Why the "Rainbow" icon is problematic and disappointing

[Pleitedieb-217442]

I think it’s you who believes that LGBTQ is controversial.

[ĿȀŖǠǂ1ǾǂƑPŜǃ-2660]

If that was the case there wouldn’t be even a need to ask for a rainbow icon. Don’t you think?

[Pleitedieb-217442]

Yes, you are part of the reason why it is needed.

[PainWarriorX-1280]

This is going back to an older post of yours but I’m willing to go back and reply for you.

@ƕlĸ-2818

“Reflections” happened to reveal that Tracer had a girlfriend at home, not a boyfriend like some people expected. This is all part of what we on the overwatch team just think of as, normal things are normal, and it’s important to show normal things as normal so they become more normal.

A lot of people had expected other characters to maybe be representative of the LGBT community and maybe it wasn’t tracer. To us what was important about tracer was that she was this badass time-traveling hero first and foremost.

As I remember at the time we knew a LGBT character announcement was coming. I remember that week before Tracer was revealed as a lesbian people were guessing which character was or wasn’t. Zarya got put in that role a lot. I think most of that comment is just the developers wanting to show LGBT topics/themes as something normal (A recurrent theme for them) and trying to deal with any potential backlash over who was decided to be canonically gay. I don’t really think it’s that most people wanted the entire roster to be gay or something. Just to deal with disappointment if the character you were hoping was going to be the reveal wasn’t.

As far as the other quote goes inclusivity naturally leads to diversity. How else would you possibly be inclusive in a visual medium without visual representation of people from all walks of life? I feel like saying the game is inclusive vs diverse is really just a potato potatoe thing. I don’t really view it as a meaningful distinction since they both lead to each other if done well.

[ĿȀŖǠǂ1ǾǂƑPŜǃ-2660]

That is some unjustified accusation right there.

[ƕlĸ-2818]

@PainWarriorX-1280

I feel like saying the game is inclusive vs diverse is really just a potato potatoe thing. I don’t really view it as a meaningful distinction since they both lead to each other if done well.

Being inclusive or rather open minded leads to diversity.

Being diverse does not necessarily lead to inclusivity. I like this quote from someone else:

@FlankSinatra-2631

Hiring 5 foreigners to fill a quota gets you diversity but changing your hiring policies so they don’t unfairly exclude minorities is inclusive.

I feel that it’s a meaningful distinction. it was evidently important enough that Jeff brought it up in his keynote speech

I think it’s really interesting that people think that diversity was the goal of the Overwatch team when it was not.

What we cared about was creating a game and a game universe and a world where everybody felt welcome.

so he must have felt there was reason to dispel that misconception within the community. Otherwise why bring it up?

We wanted there to be this feeling - and I’ve talked to a lot of people about this and I think they’ve agreed with it - that you might be from somewhere that we haven’t represented yet in Overwatch but you could imagine there being an Overwatch hero or an Overwatch map from your area.

https://www.dbltap.com/posts/6091187-why-overwatch-s-hero-diversity-is-important-to-the-game :

Even if you can’t relate to a hero or supporting character in Overwatch completely, chances are there’s at least one character that’s around your age or from your country. Personally, I’m wishing for a Canadian hero to relate to but in the meantime there are plenty of young women in the game that I can relate to, emulate, and idolize.

[Toast-22632]

I’d have preferred an icon for every hero or something but honestly…I dont understand how this has been blown up into such a huge deal.

We got an icon, I’m using it and I for one am happy with it being added. The name of it isnt important to me because everyone knows what the icon symbolises.

[Goldlantern-1543]

Why is it a video game company’s job to represent and acknowledge every group that wants it? Why do people seek validation of their being through entertainment media? Let’s ask these questions first.

[Naz-11562]

The game was platformed on diversity and inclusion.

[ƕlĸ-2818]

@Naz-11562

The game was platformed on diversity and inclusion

Was it though?

Kaplan on diversity and inclusivity - a MUST watch/read

["Overwatch: How Blizzard Created a Hopeful Vision of the Future" - Jeff Kaplan] Jeff Kaplan, 23:52: 26:33: The whole thing is worth a watch and arguably more relevant than ever amidst current discussions. You even get to hear him swear at 16:35.

