They changed Ji Firepaw :(

[thundercles]

Yes, part of maturity is realizing that when you cause someone pain or anxiety, even if you don't understand why, and you gain virtually nothing for doing so, you should opt to stop.

Ok I understand now.

This cartoon character says to you, because you are playing as a female cartoon character, that you are "gorgeous."

That causes you PAIN AND ANXIETY.

Better make it stop or it means that EVERYONE ELSE is being an irrational jerk.

[Trassk]

You know, by example, I once made a post about why blizzard refushes to acknowledge gay sexuality in world of warcraft. As a gay man, its the norm for me, yet blizzard don't appear to follow this, despite having a massive world of characters and stories, they don't acknowledge any form of it.

Many posters replied saying world of warcraft is a game that shouldn't have to give any sexual meaning to anything, so putting in gay characters shouldn't even be a requirement.

So now, people are saying that having an npc who emasculates female characters is fine? and yet having opening gay characters isn't?

This goes beyond the pale here.

[Deleted]

-(certain) People complain when there is no homosexual, transsexual or female representation in the game, and say Blizzard hates them because of it.
-(certain) People complain when there is racist, sexist, hitler-y and creepy representation in the game, and demand it should get changed or removed.
.

those two certainties can be merged into one though; people complain there is no LGBT/strong female presence in the game, but there is plenty of 'racist, sexist, hitler-y and creepy representation', which is a reasonable complaint.

however, this complaint will consist because as someone pointed out a few pages ago, parent pressure groups will come down HARD on a video game manufacturer for having LGBT characters.

[azrielen]

Well I'm in favor of the change. I PERSONALLY (opinion alert!) don't feel that an NPC calling my female toon beautiful when he calls the male toons strong is "offensive," per se, but it does lend itself to a pervasive sense of sexual inequality in games. Plus as a female myself I found it annoying.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Blizz sure likes to bend over for the PC brigade lately

I remember when they irked PETA over how much animal killing we do so they go and make fun of PETA by adding DEHTA etc

Blizz plz show some balls and reclaim your game from the empty suits that seem to be dictating every aspect of your game lately

There's a song to match this. It was all about gender PCness. But youtube does not have a video

[jimlow]

wait...you read quest text?

[DSRilk]

And I don't think "You are some kind of gorgeous huh?" will even remotely be as offensive.

No, but I do hope the other things that go on are far better written that the tripe you quoted and that was removed.

That causes you PAIN AND ANXIETY.

Not at all, but if someone else was really bothered by it for reasons I honestly don't understand (which several people obviously were), then I don't care that they took out one crappy line that made him seem like a twelve year old still trying to figure out how to talk to a girl when the rest of his entire personally and dialogue was left fully intact.

Better make it stop or it means that EVERYONE ELSE is being an irrational jerk.

One does not predicate the other. The fact that some people are being irrational jerks about this, acting as if the change of one line of dialogue means the end of the world, doesn't mean that it is because of what Blizz actually changed.

[Keristrasza]

I liked the original Ji, to many female players get butthurt over the dumbest shit ... and that is coming from a female player. :/ He was flirty, no need to bust out the Feminist song and dance, scream you were insulted and get the game changed AGAIN to fit their "needs". I say again, because it's the same BS that got "skimpy" armor removed, which I find hilarious considering what little armor is left in game sells on the AH now for 500g and up.

Edit: By removed I mean you don't really see it in any expansion past BC really.

[Deleted]

here's a piece about Political Correctness from my favourite comedian (he is pretty Liberal so avoid this if you're one of the MMO Champion right wing contingent!)

youtube. com /watch?v=jGAOCVwLrXo

[DSRilk]

which I find hilarious considering what little armor is left in game sells on the AH now for 500g and up.

Because there are craploads of pre-teen boys whose mothers throw out the Victoria's Secret catalog before the kids can get a hold of it. I find that more sad than hilarious, but to each their own.

[Deleted]

No, but I do hope the other things that go on are far better written that the tripe you quoted and that was removed.



