Why do individuals play healers in video games? The place does that drive come from for somebody to log in and need to assist another person as an alternative of searching for glory of their very own?
I’ve questioned about it ever since I began therapeutic in Darkish Age of Camelot 20 years in the past. I do not know why I did it or caught with it, however in each recreation I play now, I gravitate in the direction of that position.
And having performed healers for thus lengthy, I’ve seen the great and the unhealthy of it. I have been moaned at, and I have been killed as a matter of precedence by enemy groups extra instances than I can depend. And let’s face it, it isn’t at all times enjoyable – not only for these causes, however as a result of therapeutic is not the flashy stuff video games are offered on.
Basically, you might be there to allow different individuals’s heroics. It’s kind of like being a goalkeeper in soccer: it is a necessary position however one no person actually desires. They need to rating targets.
To color a fast image for you: in World of Warcraft, therapeutic in a raid meant standing in a nook and taking it in turns, in groups, to heal a tank character combating an enormous monster. Who’s extra heroic in that situation: the pack of heal-bots in a single nook or the character combating the huge dragon?
Generally a recreation’s design may even imply that if you happen to’re absolutely therapeutic targeted, you may’t truly do something with out one other character to battle for you. You are ineffective by yourself with out somebody to heal. Think about that in a single-player recreation.
This all got here flooding again enjoying Overwatch 2 this week – after I might log in. These queues eh? Overwatch is a recreation with tanks and healers and injury sellers. It is truly constructed from MMO elements, salvaged from Blizzard’s cancelled Titan recreation. And guess which roles refill first? I even performed some video games the place nobody picked to play Help in any respect – discuss egocentric defiance.
Nonetheless, Overwatch has one of the best therapeutic characters in any recreation I’ve performed. Having to make them viable in a fast-paced workforce shooter, and capable of contribute and never die too shortly, led to some actually fascinating designs. They usually’ve solely improved with time, with tweaks, and with new characters. Some are fairly proficient injury sellers in their very own proper, and transfer splendidly.
Overwatch actually encourages therapeutic, too – or Help, because it calls it. Rating tables worth therapeutic contributions, or mitigating injury for somebody, and there is an Endorsement system made as if to thank individuals particularly for doing so. You’ll be able to Endorse a team-mate after a match, and it is virtually at all times the healers being thanked first. There’s even a separate Help queue for video games, which I presume may have the bottom wait time when issues settle, and also you’re incentivised to queue for Help with further Battle Cross XP.
That is all nice. However these incentives are proof that the sport nonetheless must encourage individuals to play Help. Evidently, there’s nonetheless extra enchantment in dealing a load of harm and getting Play of the Recreation, after which posting a replay on Reddit. And I can perceive that. So it nonetheless falls on the character of a sure sort of individual to fill the Help void.
With out them, the place would we be? You already know, even after I decide one other character – I am very keen on Mei, and I attempt to play as everybody sooner or later – I am nonetheless hyper-aware of the place the healers are, each mine and the enemy workforce’s. I am nonetheless wanting over my shoulder for them, even after I’m not enjoying them – their presence is big. When you ask me, they’re crucial characters on the sector.
So shout out to all of you enjoying Help – or enjoying a healer in no matter different recreation you play. I see you doing the work different individuals do not need to do, and I see your sense of duty. You’re the individuals making video games like these work in any respect. With out you, there is no enjoyable. So thanks. Thanks for being you. You’re the actual heroes.
