A post that we did earlier this year pointed me to a rather funny and catchy song called “No Mercy” by The Living Tombstone. In it, the singers share the rather relatable experience of Overwatch gamers being pressured into playing support and healing roles that they would rather not (hence, “I don’t want to be Mercy” as the chorus).
Since I don’t play team shooters a lot, I haven’t seen this phenomenon quite as often, but I have witnessed and even felt it from time to time. Sometimes it’s a positive peer pressure event, where everyone’s trying to work together for the common good and so someone who is skilled in a role they don’t particularly like will acquiesce to playing it. Sometimes more strong-arm tactics are employed, and that’s usually when I balk and get out of there.
Do you ever get pressured into playing roles you’d rather not be playing in MMOs? Have you seen this happen? What’s your response?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