I think it’s really interesting that people think that diversity was the goal of the Overwatch team when it was not.

[Naz-11562]

@ƕlĸ-2818

Was it though?

@ƕlĸ-2818

goal

@Naz-11562

platformed

Yes, it was. Because a “goal” is different than what it is essentially marketed on. I’m pretty sure the devs knew what they were doing when they said things like this repeatedly:

@Naz-11562

During the World of Overwatch panel at BlizzCon 2015, Bill Petras (the Overwatch artistic director) confirmed that there would in fact be a gay character in Overwatch, and Chris Metzen confirmed that it wouldn’t just be one.

@Naz-11562

“We definitely haven’t forgotten about what we said. Like we said, it’s very important for us to have diversity and inclusiveness of all types and that includes LGBT characters. There are definitely LGBT heroes – that’s multiple heroes – it’s a decision that we make when we’re developing these characters early on.

We do feel strongly that we want these stories about character’s relationships – not just romantic, but familial relationships and stuff like that – come out in the course of stories that we feel really do them justice. So, because of some of the stories we’ve done so far we haven’t had a chance to shine any light on that.

But that said, I can say that we do have a story coming up soon – and that’s not ‘Blizzard™ soon,’ it’s actually soon – that will address this. And just to reiterate, it is absolutely something that’s important to us.”

[Bristingr-1203]

Lol, they removed the most liked comment in this thread because it triggered a few people and demanded it to be removed.

[FlankSinatra-2631]

A LOT of business leaders have been educated in this distinction.

Jeff isn’t the only one talking about this and I don’t believe this message is only to the community but it’s a message more broadly about diversity and inclusion.

We must all be inclusive at an individual level and diversity in our surroundings will be the end result.

[Pleitedieb-217442]

It was trolling, thats why the mods removed it.

[SCARR-12977]

@Stropex-2659

Who is making blank assumptions on things now? You don’t know me, nor did you know I am gay aswell and that I simply do not feel connected to the lgbtq community at all. Yet you defend this ridicoulus topic about lack of lgbtq expressions in a hecking video game.

i don’t really need to know you specifically to find your statements to be homophobic.

and you being gay doesn’t excuse you from feeding into homophobic rhetoric.
saying what you said is homophobic, it doesn’t matter if you’re gay or not.

@Stropex-2659

How desperate and ungrateful you have to be to support this thread.

i am neither desperate nor ungrateful. i like the icon.

but gay representation and exposure in media is incredibly important. just because you disagree or are privileged enough to feel like you personally don’t need it doesn’t change that.

@Stropex-2659

Like if you want acknowledgement for your sexual orientation, DON’T BE ANNOYING AS HELL.

and what would “annoying as hell” even look like to you? because no one afaik is screaming for everyone to be gay or for everything to be rainbows, at least ik im not.

[Pleitedieb-217442]

Easy to say when every modern media represent you.

[Goldlantern-1543]

Pretty weird to assume you know who I am and what represents me. I’m actually the bad guy in most modern media.

[Pleitedieb-217442]

That’s still representation.

[Benimaru-21748]

IMO:

Tracer is a gay. Soldier is a gay. You’ve got a pride flag (in all but name, but we know what it means.)

That’s enough. This isn’t some forum or virtual space where you need to be able to express EXACTLY where you are on the Rainbow spectrum. It’s a game universe. The Pride stuff is subtle and limited, and that’s all it needs to be. Overwatch has always been inclusive–from the style and design of heroes, to their gameplay mechanics.

People don’t make a big deal about being Liberal or Conservative. Or Black or White or other. Or Vegan or Carnivorous or Omnivorous.

All these things are lifestyle choices that don’t matter in the Overwatch universe.

All this stuff should begin and end with a Rainbow icon. Please!

No hate.

[Applejack-11670]

To be fair they did say that the pride content was coming so why not say that it was added? And like I mentioned I wouldn’t have found out about it if weren’t for a random forum post so I imagine that’s how a lot of people found out as well.

That’s why I said its just a bit eyeroll worthy. Personally it’s not a make or break deal for me but I can see why other people aren’t too happy about it.