Not at all, but if someone else was really bothered by it for reasons I honestly don't understand (which several people obviously were), then I don't care that they took out one crappy line that made him seem like a twelve year old still trying to figure out how to talk to a girl when the rest of his entire personally and dialogue was left fully intact.



One does not predicate the other. The fact that some people are being irrational jerks about this, acting as if the change of one line of dialogue means the end of the world, doesn't mean that it is because of what Blizz actually changed.

if this were facebook I would like your post. I honestly don't see why so many people are SO upset about the removal of the offending line.

[Quenden]

I wish Blizzard had the same stance on sexuality as Bioware.

[Underskilled]

Well I'm in favor of the change. I PERSONALLY (opinion alert!) don't feel that an NPC calling my female toon beautiful when he calls the male toons strong is "offensive," per se, but it does lend itself to a pervasive sense of sexual inequality in games. Plus as a female myself I found it annoying.

But how is it inequality? Is he implying the woman is beautiful, and nothing more? Is he implying the man in strong, and nothing more? I just don't understand all this stuff people are getting out of a simple flirt towards female characters, and a compliment towards male. Heck, some person on the WoW forum thread to bring back his original dialogue is trying to connect what he says to rape, it's just preposterous.

Of course I respect your opinion, I just don't understand how people are getting so much from simple dialogue. He's innocently flirting with women, and complimenting the men, that just seems like a nice guy to me.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

You know, I have to say it...

Told you so!


I called this when the first QQ thread about Ji went up. "Watch, now Blizzard will give into pressure and turn him into a bland 'omg help me for i am an npc' npc"

[tiporispit]

Before people get their panties in a bunch, are we sure this wasn't changed for legal reasons, rather than pressure from the player base?

[Trassk]

Before people get their panties in a bunch, are we sure this wasn't changed for legal reasons, rather than pressure from the player base?

most likely it was this, the concept of blizzard caving into pier pressure from whiny fan on the forums, well to those whining giving them a sense of accomplishment, it doesn't make it likely for them to change something on a whim without serious reason.
That said, I'm still glad they did, I didn't like Ji before, now I think he's got a chance to develop.

[thundercles]

if this were facebook I would like your post. I honestly don't see why so many people are SO upset about the removal of the offending line.

It's no so much about the removal of one or two lines of text as it is the fact that this entire debacle is nothing more than flagrant sexism-baiting created by someone who, at least to me and many others, clearly has an agenda other than making sure that the NPC's have literary quality dialogue.

[cetarari]

Because there are craploads of pre-teen boys whose mothers throw out the Victoria's Secret catalog before the kids can get a hold of it. I find that more sad than hilarious, but to each their own.

I have several sets of platekini for my Dwarf Holydin, it's more of a 'horrifically awesome' thing than a 'sexy' thing (she looks horrific, yet awesome). I'm neither pre-teen nor a boy (or man for that matter). More Platekini's... also platekini's for the male characters! A Dwarf Male Paladin in the female equivalent of the Saltstone Set would be hilarious, yet strangely compelling...

[Alewen]

Well I'm in favor of the change. I PERSONALLY (opinion alert!) don't feel that an NPC calling my female toon beautiful when he calls the male toons strong is "offensive," per se, but it does lend itself to a pervasive sense of sexual inequality in games. Plus as a female myself I found it annoying.

So then what is your stance on the goblin female in razor hill that calls males beefcakes, and females tramps? I think it is a bit of a double standard. Ji is a heterosexual male. Of course he is going to compliment men on their strength and women on their beauty. As a middle ground, why not just take out the "I bet you can't keep the guys off you." line and just leave the compliment? That I think would of been a fine middle ground. But in return, his compliment to males about getting all the girls, would have to be taken away as well.

[DSRilk]

It's no so much about the removal of one or two lines of text as it is the fact that this entire debacle is nothing more than flagrant sexism-baiting created by someone who, at least to me and many others, clearly has an agenda other than making sure that the NPC's have literary quality dialogue.

My bad, I didn't realize you were in the board room discussing this with the developers. What did they say when someone pointed out that removing only one lame reference wasn't going to actually fix the 99% of the flagrant sexism-baiting that drove the agenda seekers to say they didn't like it in the first place?