Support players in the popular team-based hero shooter game are poised to line up their abilities. That’s why they’re planning to go on strike — to insist that their contributions to a team’s chemistry be recognized and respected. These players, who are essential for keeping teammates alive during intense gameplay, feel they receive disproportionate blame for losses, even when their teammates make critical errors. The strike aims to draw attention to the challenges and harassment support players face while trying to fulfill their responsibilities.
Support players take an immense amount of blame for why teams fail to make it. Too frequently, they allow themselves to underperform by propping up others from being successful. All too often, they are the ones who get blamed when a fellow service member is lost. The harsh criticism still pours down, particularly when a teammate does something dumb. One major example of this being when players attempt to engage multiple opponents by themselves in a 1v6 scenario. The emotional wear and tear from this blame game is playing a hand as well, leading to an increasingly frustrated undercurrent among support players.
Being a support character can be a thankless role. These players are often undeservedly overlooked, underappreciated, and under-awarded for the huge impacts that they provide in comparison to their damaging-dealing peers. Content creators and streamers, including popular figure Necros, have been known to criticize support players harshly, further perpetuating a culture that undervalues their contributions. Even worse, the community’s stigma towards the role can result in vitriol from fellow teammates who just don’t take the time to understand the nuances of the support role.
Support heroes have been subjected to quarterly nerfs throughout the game’s first three seasons. These changes have greatly diminished their effectiveness, making it all the more difficult to even heal your teammates. This never-ending back and forth has subsequently led many support players to feel exposed and unvalued.
Revolutionary-Ad6480, a leading advocate in the support player community, shared their frustrations in impactful and damning post.
“We just want basic respect. It’s tiring to be called brain dead or worthless when your stats are solid and you’re playing your role the way it’s meant to be played.” – Revolutionary-Ad6480
Believe it or not, support players really do love this expression. They want fair awards for their work and a collective effort for more positive, less harassing, gaming environments. The second player reiterated that they don’t want to be romanticized or regarded as the most hardcore position. They underlined the point that it is really important for them to be respected.
“We’re not asking to be glorified or seen as the ‘hardest’ role – because I don’t think we are,” – Revolutionary-Ad6480
Now as the strike approaches, support players are more than ready to help spread the word about their plight. In doing so, they are promoting a more civil gaming experience and landscape. They want to enhance their own user experience. At the same time, they know that they need to create a much more positive, productive collaborative environment for all grantees.