Mike Morhaime replies to open letter over diversity in Blizzard games.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

This might be strange.. idk..

But never once have I asked myself about who is banging who in WoW. Who likes who in WoW. For me WoW is about the living players in the game which can at their own will act to be a women, man, heterosexual, metro-sexual, or homosexual whenever they please within the same context as if it was the real world. If you are afraid to be yourself in WoW then that is where we have to start, with you. If it is because of the social scene in WoW that makes it difficult than that rests on the people of that social scene, aka us, more then it does with Blizzard. If they force it one way or another it will just create a pointless fire storm. In just about every western nation this subject is getting more and more openly accepted and more importantly legal. I would put any focus you have on this on that reality, the real world, and once things are settled there you will find video games, movies, and whatever else you demand to see it in will follow pretty quickly and easily. I know because it might not be the view you share this will get pick and pulled apart to make it a hate speech. But the truth is that it isn't. It is just an honest opinion from someone that knows what it takes to see change rather then just sitting around complaining about why change hasn't happened yet.

[Natiry427]

As an educated woman, no amount of "strong female characters" would bring me back to this game. Increasing combat complexity, adding more sandbox elements, and Blizzard delivering on their promises and releasing content earlier will, however. I wish Blizzard could understand that.

[Deleted]

Why do you think the qualities of what makes a strong female character in this reality apply in a reality of fucking space goats, dragons, magic, and copy paste greek mythos is beyond me.

Because crazy and fantastical as the WC universe is it was written by actual people from our world, and the way they write (or don't write) women and minorities is reflective of their (perhaps subconscious) views on those minorities and is indicative of a wider problem that goes far beyond Blizzard entertainment.

[Deleted]

As an educated woman, no amount of "strong female characters" would bring me back to this game. Increasing combat complexity, adding more sandbox elements, and Blizzard delivering on their promises and releasing content earlier will, however. I wish Blizzard could understand that.

This is only related to story anyway, gameplay has nothing to do with it.

[Pandapuncher]

Clearly the writer of the letter to Blizzard disagrees with you and brought up the remark that it's one of the reason why he or she had a hard time relating to the story anymore. As a company that tries to be mainstream and appeal to a wide audience they also don't have the luxury to explain that the LGBT-community is shallow because they have a hard time relating to their game or their mostly straight male lead characters. As a company they'll want to adapt. It also has nothing to do with the LGBT community.

Even straight white males are expecting to see more and more gay-related content and diversity in their entertainment nowadays. When that is not available then they'll be very quick to deem the content outdated and old-fashioned. It's a market trend.

Yeah, no. just no to all of this. It's a video game. Literally, who gives a shit what they do with it. No one is gonna say "Oh shit, they have a gay character! Screw everything else about it, it has a gay character"

no, that doesn't happen

[LaplaceNoMa]

Blizz doesnt want some tumblr twitter hashtag bs shitstorm on there hands

Never give these people a fake war to fight over

They get off on it

Who cares about tumblr degenerate SJWs, really?

...is what I'd like to say, but then I remember Mozilla's CEO. I seriously don't want to live on this planet anymore.

[Tastyfish]

I Have learned one very important lesson from several years of playing wow.
Too much energy is put into fear of change over a video game.

[yetgdhfgh]

As an educated woman, no amount of "strong female characters" would bring me back to this game. Increasing combat complexity, adding more sandbox elements, and Blizzard delivering on their promises and releasing content earlier will, however. I wish Blizzard could understand that.

WoW somebody who actually cares about the gameplay and not about wether a pile of pixels likes vagina or a dick up there ass.

To be fair to blizz and to go OT they are trying with mythic raiding and those vignettes or whatever they are calling it

[Nachtigal]

Actually its more that the women shown in WoW are usually completely incompetent or are psychopaths. But nice try.

E.G. Jaina. Went from useless in ICC to complete psychopath in MoP.

[yetgdhfgh]

Who cares about tumblr degenerate SJWs, really?

...is what I'd like to say, but then I remember Mozilla's CEO. I seriously don't want to live on this planet anymore.

Cant underestimate those fucktards

Remember cancel Colbert?

