Overwatch is a young adult online multi-player team based first person shooter (FPS) videogame by the American game developer company Blizzard Entertainment released in 2016.
The game may contain content inappropriate for children.
Set in a science-fiction and post-crisis setting, players are divided into two teams to compete to control an objective which could either be controlling an area or escorting a “payload” to the other end of the map. Among the many characters or “heroes” players can choose to play as, one of the most popular is Mercy.
Mercy belongs to the healer or “support” category. Her role is to heal her allies if they have taken damage from the enemy, or to give them a damage boost while they fight. She can also resurrect fallen teammates. Interestingly, Mercy has the characteristics of three mythological figures from three different traditions: the angel from Judeo-Christian tradition, the Valkyrie from Norse tradition, and the Greek god Hermes from ancient Greek tradition. This is depicted through her playstyle, visual appearances (“skins”) and “sprays” (small images players can stamp on surfaces in the game).
Mercy contains shared aspects of the three mythical characters, such as their ability to fly, heal, and resurrect. The presence of mythological themes in a post-crisis contemporary context may suggest a tendency for young adults to be attracted to mythical and classical themes in a contemporary world wrought with regional and global challenges.
See more:
- Polish Official Website of Overwatch game: http://www.overwatchgame.pl
- The Official Website of Blizzard Entertainment: http://www.blizzard.com
Found and written by Erica Wright, a student of Prof. Marguerite Johnson, University of Newcastle
Our Mythical Childhood Blog 
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