Overwatch and Progression

Overwatch has a progression problem.

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Overwatch is a fantastic game in so many ways. It's got stellar characters, great maps, grade A game design, and some spectacular sound. But outside that, the actual game, it's got a glaring issue I want to discuss here today. You see, Overwatch has a terrible, terrible progression system.

Now, some of you may be shrugging your shoulders right now and saying “so what”? I'll get back to why this is so bad in a bit, but first I want to start by breaking down how Overwatch fails in this area.

I like to divide successful progression systems into 3 general categories. Gameplay based, unlockable based, and change based.

Gameplay based progression systems either let you unlock more gameplay elements (think Call of Duty), or they let you customize loadouts for many different playstyles (again, like Call of Duty). This lets the player play around with the mechanics the more they play, and the progression comes from a deeper understanding of the game mechanics. Note that this does not just mean getting better at the game. It comes from being able to unlock/use customization ways to change how your character can play.

Unlockable based is a catch-all term for anything you can unlock that doesn't affect gameplay. Cosmetics, emotes, that sort of stuff. It provides progression in the form of more fun stuff to show off, and the ability to customize yourself how you want.

Finally, change based progression is the type of change where the game is balanced and updated over the years. Adding new content and changing the current content, essentially. Look at any MOBA, with many characters and items to tweak, and how different the meta will be from month to month, and you get the idea. This can only really work if the developer constantly updates and supports the game.

So, how does this all relate to Overwatch? Quite simply, Overwatch lacks a good, solid foundation for any of these progression systems. It has nothing to unlock in the gameplay department, as all the characters are open from the start, and no way to change any of the character's playstyles or moves. It doesn't lend itself well to change based progression, as there are only 22 characters to change and update, so Blizzard can't update the meta very much. And finally, I think we can all agree a luck based system for unlockables is a horrible idea.

The loot box system is the only concrete progression Overwatch has, and it fails on nearly every level. It doesn't give the player a goal to work toward, because they can't control what items they buy. Even with the caveat that you can get gold from duplicates, it still means that how much you save is entirely dictated by RNG. And there are seasonal items, still dictated by RNG, but with a time limit, meaning players are locked out from some items as well.

We can quibble all day about why this was done in this manner, but that's unimportant. What is moreso is why Overwatch not having a satisfying progression system is important, and here we come back to what I mentioned at the start. A lot of people reading this are going to say, “So what?” To a lot of people, the raw gameplay should be what really matters, with cosmetics and progression not being all that important. And that's fine, because it's not what's really important to you.

Here's the issue. Raw gameplay isn't enough to keep a lot of people playing for a long time. A lot of people want change as they play, whether that be through gameplay or cosmetics. Having a bad progression system can really hamper how long a game lasts for, as a lot of people aren't going to keep playing if there's nothing satisfying to work towards.

Gameplay isn't enough to keep a lot of people engaged if they're not aiming to get truly good at the game. Overwatch is a special case because it's a lot more cheery and casual than other shooters in tone. A lot of people are going to be playing it because of the characters and world. How do you think they'll feel when the unlocks that let them have fun with the world are completely out of their control?

Overwatch having a bad progression system is not a gameplay issue, it's not a game world issue, and for the truly dedicated, this really isn't an issue in the first place. It's a reach issue. If Overwatch wants to engage more people and get them talking, it would do well to ensure as many people can be motivated as possible.

Sonic and Addition

What the hell happened to Sonic?

 

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One word: addition. Sonic is the victim of reckless addition, a franchise killed by it's own enthusiasm. There comes a point when adding something to a series is detrimental, and Sonic has long passed that point. It's like they listened to people asking for innovation in the industry, yet never realized innovation by itself is worthless.

It's a true shame, because the first 3 Genesis games got it so right. They added things like characters, enemies, levels, music, but did not ever add a crazy new direction for the series to take. The core gameplay was iterated upon, improved, but never truly altered. This is how you do a sequel.

You see, if you don't get a sequel right, you did one of three things wrong. You could have simply made a bad game, something that does happen. But more relevant to this article, you either changed nothing, or you added too much. If you add too little, you don't make much progress and your game feels samey and pointless. If you add too much, usually the game changes dramatically and you've left yourself no solid base anymore. Basically, a good sequel either needs to magically have that new base be amazing, or more likely, it needs to add just the right amount of stuff, and more importantly the right things.

Let's compare the first 3 Sonic games to the ones after. Between Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, what was added?

