Rob Pardo Leaving Blizzard Entertainment

[Granyala]

There's actually a huge upside to Blizzard that would come from including well written female and LGBT characters - namely it would get them a lot of good PR. A couple of conservatives would complain but that would be more than outweighed imo by the positive press.

To be perfectly honest: I believe there are far more conservatives that would bash than progressives that would hype.
Bad PR would outweigh the good PR.

That only concerns LGBT though.
I doubt there would be negative PR because of a well written female character.

This thread is about someone leaving Blizzard not about minorities being misrepresented. Why is everyone SO off topic.

I think it started with someone interpreting a remark of the person that left as sexist.
Not sure though.

As far as the topic goes: Who gives a damn. None of us has any facts on the matter, as such, constructive discussion is impossible anyway.
We can only guess as to why Rob has left.

[Deleted]

To be perfectly honest: I believe there are far more conservatives that would bash than progressives that would hype.
Bad PR would outweigh the good PR.

That only concerns LGBT though.
I doubt there would be negative PR because of a well written female character.

I disagree. The media tends to lean towards the liberal side of things in my experience (which as a liberal I like) so most of the PR would be good, and attract more likeminded people I think.

[Granyala]

I disagree. The media tends to lean towards the liberal side of things in my experience (which as a liberal I like) so most of the PR would be good, and attract more likeminded people I think.

Depends on the media I guess.
In German mass media every WoW gamer is portrayed as a no life addict.
It's unwise to admit you're playing this game here.

[Deleted]

Depends on the media I guess.
In German mass media every WoW gamer is portrayed as a no life addict.
It's unwise to admit you're playing this game here.

Well I think that's mostly true all around but that's kind of separate issue. At least we'd be no life addicts supporting gay rights as opposed to just your regular no life addict.

[Granyala]

At least we'd be no life addicts supporting gay rights as opposed to just your regular no life addict.

Well, if you put it that way.

[Last Starfighter]

Oh, they'll never publicly admit to his getting tossed out on his ass, but it is what it is. A public statement to that effect would have negative connotations in regards to the company as a whole and they're already on shaky enough ground as it is. They'll call it a 'mutual' agreement and amicable parting of ways, but let's get down to brass tacks: You don't quit a job of 17 years and have 'no idea' of what your'e doing next.

He didn't quit. He got fired.

Where does it say he got fired? And where does it say that he has no plan?

[gratzner]

Well I answered your question anyway. Diversity and representation are good things. That's why I feel WoW needs LGBT characters.

And likewise I just said how the national curriculums are excising parts of history: By making history out to be more male centric than it actually was. And yes, all of those things are true, easily verified by a quick google. The Night Witches played a role in WW2, some where still alive until a few years ago.

If you can't find enough diversity in wow, but have to toss in a gay character, you are looking for things to complain at.

So the night witches played a role in WW2? What difference does it make?
Everyone and everything.. played a role in WW2. Should we learn about everyone... and everything?

[Deleted]

If you can't find enough diversity in wow, but have to toss in a gay character, you are looking for things to complain at.

So the night witches played a role in WW2? What difference does it make?
Everyone and everything.. played a role in WW2. Should we learn about everyone... and everything?

I'm failing to see what diversity there is in WoW unless you think that fantasy races somehow constitute actual diversity.

[Zaqwert]

This thread just shows you how far divorced from reality internet "justice warriors" are from real life.

The classic vocal minority syndrome. These buffoons have completely derailed and hijacked this thread on Pardo leaving, as well as a lot of other valid discussions, out of their extremist and deranged views.

Meanwhile 99.99% of actual WoW players absolutely could not give 2 shits about any of it.

Go take your pathetic slacktivism elsewhere. There's a lot of real problems in the world you could spend your time on, oh but that would take actual effort right? Better to feign outrage behind a keyboard at some completely trivial, made up bullshit.

[Deleted]

This thread just shows you how far divorced from reality internet "justice warriors" are from real life.

The classic vocal minority syndrome. These buffoons have completely derailed and hijacked this thread on Pardo leaving, as well as a lot of other valid discussions, out of their extremist and deranged views.

Meanwhile 99.99% of actual WoW players absolutely could not give 2 shits about any of it.

Go take your pathetic slacktivism elsewhere. There's a lot of real problems in the world you could spend your time on, oh but that would take actual effort right? Better to feign outrage behind a keyboard at some completely trivial, made up bullshit.

Honestly the only other threads I've seen this topic discussed in have been threads specifically made to discuss them. Even here it is at least tangentially connected due to Pardo's comments. And let's be honest there isn't much to discuss of the actual topic here. Pardo left, we don't know why and that's that. There's pretty much nothing to discuss. And like it or not, Women's Rights, LGBTQI Rights - are actually real problems. People suffer everyday because of them. Now talking about it on the internet may not be the primary way in which we're going to make a change, but it's the most influence most of us have and you know Blizzard reads these forums. Maybe one day some dev will come across someone's comments and it will influence a change. Better than not trying at all. If you're not passionate about the issue that's up to you. You should have no reason to oppose people who are.

