Overwatch is a game that after criticism has expressed interest in catering to non-ludotypical body types for women, and it's true that Zarya - short of the Amazon in Dragon's Crown - is perhaps the most musclebound woman in videogames. She's a spritely 28 years of age.
Though its heroines may be diverse in body proportions, however, they cannot be old.
Of the Overwatch team, Torbjorn, Soldier 76, Reinhardt, and Reaper represent old men who've been with the division since its original incarnation, making them 50+. And Roadhog and Hanzo are 48, and 38, respectively.
The women, however, are frozen in youth and beauty.
Mei is 31, but was frozen cryonically for a decade plus, conveniently keeping her out of those dreaded forties and within the realm of waifu-bait.
Tracer was a part of Overwatch's original assembly but was frozen in a temporal vortex, making her a perpetually perky, attractive 26. It's jarring to see her alongside the grey men of Overwatch with whom she worked many years prior. [Mod Edit: I wanted to note Tracer was not actually part of the original Overwatch team. She was in near the end and was in a temporal vortex for "months". This should not detract from the overall point of the OP though since she's very young regardless.]
Pharah's mother was originally in Overwatch 1.0, but thankfully she's dead so the game can sport Pharah, keeping her essentially the same character but more youthful and easier on the eyes.
Widowmaker is 33 and her breathing and aging has been slowed by an artifically-reduced heartbeat, keeping her blood less oxygenated and granting her skin a bluish hue.
Symmetra has no such contrivances that keep her young. She simply is. She's 28.
Mercy is the game's oldest female at 37, though her medical training requires her to be and sports a cybernetic Valkyrie suit.
D.Va is a 19 year-old K-Pop starlet in a skintight bodysuit.
It's worth nothing that no robots or true cyborgs in the game can be female.
I found it amusing that for all its posturing on inclusivity among body types (which is essentially six Barbies, a thicker Barbie in a parka, and a short-haired weightlifter), the game sports a glaring juxtaposition in age gaps between those of its male and female protagonists, even when keeping backstories part of the same, original team.
Women in Overwatch, it seems, can vary slightly among body types provided they're a youthful, attractive complement to an aging assemblage of grizzled men.
// Mod Edit:
I think the OP's point is very worth discussing, so if you're here to just complain that anyone is bringing up this topic, please leave the thread, but I'm adding this to help with some lore clarifications along with listing out everyone's age and nationality since people keep asking:
Though its heroines may be diverse in body proportions, however, they cannot be old.
Of the Overwatch team, Torbjorn, Soldier 76, Reinhardt, and Reaper represent old men who've been with the division since its original incarnation, making them 50+. And Roadhog and Hanzo are 48, and 38, respectively.
The women, however, are frozen in youth and beauty.
Mei is 31, but was frozen cryonically for a decade plus, conveniently keeping her out of those dreaded forties and within the realm of waifu-bait.
Tracer was a part of Overwatch's original assembly but was frozen in a temporal vortex, making her a perpetually perky, attractive 26. It's jarring to see her alongside the grey men of Overwatch with whom she worked many years prior. [Mod Edit: I wanted to note Tracer was not actually part of the original Overwatch team. She was in near the end and was in a temporal vortex for "months". This should not detract from the overall point of the OP though since she's very young regardless.]
Pharah's mother was originally in Overwatch 1.0, but thankfully she's dead so the game can sport Pharah, keeping her essentially the same character but more youthful and easier on the eyes.
Widowmaker is 33 and her breathing and aging has been slowed by an artifically-reduced heartbeat, keeping her blood less oxygenated and granting her skin a bluish hue.
Symmetra has no such contrivances that keep her young. She simply is. She's 28.
Mercy is the game's oldest female at 37, though her medical training requires her to be and sports a cybernetic Valkyrie suit.
D.Va is a 19 year-old K-Pop starlet in a skintight bodysuit.
It's worth nothing that no robots or true cyborgs in the game can be female.
I found it amusing that for all its posturing on inclusivity among body types (which is essentially six Barbies, a thicker Barbie in a parka, and a short-haired weightlifter), the game sports a glaring juxtaposition in age gaps between those of its male and female protagonists, even when keeping backstories part of the same, original team.
Women in Overwatch, it seems, can vary slightly among body types provided they're a youthful, attractive complement to an aging assemblage of grizzled men.
// Mod Edit:
I think the OP's point is very worth discussing, so if you're here to just complain that anyone is bringing up this topic, please leave the thread, but I'm adding this to help with some lore clarifications along with listing out everyone's age and nationality since people keep asking:
