selfishly getting off Twitter and playing Dragon Age for the first time in weeks, because i'd rather inhabit any world but our own right now
— Nick Robinson (@Babylonian) November 25, 2014
Regardless of your opinion of Monday's ruling in Ferguson, one thing is certain: it was a stressful day for most Americans. Monday was a day of Twitter page refreshes and Google updates and by the end of the night, I looked for something to help calm myself down. A few clicks on YouTube later, I found myself struck by a video I had seen a number of times since its initial release two weeks ago.
The announcement trailer of Blizzard's Overwatch is charming and is a delight to watch now as it was the first time I watched it. There's a particular Disney-esqe shine to everything in this short feature - the overly enthusiastic young boy and his angsty older brother, the hulking Winston's cartoonishly small glasses, Tracer's warm pep as she dashes around - even the quick removed shot of the bored security guard, oblivious to the nearby chaos, provided a chuckle most animated movies aim to achieve. It's all great fun to watch, but it's Tracer's last line that changed my perspective on the game last night.
"The world can always use more heroes."
Reality can be rough and finding a good escape lately has been no easy task. The past decade in film, television and video games have been marked by moody protagonists and anti-heroes. I've gone to midnight releases and cheered for a sad Batman. I've binge-watched seasons and seasons of a show centered around a desperate meth dealer dying of cancer. One of my favorite games in the last generation of consoles is an apt metaphor for the cycle of life and death. A few of this year's most anticipated games featured a brooding super hero and a grizzly futuristic war, with a dead-eyed Kevin Spacey and a "press x to mourn" scene that is touching as it is subtle.
And yet, in a trailer for a new triple-A shooter, looking to stand out amongst a fairly crowded genre, Overwatch concludes its introduction to players with a welcoming hand that embraces optimism. There's no Led Zeppelin song screaming in the background, there's no Michael Bay-level action or attempt at comedy - just an earnest word or two that the world can always use more heroes.
Trailers for games are always about informing players of the mood and tone of the game - Overwatch's lack of pretense and embrace of optimism and heroics depicts a world that everyone, not just gamers, can use right now.
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