[gratzner]

I'm failing to see what diversity there is in WoW unless you think that fantasy races somehow constitute actual diversity.

Then open your eyes because it's everywhere. Gay people are not the sole source to diversity. In a crowd of a million straight people you have tons of diversity.

People suffer everyday for being gay. So what? People suffer everyday for various reasons, i.e. getting gay rights and womens rights shoved down your throat. Don't misunderstand, they should have the same rights like any other... but ffs im sick of hearing about it and I don't want to see or read about it wherever I might be. Keep that crap away.

[Greektoast]

Then open your eyes because it's everywhere. Gay people are not the sole source to diversity. In a crowd of a million straight people you have tons of diversity.

People suffer everyday for being gay. So what? People suffer everyday for various reasons, i.e. getting gay rights and womens rights shoved down your throat. Don't misunderstand, they should have the same rights like any other... but ffs im sick of hearing about it and I don't want to see or read about it wherever I might be. Keep that crap away.

I knew it would happen.

We used the term "Shoved down your throat".

Is that the only phrase that conservatives have in their arsenal?

[Tkaczu]

Why do you think that Blizz kicked Rob after placing him in WOD design team? It was GC who was kicked for WOTLK - MOP disasters. Rob joined design team for WOD to bring subscription up because of his work on TBC (exp themes are planned for the sub increase and when Blizz read all those "TBC was the best" they went in that direction) and then something happened. Probably he didn't get as much influence on the design as he expected and his ideas to undumb game were blocked by top management who found it too risky to implement.

[Arewn]

Wether you like it or not, there are topics out there where being "neutral" unfortunately means that you support one side(usually the side that is in charge and that has established their rules and view for all). Nobody changes anything by being "neutral". If you face homophobia on a daily level then obviously everyone that claims to be neutral is on the other side...cause how can you be neutral when people are being cursed, beaten and spit on just for what they do in their bedroom? How can you say "I got no opinion about that"? Is it neutrality...or is it plain "I don't care as long as it ain't hurting me"-ignorance?
Fact is that the LGBT-movement has just one goal and that is to change our mindset so they can live just like everyone else of us wants to live(and actually does live). Nothing more, nothing less. But you only get to that point if you expose people to the reality that homosexuals etc. are just as normal as all of us(and seriously, we all still grew up with the idea of gays being weak crybabies that dress in skirts and like dirty sex with children. Being called gay is still an insult to most of us.)...and you do that via mass media. WoW is mass media.

To me to say "it's our game and we just do what we like to play" is pretty narrow minded and ignorant...especially given the huge world of WoW and that it would be a rather minor task. To "create" a new world and then keep homosexuality out of it, is at least questionable...

I didn't say I felt neutral about sexism and homophobia, I'm quite against both and will at least speak against them when I personally encounter instances of it. I said I felt neutral about a game company's stance to not get mixed up in social activism. I don't see why a game company would have to be one of the LGBT's arms, and I don't see why a person working at a game company expressing as much is labelled "sexist and homophobic". He may very well already hold the mindset the LGBT-movement is trying to perpetuate, homosexuality just isn't something that interests him, so he's not imbuing the games he works on with it. As I said in my previous post, he may very well be a bigot on the other hand, I just don't feel "our company is taking a neutral stance and is sticking to developing things that interest and motivate us" as proof of bigotry.

And that's absolutely inane, being neutral on a matter does not mean you automatically go to one side. That's what zealot's say to force other people to side with them, and make examples out of people who don't.
Also, instances of sexism and homophobia happen on a daily basis... nationally. They don't happen on a daily basis to every individual.

[gratzner]

I knew it would happen.

We used the term "Shoved down your throat".

Is that the only phrase that conservatives have in their arsenal?

Please refrain from labeling me to any kind of political ideology. If there is anything i truly despise it's just that.

Gawd, politics.. it makes me cringe.

[daem]

People suffer everyday for being gay. So what?

You sheer pacifism over the entire thing is utterly appalling.

It boggles the mind that even as a social species, there are those of us that lack any shred of basic empathy.

[Luko]

You sheer pacifism over the entire thing is utterly appalling.

It boggles the mind that even as a social species, there are those of us that lack any shred of basic empathy.

This isn't about empathy, it's about relevance.

People suffer every single day for anything there is to suffer from, nothing in the world makes this topic any more special or important than any of those and severely less so in a thread that has NOTHING to do with it.

[daem]

This isn't about empathy, it's about relevance.

People suffer every single day for anything there is to suffer from, nothing in the world makes this topic any more special or important than any of those and severely less so in a thread that has NOTHING to do with it.

I'm having trouble understanding why you're bothering to explain how a comment such as the one I previously quoted is somehow OK in any context...but I guess we're thinking about this in different ways.

[BaZERGer]

I'm having trouble understanding why you're bothering to explain how a comment such as the one I previously quoted is somehow OK in any context...but I guess we're thinking about this in different ways.

I'm having trouble understanding how you can reach the conclusion that he's defending the use "in any context" when he's specificaly explaining about the use in THIS context.

[wheelmandan]

Cold winds are riseing.