Was "Kingslayer" title an easter egg of GoT?

[Deleted]

All I see in this thread (aside from the derailing discussion about how popular GoT is) is people trying to refute the title reference even being a possibility, its like you have insider knowledge that the title is 100% not connected to the show. How can you know that?

The topic title is a question, not a statement of fact, open your minds to possibilities different to your own opinion

Sure it could be a reference, or it could be coincidence.

[Stormdash]

It may also be subconscious. Yes, "Kingslayer" has many historical and cultural hooks, but the difference between it crossing the mind of the devs to use, or not crossing their mind, may depend on their most recent exposure to it. That may in fact have been someone reading "A Song of Ice and Fire" that summer. But the fact remains that it's obviously not an overt reference to "Game of Thrones" because the context is so different. NPCs that meet your character don't refer to them as Kingslayer as a way to impugn their honor, which is how and why people refer to Jaime Lannister that way in the novels and the show.

[Confirm Deny]

Well, Kingslayer in WoW was used in a derogative manner in some raid groups... but I don't think the devs had the foresight nor the intention to include satire in their end-game raiding back then.

Nah that doesn't make sense. It would mean that Arthas would have a title called: Kingslayer. While the player who slew the LK, gets the Kingslayer title. The player didn't slay Arthas his father.

The phrase is "line of succession" and it dominantly dictates that the son succeeds the father. If the father is killed, the son is king. Hell, if you kill the king you usually become the king. Kingslayer works just fine for both parties. (Lordaeron fell into ruin because of Arthas, and he was the last son of the royal line)

[Crookids]

Facts like these:
Watch the show or read the book every time someone says Kingslayer they use the title with dishonour. - GoT Title use: INSULT
In wow Kingslayer is a heralded title that people respect you for having. WoW Title use: COMPLEMENT

Its not vain or ignorant, however you saying that it could be just that is (vain and ignorant). I used facts to back up what I said and I still think this entire thread is ridiculous. I didn't think it warranted a thread, a simple google could have sourced out an answer (or an apparent lack thereof). I personally think its quite vain of predominantly wow players to think that it is an easter egg.

Why is my intelligence being brought into this? I made a good point and expressed my distaste for the purpose of the thread. Besides at least I know the difference between a blood carrying vessel in my body and a notion of arrogance and self-centeredness.

First, those are just facts. Those are not facts that back up your argument. The basis of your entire rebuttal is still based on opinion and ever so apparent in your most recent reply.

Second, your reply that the thread was "one of the worst" you've ever seen is incredibly vain and the fact that you are disputing semantics vs an obvious typo doesn't improve your lackluster demeanor. The fact that you don't even see where you are being so makes me question if you even understand the meaning besides the quick Google search you did (or should have done).

Third, you didn't "express your distaste" for the thread. You condescendingly patronized the OP. How do you not expect your intelligence to be brought up when you are acting so judgmental towards what some one deams worthy a discussion? As a matter of fact, your most recent reply does nothing if not contradict itself as you are repeatedly stating the OP should have "Google searched" and that "the thread is ridiculous".

Also, your point is moot let alone a good one. Really, the fact that the title is desirable in WoW and not in the book totally negates whether or not it is a reference? Next you'll be telling me that Robby Flay isn't a reference to Bobby Flay because the NPC doesn't have a cooking show...

[Joey Ray III]

from wikipedia:

'However, the book [A Game of Thrones] slowly won the passionate advocacy of independent booksellers and the book's popularity grew by word-of-mouth.The series' popularity skyrocketed in subsequent volumes with the second and third volume making the The New York Times Best Seller lists in 1999 and 2000,respectively.'

so the series was already a hit way before vanilla wow came out. and since it's safe to assume wow devs (lore guys especially) are huge fantasy nerds i'd say yes - it's a homage.

[ChaosWolf]

No, its simply states a fact. You are the slayer of a king, the lich king. Hence, kingslayer.

This. Not everything in the game has some secret meaning or hidden reference.

[Deleted]

Seems like a pretty intentional homage to me, to the books at least. WoW has quite a lot of ASoIaF references, including other titles (Storm's End).

This, actually I always thought that it was an obvious reference to ASOIAF.

[Stormdash]

Storm's End is too unique a phrase for me to not think of it as an intentional reference. I've been waiting for a "Rains of Castamere" reference, personally.

[SherbertLand]

Didn't you notice that you get the title from killing the Lich King?

[KCguy]

Pretty sure the term 'kingslayer' was coined many centuries ago, people. lol.

[Celista]

Seems like a pretty intentional homage to me, to the books at least. WoW has quite a lot of ASoIaF references, including other titles (Storm's End).

Agreed. Also, almost everything in MoP is a hidden reference to the series...Wrath also has an NPC named after Danerys http://www.wowhead.com/npc=29855/khaliisi

[SherbertLand]

Agreed. Also, almost everything in MoP is a hidden reference to the series.

I think you're just coining too many things to one series

[Celista]

I think you're just coining too many things to one series

There's a lot of stuff. The npcs "we are the watchers on the wall", council in ToT "winter is coming", Alani "the Stormborn" etc.

I can go on...

[Willas]

You people are gullible.

[SherbertLand]

There's a lot of stuff. The npcs "we are the watchers on the wall", council in ToT "winter is coming", Alani "the Stormborn" etc.

I can go on...

All of those themes existed before that series.

[Celista]

All of those themes existed before that series.

Yeah you're right, I'm sure that it's just coincidence that Blizzard decided to name a blonde elf NPC "Khallisi" and that WC3's last campaign was called "A Symphony of Frost and Flame" which is obviously not a reference to "A song of Ice and Fire" and that all of the questing references in MoP and raid references and random NPC emotes are just that, coincidence. My bad.

>.>

[Fest]

Hardly.
The first book of the GoT series was written back in 2000 which had the history already in place.

Uhhhh, what? A Game of Thrones was released in 1996.

To everyone else, just because the series wasn't popular in your circles doesn't mean it wasn't popular. And there were PLENTY of obscure pop culture references in vanilla wow that reference things that weren't widely known.

[underdogba]

There is a tremendous amount of stuff in WoW that is very likely a reference to something in George R. R. Martin's series, and although we could never know for sure unless the people responsible for making the content in the game confirmed it, I don't think it's a stretch that people making a fantasy MMORPG would be familiar and into the book series, in fact it would be more unlikely that they weren't. Not to mention also that WoW is notoriously allusion-crazy (I would say even to a fault such that it undermines immersion in the game's own storyline).

So just because certain words were invented before George R. R. Martin's books were written doesn't mean that WoW being drenched in references to it is a foolish suggestion.

[Verain]

I'm sure they read the books, and I certainly thought so at the time. I mean, killing the Lich King could have been Lichbane or Scourgeslayer.

So, I'd say yes, but we can't confirm it. Remember at the time, none of us had any idea that an HBO series would come out and make a lot of folks know about the series.

[SherbertLand]

Yeah you're right, I'm sure that it's just coincidence that Blizzard decided to name a blonde elf NPC "Khallisi" and that WC3's last campaign was called "A Symphony of Frost and Flame" which is obviously not a reference to "A song of Ice and Fire" and that all of the questing references in MoP and raid references and random NPC emotes are just that, coincidence. My bad.

>.>

Well first off, a symphony is not a song, so you may want to be more accurate when you're saying everything is a reference to one thing. You're getting as bad as a conspiracy theorist. But I guess everyone is a victim of confirmation bias at some point.