Toxic players beware. You have now been warned. According to Blizzard's forum post by community manager Lylirra, offensive Overwatch players will begin to see in overall increase in penalties for players who troll. This is part of a policy known as "Play nice; Play Fair."
Official Blizzard Post
In a recent forum post, following a mandatory update; Lylirra who is a community manager for Overwatch posted the following in regards to the new policy:
"Play nice; play fair is one of Blizzard's core values. It’s something we took to heart in creating Overwatch and remains a priority as we continue to support our players.
This not only applies to the new content we develop and the balance we improve upon over time."
Blizzard has always strived to make their gaming services like Overwatch a fun and safe environment for all players. Judging by the time and effort they put into their titles, we can see a genuine care for the players. The previous reporting system in Overwatch was a little laughable. Players would have to be reported several times, or have video evidence of offenses before being investigated. It was time for a change.
Alluding to change that is to take place. Lylirra continues by posting; "To this end, effective immediately, we will be issuing increased penalties to players in response to verified reports of Bad Behavior [...] that means anything from abusive chat, harassment, in-game spam, match inactivity, and griefing.
If you see anyone engaging in any of these, report them. Players in violation will be suspended or even banned from the game. "
It seems a little harsh on the surface, but what we do know is that Blizzard has been in the video game business for years. They have an excellent reputation for creating some of the best online games.
Due to a great (and extensive) track record, players can rest assured that proof of offenses, (found in the game log), can paint a perfect picture of abuse or trolling players.
Who will be targeted?
If we further examine what was posted, we will find that "bad behavior" is defined in many ways. Players who cheat, harass, spam abusive chat, have a history of match inactivity, or grief can all fall subject to these new punishments.
Players who "tilt" or even spam the reporting system can even be targeting for falsely reporting well-behaved players. It is a system that is needed in such a competitive game as many players applaud Blizzard's actions.
End Result
It is not certain how effective this new system is or will be. Only time will tell. Overwatch has previously been a great game with a unrewarding team experience at times, just because of a community of toxic players. A stricter policy was needed. What we do know for sure is that reporting a well-behaved player just for being better than you, can come to an end. It seems as if Blizzard is paving the way for a better gaming experience for all competitive players. A reporting system for consoles is in the works.
If this system proves effective, we should see other online games adopt similar strategies in the future.
On a positive note, DoomFist will be released for competitive play very soon. We are all eager to see how this will affect the meta, as well as team balancing.
