cyberpunk nerd here.
Cyberpunk, due to its origins in the '70s, tends to emphasize technological breakthroughs based on a projection of where tech was going to go based on that timeline, so you end up with heavy industrial landscapes, environmental issues, the ethics of giving people the ability to be superhuman, wether with cyberware or genetics, etc.
It’s a common trope that “hard light” technology, along with other things like teleoprtation, replicators, intelligent holograms, and the like are “post-cyberpunk”, meaning that the world has moved past hard industry into a more flexible, data based one.
Based on what we know about the OW universe, it’s cyberpunk level in some regions and post cyberpunk in others, moving into fully post cyberpunk.
3 Likes
i would think so but what is the difference between cyberpunk and science fiction, sounds the same to me
im not sure in just 50 years we would have made an a.i. race of machines like omnics and i played cyberpunk 2077 before the technology in that game doesnt seem feasible in just 50 years from now. i may be wrong tho and no way will i be living in 50 years to find out (im 46)
1 Like
I’d say it’s definitely Cyber, but not so much Punk.
1 Like
No, it’s not.
It’s distinctly lacking the ‘punk’ element of Cyberpunk. As an aesthetic there needs to be a certain element of grittyness, angst, rebellion, as well as often times the running theme of ‘rebelling against the system’ or ‘fighting the oppressors’.
Overwatch IS the system, they may have been disbanded and got back together but ultimately it’s on par with the Justice League; they are an organized group of heroes that work towards a goal of helping people. Not very punk in any way, really.
Even the Cyberpunk game is not very cyberpunk, from what I’ve seen, because they didn’t lean all that heavily into the aesthetic; visually it’s very… yes and no. It’s still extremely polished and the world that they exist in is very clean, frankly when the gameplay came out I was disappointed that it didn’t look more like traditional cyberpunk settings. It’s more Aeon Flux than Bladerunner, y’know.
Aesthetics are kind of my bread and butter in life, and I can tell you for free that Overwatch is not, aesthetically, cyberpunk, in any way.
It’s far more morning cartoon, heroes and villains, clean cut than anything else.
4 Likes
A more grounded sci-fi. Not necessarily steampunk, though some maps have steampunk vibes (junkertown, kings row)
1 Like
I would say no.
Even just going on a future technology point of view, OW is extremely limited in that area. There’s ground-based hovering cars, a few MEKAs…and robotic appendages, that’s it.
Everything else is grounded in our modern time.
There’s no bleak future, massive gang societies, global pollution, mega conglomerate corporations that control everything, no “F the law” theme or even synthwave music
2 Likes
If JunkerQueen going to be a hero, I imagine we will see more “F the law” theme or even synthwave music.
1 Like
Neon everywhere? No.
Nudity everywhere? No
Dystopian planet rules by rich elite, and private corporations? Yes
Flying cars?yes
Cybernetics in every facet of live? No
Lasers? Kinda.
Hard techno, and synthwave everywhere? No.
Leans more towards no, than yes.
1 Like
I’ve heard it referred to as a “space opera” and “space fantasy” more often than anything truly dystopian.
Although I’m sure you could find individual stories (especially in expanded universe) that fill the mold of any genre.
Mandalorian is pretty grim, but it’s been referred to as a Western above anything else.
Genres are artificial terms to force stuff into categories, and they aren’t always super useful.
3 Likes
Yes, but it’s more on the bright side compared to the dark gritty dystopian cyberpunk.
1 Like
Overwatch is generic sci-fi, not any of the “punks”
5 Likes
(I believe it been the bright side of things, because the story has never really dived into the dark side of things yet.)
(We only just recent gotten a story about the London Underground.)
(That likely could change with OW2.)
Honestly, I’d say Overwatch is more a comic book style. It is very…family friendly super-hero in nature.
I definitely wouldn’t classify it anywhere even remotely near cyberpunk as there’s pretty much nothing that dystopian about the Overwatch world. Cyberpunk is about massive corporate greed and unbridled capitalism running amok to lead to a bleak, depressing, and dingy feel to the world. A world that nobody likes and nobody is happy within.
That’s definitely not OverWatch. OW is silly, goofy, colorful and vibrant. And then there are the villains in stark contrast who are super edgy and eeeeeevil!
Overwatch is definitely a comic book.
4 Likes
I think you mean Shonen.
cybperpunk 2077 has that in spades hah, i kind of like that setting actually. the mature chaotic screw the law mentality. of course i hope our future is more like overwatch’s but i doubt it 
2 Likes
Harsh and ever present economical disparities have been a constant in the cyberpunk world, hardly a thing in Overwatch. If you ask me cyberpunk is defined by cynicism with the setting, not just the setting.
Overwatch is a lot like silver age comics, I’ll say that.
2 Likes