Overwatch players shut down viral claims game is just “D&D with lasers”
Blizzard EntertainmentOnce upon a time Overwatch was touted as one of the world’s best FPS games, but NBC has gone viral for claiming the game is “Dungeons & Dragons with lasers,” and fans have been quick to respond.
While Blizzard Entertainment etched themselves into history with fantastical games like World of Warcraft and Diablo, their flagship FPS, Overwatch, sees an Avengers-style squad take on waves of robotic enemies whilst trying to shut down rival organization, Talon.
Rooted firmly in a future timeline, the game may have some fantasy-inspired skins, but overall it’s very much a new-age first-person shooter at its core.
Hence, when an article from NBC went viral for claiming that Overwatch is “a kind of Dungeons & Dragons but with laser battles,” the fanbase was quick to express their confusion.
Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch fans slam Dungeons & Dragons comparison
Discussing the growth of esports scholarships in the American academic sphere, NBC’s now-viral 2019 article relays the story of a young boy called Jeremy Murray, whose Overwatch team was offered $40,000 scholarships to play professionally.
Writing “a year ago, Murray wouldn’t have dreamed that his son could get money for college by playing Overwatch, a kind of digital Dungeons & Dragons with laser battles,” players have been quick to criticize the comparison as the games are simply nothing alike.
“Yes, that’s exactly what it is,” writes one sarcastic fan on the game’s official subreddit, echoed by another comment stating “describe Overwatch inaccurately in the comments.”
“I don’t see an issue here,” jokes one fan. My favorite dragon is Lucio, he has the best lasers.” In response, another player comments “but only a Shimada can control the dragons!” but is shut down with “Lucio is the dragon that the Shimadas control obviously.”
“Me: ‘Explain a modern video game to me like I’m 90.’ NBC News: ‘I got you fam'” reads one comment, while a final response asks “does NBC think all nerd stuff is the same?”
As NBC’s slight faux pas continues to do its rounds, we can’t help but chuckle at the fanbase’s reaction. With Overwatch 2 on the horizon, though, maybe we’ll see a “Dungeons and Dragons with lasers”-inspired mode; after all, it does sound pretty cool, right?