One of the most endearing aspects of Overwatch is its focus on diversity, with the roster of playable characters in the massively popular multiplayer shooter being as diverse as it can possibly be.
In addition to heroes coming from all parts of the world, Overwatch features Ana, a 60-year-old sniper, and Tracer, a time-hopper who was recently revealed to be gay.
Overwatch now appears to also have neurological diversity in its mix of heroes, as Symmetra has been confirmed to have autism.
'Overwatch' Game Director Confirms Symmetra Is Autistic
In a letter written by Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan that is now making the rounds in social media, he responded to a gamer who seemed to have expressed gratitude for allowing him and his brother to bind through the multiplayer shooter.
"I'm glad you asked about Symmetra," Kaplan wrote in his response, adding that it was very astute of the gamer to notice that she mentioned something about a spectrum in a comic.
"Symmetra is autistic," Kaplan confirmed, adding that the Overwatch team believes that she is doing a great job of representing how awesome people with autism can be.
Clues To Symmetra's Autism
Gamers have theorized that Symmetra is autistic after her reference to a spectrum in the A Better World comic released in May of last year.
"Sanjay has always said I was ... Different. Everyone was asking where I fit on the spectrum," Symmetra said within the pages of the comic.
"It used to bother me, because I knew it was true. It doesn't bother me anymore, because I can do things nobody else can do," Symmetra continued.
In a discussion on the revelation at the official Overwatch subreddit, Redditor WizardTyrone pointed out other signs in the comic that many may have missed as clues to her autism. According to him, one clue is the fact how, at the beginning of A Better World, Symmetra walked away from a conversation while somebody was talking to her to correct a misaligned painting.
Blizzard, which confirmed that the image of Kaplan's letter is authentic, has never previously confirmed that Symmetra has autism. However, that did not stop players from believing that her lines in the comic meant that she was on the autism spectrum, allowing them to identify with the character.
Did Blizzard Portray Autism Right With Symmetra?
Overwatch players who have siblings with autism were asked if they think Symmetra showed signs of autism, and most answered by saying that they did not see such clues. In addition, the players believed that Symmetra could be the most high-functioning person with autism ever, given her participation in the multiplayer shooter.
However, this does not mean that Blizzard failed in portraying Symmetra someone with autism, as it is definitely less recognized in women due to them having different symptoms for autism compared to men and being able to better mimic socially appropriate behavior.
Whatever the case may be, Symmetra is now a flagbearer for people with autism, showing that even when diagnosed to be on the autism spectrum, people are still capable of doing great things.
