Jeff Kaplan answers your questions in an AMA-style 'Overwatch support' video

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aHave you ever wondered what a "Toblestein" is? Why Widowmaker is blue? Why competitive rankings are based on win/loss ratios rather than skill rating? Or why people love Roadhog so much when the official lore makes it clear that he's a big, nasty dinkus? Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan recently took part in an Overwatch "Tech Support" video with Wired—basically a video AMA—to answer these questions, and a whole bunch more. 

Short answers to the questions above: "Toblestein" is a made-up word which came about because nobody at Blizzard could speak Russian; Widowmaker's skin tone is a side effect of the experimentation that made such an amazing sniper; win/loss ratios, despite some obvious shortcomings, are the best way to measure a person's overall success in a team-based game; and if people want to crush on Roadhog, that's their business and they shouldn't be judged for it. 

The short-and-sweet answers can actually be found on the OWSupport_JK Twitter feed, which I assume was created specifically for this event, but it's really worth watching the video for the full experience. Kaplan seems relaxed and looks to be having real fun with it, and there's some practical value to it as well: He also explained how Blizzard has added functionality on PC report players who go AFK in placement matches, for instance, and added that the same feature is "coming soon" to consoles.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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