Overwatch Q&A Reveals More About Hammond/Wrecking Ball

Source: @playoverwatch via Twitter

When Blizzard Entertainment, creators of the Overwatch game, announced they were to hold a press conference Q&A on 12 July on their newest hero, Hammond the hamster, a.k.a. Wrecking Ball, fans were definitely excited. The drip feed of releasing new heroes and skins continually gives fans something new to chew over. The immersive nature of the game helps explain why fans become so invested in Overwatch – but what exactly makes Overwatch the go-to game – the gameplay, fandom, or in-game mythology?  

The Overwatch fandom is one of the most engaging and began suggesting ideas for new skins for the hero and suggesting ways in which the game could be improved. Artists Arnold Tsang and Ben Zhang took to the Overwatch Twitch to draw Hammond live and answer fans questions and to most importantly reveal one of Wrecking Ball’s skins. The new skins were subsequently revealed on the PTR (public test region), which focuses on beta testing new features. The behind-the-scenes look at how the hero is created further cemented the importance of connecting with fans and further showed why Overwatch does this so well.

Part of Overwatch’s huge legacy is in part down the expansive gameplay, which throws so many characters and settings at players that they quickly choose their favorites and develop strong connections. The scale of the game mitigates against people disliking it. Plus, the ability for fans to get involved and have a sway over the direction heroes or gameplay might go also plays a part in keeping them interested. As the various Q&As with artists etc. show, fans are essentially being rewarded for their deep investment in the series. But the game is also successful because it is grounded in a mythology of its own. By creating such an expansive universe for players to literally lose themselves in, Overwatch becomes must-play content.

Source: @dangerredpanda via Twitter

Focusing on mythos for players to lose themselves in isn’t solely the property of Overwatch, however. Marvel and DC rely heavily on their huge back-catalogues of heroes and villains, which makes the DC Universe game so successful. Console gaming’s Skyrim and Fable also takes the fictional mythology of their world to create a long-lasting experience. Plus, there are a huge variety of slot machines including Asgardian Stones, which focus on the same quasi-mythological nature to give players a deeper connection to the actual gameplay mechanics. The latest release, Fortnite, merges co-op play with its own mythology to create a game powerful enough to get people talking.   

While fans were quick to point out that Wrecking Ball will always be known as Hammond, that he has the best gun sounds in the game, and that he is very, very large for a hamster, the resounding chorus was one of audience engagement. In a world of short attention spans and saturation of games across platforms, ensuring your fans are so engaged and invested to discuss the sound of your character’s weapon shows that by creating a lasting mythology behind the game, the game will succeed.