The world of traditional media still struggles to gain a firm grasp on the world of esports and live gaming. A recent episode of American Dad parodied an Overwatch competition and stirred up buzz on social media. You can check out part of it in the video below.
Esports and gaming have never gotten the most positive exposure in mainstream media. Nine times out of ten, gamers are represented as dorky caricatures on television shows such as South Park, Family Guy, and Robot Chicken.
The American Dad episode featured Stan going to Hong Kong for an Overwatch match in order to kill a North Korean leader. The group of CIA operatives – plus Stan’s son Steve – make their way to China with “a sh*t load of mango vape juice” to complete their mission. One match displayed during the episode was of Team UK and Team Sweden facing off during the 2019 Overwatch World Cup.
American Dad aired a competitive Overwatch Episode and I really Don't. know how to feel. pic.twitter.com/ZAWV8Q5S6S
— liz 🐸🍊 Sticker Sales CLOSED EARLY! (@LiimitLiz) May 19, 2020
Well played, American Dad
The American Dad episode is worth watching and does a better depiction of esports than most other television shows have done in the past. The growing prevalence of esports gains its attention from other mainstream forms of media, and it’s sometimes good, sometimes bad.
More often than not, esports and gaming as a whole are the butts of the joke. Everything is up for ridicule, from the hygiene of gamers to the supposed absurdity of watching others play video games. It’s all very easy to make fun of – and sometimes the jokes are not wrong – but nevertheless clueless parody is a bit out of place considering gaming has been the world’s favorite form of entertainment for a couple of years now.
As COVID ravages the globe, many are turning to video games to get through the trying times. If American Dad is any indication, with the exposure comes a normalization of gaming culture.