[Dryadius]

Yeah I want blizzard focusing on making a great game not trying to constantly meet some politically correct quota.

There are far too many quotes and comments that reflect this very opinion, and it is truly disturbing. It is not unheard of or unimaginable for someone to want to feel represented in game. Yes, games may be an escape or diversion from our own reality, but there truly does need to be something to connect to, otherwise it isn't worth playing. And to have access to such a well played game that is hard to replicate or find elsewhere, it is completely reasonable to request representation for your gender/race/orientation/etc.

The whole concept of suspension of disbelief centers around believing this could happen. In a high fantasy world that means establishing and holding onto that connection, and sometimes that means having proper representation and diversity.

Blizzard could at least try to find some balance, and I would definitely side with that request.

[MerinPally]

My god, stupidity overload. You mean that the character you barely associate with is a white man who turns into a wolf and not a white woman? The tragedy of it all.

[THE Bigzoman]

Because crazy and fantastical as the WC universe is it was written by actual people from our world, and the way they write (or don't write) women and minorities is reflective of their (perhaps subconscious) views on those minorities and is indicative of a wider problem that goes far beyond Blizzard entertainment.

It being written by actual people don't make their vision any less of a deviation from actual reality.

You're literally saying that since there isn't a presence in minority/women characters in a video game that their viewpoints and contributions are absent. This is a bunch of hogwash.

The story of the Orcs overcoming the bonds of their demonic masters and facing a world that doesn't welcome them can easily be seen as synomous to the upbrining and current struggles of African Americans in the United States.

[Deleted]

You mean that the character you barely associate with is a white man who turns into a wolf and not a white woman? The tragedy of it all.

I'd totally love to have a white man, who turns into a white woman, as a character. But otherwise I don't know what you're talking about.

[yetgdhfgh]

Caring about the sexuality and skin colour of a pile of pixels is serious business!

[Biske]

WoW somebody who actually cares about the gameplay and not about wether a pile of pixels likes vagina or a dick up there ass.

Vagina up the ass? Damn, what hardcore shit have you been looking at?

[Deleted]

It being written by actual people don't make their vision any less of a deviation from actual reality.

You're literally saying that since there isn't a presence in minority/women characters in a video game that their viewpoints and contributions are absent. This is a bunch of hogwash.

The story of the Orcs overcoming the bonds of their demonic masters and facing a world that doesn't welcome them can easily be seen as synomous to the upbrining and current struggles of African Americans in the United States.

So white people are demons and black people are brutish orcs? That's racist.

[Tastyfish]

Caring about the sexuality and skin colour of a pile of pixels is serious business!

You seem to think so. I mean, you are putting a lot of time into the insults/agree with insults on the forum over it...

[yetgdhfgh]

Vagina up the ass? Damn, what hardcore shit have you been looking at?

You would shudder at my browsing history

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You seem to think so. I mean, you are putting a lot of time into the insults/agree with insults on the forum over it...

Well its passes the time before my meds kick in and my Flex raid comes up lol

[THE Bigzoman]

So white people are demons and black people are brutish orcs? That's racist.

Nowhere in my statement implies that demons are synomous to whites. I do suggest that the orcs breaking their demonic bonds can be synomous to African Americans overcoming slavery.

You're gonna pull a muscle if you keep stretching what I say out of context to moronic levels.

- - - Updated - - -

There are far too many quotes and comments that reflect this very opinion, and it is truly disturbing. It is not unheard of or unimaginable for someone to want to feel represented in game. Yes, games may be an escape or diversion from our own reality, but there truly does need to be something to connect to, otherwise it isn't worth playing. And to have access to such a well played game that is hard to replicate or find elsewhere, it is completely reasonable to request representation for your gender/race/orientation/etc.

The whole concept of suspension of disbelief centers around believing this could happen. In a high fantasy world that means establishing and holding onto that connection, and sometimes that means having proper representation and diversity.

Blizzard could at least try to find some balance, and I would definitely side with that request.

If you are unable to connect even with races of fiction simply because of physical features while ignoring personality traits or internal struggles that resonate with your own then you are just ethnocentric as shit.

Game developers shouldn't spend time appeasing to ethnocentric assholes.