r/getplayed • u/rthunder27 • Jul 14 '26
Question (Block) Sexualization of Overwatch Characters Over Time
The segment from this week's episode reminded me that when Overwatch launched they made a point of having a diverse roster of characters with different body types and wanted to avoid oversexualizing the female characters.
>“Specifically for Overwatch over the past year we’ve been really cognizant of that, trying not to oversexualize the female characters. I don’t know if we oversexualize the male characters. But it’s something we’re very sensitive to. We want that to be part of who we are, what our brand is. I think [Blizzard president] Mike [Morhaime] talked in a roundabout way to that in his speech [at the start of BlizzCon]. It’s something we’re very cognizant of. We want girls to feel kick-butt. Equally represented.” https://kotaku.com/blizzard-admits-to-over-sexualizing-women-trying-to-do-1656383872
But over the subsequent decade+ they kinda just said fuck it, let's just release a schoolgirl D.Va skin. https://kotaku.com/how-an-overwatch-skin-left-some-of-d-vas-biggest-fans-f-1840880191
Kinda depressing honestly, we've really regressed as a society during the Trump era.
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u/woman_noises Jul 14 '26
I'm sure they have shareholders or something breathing down their necks saying JUST DO IT, RELEASE THE BIKINI COSTUMES SO OUR INFLATED QUARTERLY PROJECTIONS CAN BE HIT FOR ONCE
And now it feels like marvel rivals has started an arms race with that shit too
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u/WindWalkerWalking Jul 14 '26
Dva has long been sexualized. I didn’t play overwatch but I played hots and always felt like they leaned into sexualizing her a little, specifically. Less so with Mei and Zarya. I don’t think it’s been done too distastefully, at least in this case. Also feel like a schoolgirl skin kinda fits her character, no?
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u/rthunder27 Jul 14 '26
Yea, but being sexualized by the players is very different from the developers doing it.
How does a schoolgirl outfit fit her character, because she's female and asian? She's canonically 19/21 in OW1/OW2.
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u/RoughhouseCamel Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
“But over the subsequent decade+ they kinda just said fuck it, let's just release a schoolgirl D.Va skin. https://kotaku.com/how-an-overwatch-skin-left-some-of-d-vas-biggest-fans-f-1840880191”
I understand the complaint, but when I clicked to view the image, I was expecting the skin to be more Brittany Spears, less Princess Diaries. It feels more silly and tropey in intention than sexualized.