Overwatch Summer Olympics

I’ll admit it.

Blizzard knows exactly how to get you hooked on their video games.

I had never played a single Blizzard game until about a year ago when I gave Heroes of the Storm a try. It’s a much easier version of Dota 2 and League of Legends, which meant I could play with my wife and we wouldn’t get completely floored by the other team.

After that I dabbled with Hearthstone, then purchased Starcraft II. And it was a lot of fun!

But then came Overwatch.

It’s like TF2, but tweaked to be absolutely addicting. It’s the perfect balance of teamwork and individual skill, topped off with some entertaining and memorable characters with deep backstories that permeate every nook and cranny of the game. The gameplay is gold, the graphics solid, and the competition brutal. It’s an absolute joy to play, and I’ve never put this much time into a video game this quickly.

And then there’s the skins. Oh god, the skins. Especially the Olympic skins. While the Summer Olympics are occurring in Brazil, an even greater event is happening in Overwatch. More than 90 Olympic-themed items are up for grabs, and some of them are drop-dead gorgeous.

Recently I landed just the one I wanted: ‘Murica McCree.

This man is more patriotic than a bald eagle making love to a triple bacon hamburger while holding a rocket launcher

Everything screams “America”, and it’s so goddamn amazing. In an election year where we’re more divided than ever, a good ol’ fashioned ‘Murica gives me warm fuzzies.

Now I’m able to run around and shoot all the non-American people in the face with my six shooter while draped in an American flag, just like the Founding Fathers intended.

The only way to get that skin was to play the game and hope Random Number Jesus gifts it to you when you level up. I played for hours upon end simply to get this subtle reminder of just how great it is to be an American.

And Blizzard could not be happier to hear that.

Seriously, they’ve gotten millions of people worked up over different looks of characters in a video game. People are dropping tens of dollars each just for the opportunity to get kick-ass looking skins like ‘Murica McCree.

It’s brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I tell you! Genius, I say!

Blizzard’s top executives congratulating themselves

So hats off to Blizzard, for making the most addicting game I’ve had the pleasure to play in years.

Now excuse me while I get back to playing. There’s a soccer-playing Lúcio emote that is calling my name.