• Tails the Fox, a new character
• New zones
• New enemies
• New boss who is not Eggman
• A new gameplay mechanic, the spin dash
• Super Sonic, powered up version of base Sonic

I'm likely forgetting some stuff, but the point is that: a) Nothing major was changed and b) all the additions supplement the gameplay of Sonic 1. As for Sonic 2 to 3?

• A new character, Knuckles
• More enemies
• More bosses
• More zones
• Hyper Sonic, powered up version of Super Sonic
• Super forms for Tails and Knuckles

Again, they didn't change anything major per se. They simply added onto what was already there. Building a new character off the base mechanics and giving more tools like super forms do not change the core very much.

After that, it's a whole different story. Almost no game after Sonic 3 gets a pass from me in the sequel department. You want a list?

Sonic Adventure 1 added 3D gameplay, 5 more styles of gameplay, voice acting, a hub world, minigames,the chao garden, and a new villain.

Sonic Adventure 2 might be the only game that tried to stick with a nice sequel philosophy, not adding much new besides a villain.

Sonic Heroes changed the 3D mechanics, added team play, 4 different teams, wallrunning, block breaking, flying, pole ascension, take your pick.

Shadow the Hedgehog added gunplay, swearing, vehicles, and the ability to chose your own story.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 changed the 3D mechanics, added 12 character playstyles, brought the hubworld back, added high speed segments, 3 separate stories, and last but not least upgrades for characters.

I could go on, but I think you're getting the point. Every single game after the 3^rd Gensis one adds stuff for the sake of adding stuff. Whether it be to ride a trend, trying to innovate, for whatever reason they keep adding things rather than expanding. There are good ideas here at their core. 3D sonic. Team gameplay. Things like that sound like they'd make for fun games, if they had more time. But the issue is that it seems like if they don't strike gold on their first shot (something that rarely happens) they assume it's bad and toss it aside, adding more stuff to try to find that new amazing idea.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a franchise often maligned for just being bad, and Sonic Team are accused of being bad game designers just as much. But I'm not sure that's the issue. We got great games like Sonic Generations after that had 3 games of that fun, arcadey style. I think they have a good grasp of what they want to to, and their ideas are good. Their issue is time, and perception. They really don't know how to make a show-stopper on their first try, and that's fine, but they refuse to refine it. They just add and add and add.

Many people have no hope left for Sonic. I disagree. I say that if Sega stop trying to add mindlessly, we may have hope left.

Paladins Vs. Overwatch: Just Stop

I might be a wee bit frustrated.

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I had a whole nice article planned, you know. It was going to talk about Paladins, and why I'm so excited about it, how to handle a game right, and what elements can be missing from a game and not matter as much. I'm sure it would've been good, too.

But nope, rather than the internet talking about this new and interesting game, the only thing I've heard is “IT RIPS OFF OVERWATCH AHHHHHHH”.

I think we might be having an issue with the line between “ripoff”, and “similar”, guys. I'm really frustrated that a unique game is having all discussion about it sucked into an argument over whether it copied another, and I think we mayyyy need to actually discuss what a ripoff really is.

So, for all intents and purposes, let's start with what a ripoff should be defined by. Merriam Webster defines it as “something that is too much made like something else”. Obviously that's very subjective, and altogether not very useful to define by any objective standards. Instead, let's first look at this in the only objective manner anyone can: the legal system.

I'll be using U.S law, since that's where Blizzard and Hi-Rez are based, and I'll just be linking sections on Wikipedia because that site's the easiest for anyone of limited legal knowledge to read.

When it comes to intellectual property law, there are 2 pertinent areas that could be applied here. Game mechanics can't really be patented, as companies who try basically find them unenforceable. So that leaves trade dress.

Trade dress basically gives protection to any visual design of a product. It's why you can't make a Mario fan game and sell it for profit(or really for any reason when it comes to Nintendo). I highly doubt anyone would confuse Paladins for Overwatch, they look so incredibly different. No way this would hold any legal water.

Trademark wouldn't apply because no duh. Industrial Design rights don't apply either because the mechanics are different, and they don't serve the same function under the law. Not copyright either, that only applies to direct asset rip offs really. Any way you look at it, there is no way possible that a legal case could be made for either game ripping the other off. It just couldn't happen.

And as for Paladins being a ripoff in spirit, well that's a bit different from person to person, and I don't really want to get into that directly. What I do want to talk about is how this sucked up all other discussion about Paladins into a meaningless black hole.

