Those playing unloved heroes in Overwatch are often reported and penalized. Blizzard aims to tackle the issue now.
Since the last patch, a trend has developed in Overwatch where teammates report others through the “Report Player” system when they play a hero deemed non-useful for the current match. Generally, players using Symmetra, who are often eager to play their favorite character in attack, are targeted. This annoys many teammates – even in Quick Match – leading them to report these players.
The consequence is that Symmetra players are often penalized with a “Silence” penalty, meaning they can no longer chat.
Blizzard seems not to have foreseen this with the reporting system, as Jeff Kaplan addressed it in the forum:
“We are actively working on exactly this matter. It will take some time to implement all the desired changes. However, with the launch of Patch 1.5, one should notice the early beginnings of changes to the reporting system. Further changes will come in subsequent patches.”
Cortyn states: It has somehow become a common stereotype that players misuse the report function for purposes it was not intended for. Since many do not like Symmetra (similar to Hanzo), some quickly resort to the sanctioning click. It is worth mentioning that falsely reporting players can also lead to an account penalty. For me, that would be exactly such a case.
What amazes me particularly is that some players in the forum vehemently believe they are absolutely right to report a player simply for playing a character they enjoy.
For more news and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, check out our Overwatch game page.
