(This is about Overwatch, but it can be applied to most competitive games.)
Alright girls. Today I was playing some D.Va in competitive Overwatch. As usual, I was communicating on the voice chat, and as usual, people noticed I was a girl. One guy said to me, “congrats for being the only girl I’ve ever seen who’s not playing mercy.”
Now, obviously I had noticed how many girls default to playing support – usually the game’s most standard and obvious support (OW Mercy, TF2 Medic, DOTA2 Crystal Maiden). I had some cheeky banter with my friend about a “basic bitch” in a match who was a girl playing mercy.
Yesterday, I queued up with a friend who invited his friend – a girl – and let me tell you something. Her quickplay stats were baffling to me. This girl had 98 hours on Mercy alone, her second most played only having 5 hours. She only had about 7 heroes with play time in total.
Being a fellow girl, I think I know why this is. Guys often like to show off by picking DPS/carry, even going so far as to refuse to change when it’s not a good pick. I’ve never seen this same scenario with girls. Of course I’ve met stubborn and toxic girls in-game, but even when asked, they will change. For example, I was playing a competitive game of Overwatch – attack on Hanamura. There was a girl playing Junkrat. I asked her if she was able to switch to Tracer or someone else who can dive so we could breach the defenses and she got extremely hostile at me but still changed to who I asked. She even played Mercy the next round (and blamed the loss on me because I asked her to change.)
Unlike many guys, girls most often avoid any confrontations or drama buy defaulting to supporting their other teammates. I’m not innocent of this either, I main Lucio, and used to be a support main in TF2 and DOTA2. However, once I realized, hey, I’m allowed to play DPS and carry my team, I started picking heroes besides supports and doing well.
I just wanted to get it out there: Girls, you’re allowed to carry. You’re allowed to be the star. You can do better than guys in games. Someone picks the character you wanted to carry as but is a much lower rank than you? Ask to swap. 70% of the time it will work. They don’t swap? Don’t just pick support and rely on them. I realize “picking whoever you want” can cost the game, but you’re all good and smart enough to still pick wisely, I know it.
Don’t feel bad about maining supports, I still main one in Overwatch. But I only ranked up by branching out, putting my foot down and saying “No, you’re not doing well on that hero, give me a go. Support me instead.”
Now get out there and instalock that Pharah!
I main D.va and this is 100% true! Get out there and show you can kick some ass too, Ladies!
I really love this supporting message! I have seen many ‘carry’ females who are excellent at Soldier and on Pharah and even female roadhog players! the diversity is amazing but also…I really wish people stopped picking on girls who main Mercy. The world best Mercy at the very moment is a guy…many many male player plays Mercy and I wish this double-standard would stop. I also play a lot of Sombra and Widow as well but it is still Mercy i feel the most comfortable with and I don’t want to stop playing her because I’m a girl and its a standard choice for girls..I love supporting my team and I’m good at it, I wish we Mercy female mains wouldn’t get so much shit..
(this wasn’t against this post, just wanted to defend the ladies who love playing Mercy! Stay confident in your choice, if you love playing her dont stop now, as she usually says when damage buff someone :D)
Girls, play whatever role you want.
Guys, play whatever role you want.
I’m a girl with 250+ hours on tracer.
You can be a guy with 250+ hours on support.
No one is a better or worse player based on their gender or main.
To my fellow female gamers.
This Pixie is Poisn 