This is frustrating to me not just because I'm a Paladins fan (although I do enjoy it immensely), but it's not a good way to go about things. One part of this post is talking about how by all objective standards, Paladins is quite different from Overwatch. The other part is a cry for reason, a plea for it. Because this stuff happens, guys.

League of Legends and DOTA 2 are very similar in a lot of areas. Call of Duty and Battlefield are similar in a lot of areas. Half the fighting games on the market are close in nature. So many RPG's copy stuff from each other. Platformers borrow from each other with reckless abandon. So why in the frakking heck is Paladins suddenly considered so shameless?

A few things could be the culprit here. First off, the timing isn't great. Overwatch is still very relevant in the public eye, so any game with similarities is going to draw eyebrows from at least a few people. Adding to that is the fact that several popular internet personalities (I am looking SQUARELY at you, Dunkey) kinda jumped on the bandwagon and made a deal about it being similar. It's quite unfortunate how nowadays these people do have to rush research just to get more clicks because otherwise you're not going to last. And finally, it's a competitive market, and ulterior motives can therefore be drawn more easily. Sad but true.

I understand that games don't exist in a vacuum, but when exactly did games start to be judged entirely outside of their own merits? The outrage culture of the internet has certainly shown itself to be prevalent, so I suppose it's no surprise that a game I like would bound to be consumed by it eventually. I guess I'm just... I don't know. A bit disappointed? Regardless, this seems to ultimately be a good cautionary tale for any dev wanting to make a game similar to one on the market already. Watch your step, everyone.

Now can I please write an article about Paladins and why it's good?

PC Master Race is Everything Wrong with Games

This is not hyperbole.

The entire concept of the “PC Master Race” joke is something that already comes from a place of relatively uncomfortable humor, but it's morphed into something much, much more. It's bad for the industry, it's bad for the perception of it, and it embodies all the negative aspects of this business.

Exclusion

If you asked me when the biggest attitude problem in the industry was, I'd answer with “exclusion”. Gamers trying to exclude people from an already pretty high-entry hobby are seriously the worst sometimes. Gaming can already cost hundreds of dollars, and then people will say stuff like “You play mobile games, you're not a REAL gamer”, and other crap like that. It's why gaming doesn't have a good reputation by most people who don't play them.

You can already see how the “PC master race” thing is exclusionary, I hope. It excludes people who prefer to play games on consoles (See “console peasants”). It excludes those with lower end PC's and those who play mobile games. And it excludes those who don't play games in the first place.

I do not care that it is a joke. It's an extremely poor one, and one that does nothing good for the medium. It makes people look like elitist jerks, and is one of the most cited reasons behind why people I know don't game on PC. They think the community is elitist because of stuff like this. Ditto for people who don't even play games.

Conflict

Beyond even the exclusion, it creates conflict in the industry, and not the good kind. The good kind of conflict has people with opposing opinions talking, comparing, and ultimately coming to understand both sides better.

The bad side is one we see more often, unfortunately. The typical “You suck”, “F*** you, you suck” back and forth does nothing of worth, and just leads to a whole lot of anger.

Yeah, PC master race encourages this, too. The stance it takes is as follows: “PC's are the best, and anyone who says otherwise is inferior.” How in any way does this facilitate discussion? It does the exact opposite. Insulting one group and holding another up is a bad way to go about things. It's what prevents people from rationally discussing stuff like Playstation Vs. Xbox, and contributes to all sorts of insults on forums. You ever wonder why people get so mad over games? Conflict encouragement is why.

Context

Finally, I want to cover one last thing about this topic. The wider context PC master race fits into shows off just how the industry is going to be perceived if we don't change something.

PC master race, in a modern context, brings up memories of Hitler, and his concept of an Aryan “master race”. It's not exactly a nice memory, and it's one that this “joke” handles awfully.

It's going to be taken badly. Either gamers don't give a shit about the awfulness of WWII and just wanna go make jokes about it, or they don't realize and are ignorant of the culture that isn't gaming. Either way, it makes gamers look insensitive.

And I get it, it is a joke. But it represents so much bad stuff in this industry, it's not even funny. I've listed 3, but there is so much more. “It's just a joke” only goes so far before the joke becomes more than just a meaningless bit of fun, before it starts to represent something. It's only so far before it morphs into something meaningful, and at that point it's irresponsible to pretend otherwise.

This idea is a great checklist for the cultural shift this industry needs, and what it needs to shift away from. We should take advantage of that.

Happy Birthday, Undertale

Holy shit, it's been a year.

