Gender stereotypes are one of most popular kinds of stereotypes, and this can even apply in the world of video games to both the characters we play as, or even the gamers who play them. For Overwatch, there seems to be a trend that plays into a gender stereotype, and one player is going to explain why it is.

Simply put, a lot of female players are maining the character known as Mercy, who is known as a healer above all else in a game full of guns, weapons, and offensive powers. This plays into the stereotype of female players not wanting to be “violent.” But one person named Ammers, who mentions that they hold a degree in cultural studies, wanted to go deeper and find out why female players wanted to main Mercy so much.

The first reason is that it’s very likely that many female players don’t do shooters as much as males. Ammers herself has been a gamer since she was 10, yet never did a shooter before Overwatch. Because of that, her gaming skills were refined in a certain area, so playing a character like Mercy was easier, and she feels other girls have the same logic.

Another is cultural grooming, as in what males and females are raised to be. As stereotypical as it sounds, a lot of girls are taught to be refined and supportive in their lives, which is why they’ll gravitate towards characters like Mercy. At least that’s the theory.

Also, the thought of failing to be a good shooter because of lack of experience can often guide female players new to the genre to more support roles, and one of the best support characters is Mercy. Ammers dives even deeper into this, and it’s a fascinating read. Let us know what you think of this!