So I wanted to start off by saying, I think the development team has done a pretty great job with the cast of male hero's in Overwatch. They are diverse, interesting, and compelling. From Genji to Winston to Hanzo the male cast reflects a large spectrum of personalities and player fantasies.
With that being said, lets talk about Reinhardt. From a marketing standpoint, he's the star of the show. He's a great hero. When we look at the way He's portrayed in promotional media, lore, and art in game we know a few things about him..
He's Courageous. He's Strong. He's Kind. He's a good Friend. His body seems to be comprised of about 100% muscle.
Almost all of his art reflects this. He's got cool skins: http://overwatch.gamepedia.com/File:Reinhardt_Skin_Bloodhardt.jpg
He's got fun poses: http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/reinhardt-victory-pose-2-confident.png
He's got amazing victory animations: https://youtu.be/wUPW_BHqkM0?t=41
All of this art reinforces the great character you've built around Reinhardt.
Then out of seemingly no where we have this pose: http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/reinhardt-victory-pose-2-confident.png
WHAT? What about this pose has anything to do with the character you're building in Reinhardt? It's not fun, its not silly, it has nothing to do with being a strong elite defender. It just reduces Reinhardt to another bland male douche symbol.
We aren't looking at a Reaper pose here, this isn't a character who is in part defined by flaunting his douchiness. This pose says to the player base, oh we've got all these cool diverse characters, but at any moment we are willing to reduce them to douche symbols to help boost our investment game.
Getting art into a triple A game isn't a small task, it has to go through an implementer, a team lead, an art director, and a creative director. This is a team effort. And I believe the team is responsible for upholding the great example Overwatch can set to the rest of the industry for creating strong male characters.
I have a young son that everyday when I wake up wants to watch the "We are Overwatch" trailer again. He knows who Reinhardt is, and as he grows up, he can grow up alongside these characters.
What I'm asking is that as you continue to add to the Overwatch cast and investment elements, you double down on your commitment to create strong characters. You've been doing a good job so far, but shipping with a Reinhardt pose like this undermines so much of the good you've already done.