 

It was September when i first heard about Undertale. Everyone I knew that was into games was talking about it. I only caught brief glimpses of it, and was honestly very confused. For the next few months, it was everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. After months of hype, I decided to see what this game was all about.

Best damn gaming decision I've ever made.

A year on, Undertale still stands as my favourite game ever. It's an experience I'm never going to forget, and one that will undoubtedly impact anyone that's played it. So, one year later, this is why Undertale remains #1 on my list of video games.

Oh, and spoilers. Why haven't you played Undertale yet?

Let's start at the beginning

I went into Undertale 99% blind. I saw a bit of the sans fight, the ruins, and a brief colourful glimpse I didn't realize was the Asriel fight. That's important, because Undertale starts out so unassuming, so small, so basic. It has a lot of personality, but nothing much else at that point.

Then Toriel showed up, and punched me in the gut. I love it when a game turns all your expectations around in once moment, and Toriel does just that. The game tells you that some monsters may need to have their health reduced. It shows itself as a simple RPG. It stays faithful to the retro aesthetic. It's not very serious.

The game does all this to fool you into thinking that it is indeed nothing more than it seems. Then, BAM, Toriel is dead, my knowledge about sparing monsters seemed wrong, and it's not just a goofy retro RPG anymore. There's death. There's emotion. There's tragedy. The first hour of the game sounds dreadfully boring, but it's so important for building up your expectations. Everything I knew was wrong, and now I had to travel into an unknown world that I knew nothing about. That is when Undertale had me interested.

Let's talk emotions

Undertale's got em'. This has been talked about to death by almost everyone, but I wanted to talk about what Undertale did for me. Undertale, more than anything else, was genuine at a time I needed it.

2015 was a rough year for my optimism in the games industry. I saw publishers try to squeeze money out of everyone in every way, I saw Nintendo starting to go down the same route after I supported them, and from my perspective (A misguided one now that I look back), the whole thing just cared about money.

So a game that just wanted to be a good game was just what I needed at the time. Undertale's quirky humour and random dialogue felt like a breath of fresh air. The battle system felt like something new and fresh. And this willingness to get into something new played a large part in how much the game pulled me in.

The game does have genuine emotion, I'm not discounting that. Papyrus is hilarious, Undyne and Alphys are adorable, Metatton is......

Flowey is legit terrifying, and the fight with Asgore is one of the few times I will use the word “epic” to describe something. What I am saying is that Undertale resonated with me because it just does what it wants. It's not restrained by doing what it thinks the audience wants, nor is it trying to do the “current” thing. The emotion isn't a list of check marks. It's genuine.

Undertunes

I remember the exact moment I knew I was gonna love Undertale. I had just arrived in Snowdin, and went to fight Papyrus because I wanted more of his dialogue. The fight started. I flirted with him (If you don't get it you need to get out because you haven't played it), and he activated his special blue attack!

Then Bonetrousle kicked in.

This was when I first thought “Holy cow, this is some amazing music!” It perfectly fit the scenario, character, battle, and raised it from a great fight to a fantastic fight with some sweet tunes.

And it just went uphill from there. From Spear of Justice to Dummy! to CORE, every single song is not only nice on its own, it also lifts every scene and scenario up to amazingly emotional levels.

When I traversed the waterfall, the music made me feel sorrowful and introspective, like this area held the ideals of freedom and wildness once held by the monsters.

When I fought Undyne, her theme was menacing. Here was an opponent actually trying to kill me for the first time, and the entirety of monsterkind would back her in this quest.

When I fought Omega Flowey, this theme instilled a level of panic in me the scenario by itself could never do. It felt like I was trapped in the madness for hours.

When I listened to the title theme, it was a retro jingle, one I'd heard many times over. After I finished the game, it was an opener to an amazingly realized and full experience.

When I fought ASGORE, this song was chilling, sorrowful, terrifying, awe-inspiring, regretful, epic, and final. This song embodied so many things, but more than anything else, it embodies the end of a journey, with all the mixed up emotions that come with it. It is one of the most emotional songs I have ever heard, and truly makes the battle against Asgore one of gaming's greatest. Undertale's soundtrack is legendary.

My emotions

Finally, I want to end off with something very personal to me. It was the moment Undertale connected with me in a deep way unlike most other games and media in general.

This song, and the walk you take with it, is burned into my head. It let me just think about everything that had led up to this point. Toriel, mosterkind's fate, Flowey, Asgore....

It let me think about loss.

Loss is something I am terrified of. Loss is something I worry about daily. What will happen to my friends after high school? Will my family still be here tomorrow? Is there anything I can do?

Undertale just gave me a scenario, a story, a song, and let me think. Those 6 minutes are precious to me. I thought about loss in the game. I thought about the loss I have faced and will inevitably have to face. I thought about the loss that occurs every day, by many people. I just stared at the screen even after the song was done, and just thought.

I couldn't sleep that night. No other game since Mother 3 has done that to me. The next day, I got up, and fought Asgore.

I cried. I cried tears of all kinds. I cried tears of sorrow, loss, and sadness, but also happiness, laughter, and appreciation. Undertale is the only game, no, time that I have ever, ever, experienced tears of joy.

This is why Undertale is my favourite game of all time. I could talk about how objectively good it is. But truly, it came at the perfect time. 7 months later, I lost a relative close to me. It is experiences like this that help me to understand, cope, and get through all sorts of things in this crazy experience called life. This is my personal connection to this small game called Undertale.

I truly and deeply thank you for reading.

Some nice remixes

If you browse the interwebs and love video games, chances are you've heard a remix or two. The remixing scene around games is gigantic, a lot unlike other mediums involving sound. Games often have a stronger emphasis on the melody, and a more simple tune that you can listen to repeatedly, and this leaves a lot of room for people to expand, add, and mix. Because school just started up again and has me totally wiped, I figured I'd take it easy and list 5 of my favourite remixes from 5 of my favourite remixers. So relax, slap on a pair of headphones, and enjoy!

Noteblock – It's Showtime!

Let's start with a loud and cheery bang. Noteblock's remixes often bring an uplifting and lightheaded feel to the original songs, and they're always a joy to listen to. 

His remix of It's Showtime! from Undertale is a particularly great example of his work. It takes an alrwady pretty cheerful song and cranks it up to eleven, mixing in piano, electronics, and trumpets to create a version of the original much more varied and upbeat. The simple song is transformed into what could conceivably be used as a real game show theme, with all the flourish required. If you're having a bad day or just want to feel good, this song and Noteblock's stuff in general never fail to boost your mood.

NPC – Ice Cap Zone

NPC is one of the most underrated remixers out there. His remixes bring a techno feel to many songs, and they're usually very mellow. It's great when you just want to chill out.

Speaking of chilling, Ice Cap Zone, made for the album Supersonic, is one of those songs that's been remixed to hell and back, yet this is still a very unique rendition of it. It slowly expands over the course of the song, going from chill chiptune to an expansive and deep melody. It's one of the best examples I can put out there for the value in remixing, as it's almost an entirely different song. And if you like this, NPC's channel is chock full of this stuff.

Game and Sound – Waluigi Pinball

Now this is a channel with a very distinct style. You like electric guitar? This channel has you covered. But it's not just a simple cover with electric guitar, oh no. His channel takes the guitar as a base and puts a bunch of stuff on it.

It's a very nice approach to take. Every song flows very well, with a style of cohesion and smooth guitar. Waluigi Pinball is a great song already, and smooth electric guitar only serves to improve it. It also throws in some nice electronic parts with the guitar fading out, so it's not tedious either. If you like the sound of this, well, have at the channel.

Retrospecter – Bergentrückung/ASGORE

Retrospecter's remixes tend to stay very true to the original pieces, not changing much about the melody. What he does do is change the instrumentation, and more importantly, exemplifies the original tone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj2mUksJRHg

(Sorry for not embedding this one, blogger refuses to do it for some reason.)

ASGORE (I'm not typing the first part again) is a great remix of the original. The melody and tempo are very much the same, but the entire song sounds like a grand band is playing it, with the beats hitting deep and the song sounding appropriately bone chilling and epic. He also throws in clips of Toriel's and Asgore's voice mumbles, which sounds like it wouldn't work, but it just does somehow. If you want the original songs you love taken up to 11, Retrospecter's channel should be right up your alley.

Ace Waters – Mine Cart Madness

And finally, let's round today out with just some damn good music. Ace Waters is my personal go to channel when I just wanna listen to something overall great.

Mine Cart madness upholds this standard. It's just a nice tune inspired by the Donkey Kong Country series. If I had to describe it, it's kinda like electronic if you threw in other instruments sometimes. But I don't really want to describe it. I just want to listen to it. And his whole channel, really.

I hope you all have a nice Sunday or whatever day it is when you're reading this! Are there any other channels I missed? (I'm sorry Kamex please don't hurt me) Sound off in the comments! This was nice to make, and I might do another. Have a nice day, and I hope you enjoyed the remixes.

What happens if a meme goes too far?

This is going to be a huge mistake, I can just feel it now.

Disclaimer: The incident involving the death of the gorilla named Harambe, which I do not want to get into details, was undoubtedly a huge tragedy. I want to let everyone reading this know that I in no way want to make light of this incident, nor do I want to get into the rights and wrongs of it, nor the rights and wrongs of how it spread across the internet like wildfire.

Now then.... what the hell happened with Harambe? Quite honestly, this is one of the most controversial ideas that has ever spread throughout the internet. Some describe it as a tasteless meme, others describe it as a way to honor the ape, and most are quite honestly confused at the sheer insanity.

So, and with the utmost respect, what the fuck happened? How could something considered tasteless by many spread so far?

It's more than a meme; it's an solid idea

Memes are, by their nature, short lived and not very deep. This isn't a knock on them, it's just the format. For a meme or joke to spread, it needs to be simple, easy to understand, and provoke an immediate reaction. And by this nature, of course most memes aren't going to be deep. They're usually going to be simple jokes, one dimensional, easy to react to. But sometimes, something can straddle the line. Harambe is one such idea.

It's a simple joke on the surface, yes. But it can be construed as deeper, particularly because it's based off of a real world event. It's got elements of real world animal rights, death, tragedy, and an undercurrent of honouring a dead creature.

What this means is that this isn't like the usual quick laugh people can get from a meme. It can get as deep as one would want, whether that be a simple joke or commentary on the situation. The joke is what let it spread. The commentary is what's let it last for so long, rightly or wrongly.

The forbidden fruit

More than anything else, this whole thing is controversial. It's been described as offensive, tasteless, dumb, and much worse. That's the key.

Remember when you were younger, and were exposed to something considered much too inappropriate for something your age? You probably thought it was the coolest thing ever, some sort of awesomeness that you weren't supposed to see yet. Really, it could have been an R-rated movie, an M rated game, wherever, it didn't matter. What mattered was that it was usually off limits, and that gave it an almost mystical factor.

Same principal applies here. Joking about shooting an ape would be in bad taste in most areas and casual conversation. But not in the wild west that is social media, where you can say literally anything and often see no real world consequences. Nothing is off limits there, so it's no surprise that anything and everything can spread.

But it being a tad risque or a bit offensive isn't enough. No, it has to, HAS TO be off limits everywhere but the anonymity of the internet. That means no news. No organizations. No casual conversation. Nothing.

The jokes about Harambe fit all this perfectly. The news (Save Last Week Tonight) can't touch something like this, as it would be seen as offensive. Organizations can't use it to look “cool” because it's in bad taste socially. And there is no way you'd say “Dicks out for Harambe” in casual conversation unless you were drinking.

Again, all this gives it a sort of mystique, like the internet is thinking “How far can we push it?” “How far can we go?” It's strangely subversive in a lot of ways, ducking under social norms and socially acceptable jokes. It's a lot like passing notes in class, in that it gives people autonomy from what they are expected to do. That's a powerful motivator.

A... rallying point?

Ok, hear me out here. Harambe can be a rallying point, something to follow, something to support. That, more than anything else, is what made this idea stick.

What I'm trying to say here is that in invoking this idea, a person can in a way also take a stand. The joke can also be used as support for Harambe, animal rights, a way of protesting the shooting, etc. Whether they are actually doing so in reality is irrelevant, as it feels like you're expressing an important opinion by using this idea. It feels like you're doing more than just joking around.

Again, jury's out on whether it collectively means anything. Regardless, it's an important factor. Most memes don't mean anything, They're dumb little jokes we all laugh at and get some fun out of. This meme is one of the few a person could conceivably get something out of beyond a laugh, heck, it could even communicate an opinion. What I'm saying here isn't why it spread. Memes can spread on humor alone, as we all know. All these reasons are why it spread despite it being seemingly so much in bad taste.

...OK, it's kinda funny

It's also just somewhat humorous in the first place, something we can't discount. I've laughed at this meme a few times, you likely have, and that's fine. The sheer absurdity when someone shouts “Dicks out!” is funny a lot of the time because of the out of nowhere element it has.

It's not a bad joke per se. A lot of people discount any humorous element, but that's not entirely true. It never would have been made if it wasn't kinda sorta funny. And we need to account for that, despite how funny you think it is.

So there you have it. The Harambe memes spread because they were funny, deeper than usual memes, had an element of subversion and gave people something to support and think about. That's a mouthful. I wouldn't expect anything else from the most contentious idea to ever wear the hat of “meme”.