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

[Kaganfindel]

Wind wafts over a microphone, and development of the orcs vs. humans story continues. They've upgraded the "what's with all the white dudes" problem to lip service status, hooray.

They've had decades to prove to you that they can't or won't serve your interests. Maybe it's time to start supporting game developers who give you what you want instead of trying to change these ones.

[Deleted]

Thing is, I know you're trying to make the issue sound ridiculous. I really do.

It was meant more to be a facetious dig at the attitude of the original letter writer, and others who share the same mind-set, rather than the whole issue. Say I genuinely did think that a wider range of accents in the game would be a worthy goal. If I then wrote a letter to Blizzard about it, I would explain my reasoning for making such a change, and any complaints I had about their current use of accents.

I wouldn't insinuate that they deliberately exclude people from their company based on their regional accents with no evidence, or that because they said that including more accents into the game is not one of their main priorities in development, they are telling me to piss off and play another game.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

Thing is, I know you're trying to make the issue sound ridiculous. I really do.

But I think that 'its fantasy' isn't an excuse for not being inclusive. Fantasy is supposed to be crazy and unlike reality. And before someone says "lol but gays exist in reality so shouldn't in fantasy" - hetrosexuality and male dominance exist/existed in reality too, so its a non-argument.

There's no reason not to have more kick-ass female characters. There's no reason to have even one openly homosexual relationship in the lore (even if its hidden away out of sight unless you go looking for it). There's no reason not to have dark skinned characters (only one that comes to mind is Wrathion in his humanoid form!). There's no reason to not have varied accents.

Other then the fact people get 'uncomfortable' when fantasy differs from reality, of course.

Oh yeah, you MUST be a bigot or a racist if you don't automatically include every "type" of person, being, ideology, fantasy, or whatever else.

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While it's true that characters of both genders are poorly written in WoW it's more about how the female characters are poorly written. Generally females in WoW are written into a few specific stereotypes. They are either sweet as sugar princesses, which obviously appeals to the standard "traditional" gender dynamics. Others are written as strong and independently stubborn to the point that they come across as unlike able and narcissistic. That's when the writers try to overcompensate. Then there are the demigod characters which are usually just wise impassive immortal figures. Those are the ones which aren't written sexistly but they are usually just observers of the plot.

I don't agree. There are many good females in WoW. Even if there weren't ... its as if you guys think the male characters don't follow any tropes.

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Wind wafts over a microphone, and development of the orcs vs. humans story continues. They've upgraded the "what's with all the white dudes" problem to lip service status, hooray.

They've had decades to prove to you that they can't or won't serve your interests. Maybe it's time to start supporting game developers who give you what you want instead of trying to change these ones.

Agreed. So tired of the "you're a bigot if you don;t cater to me!" Shtick.

[Deleted]

I don't agree. There are many good females in WoW. Even if there weren't ... its as if you guys think the male characters don't follow any tropes.

Care to name a few? Personally I think Moira Bronzebeard is currently the only actually good female character.

[Deleted]

So much text and almost no content... same for the official answer. Just some blah blah about a made-up concern and an even more blah-blah answer.

[Granyala]

So much text and almost no content... same for the official answer. Just some blah blah about a made-up concern and an even more blah-blah answer.

It's PR, not a science paper. What did you expect?

[gamingmuscle]

Why does sexuality need to become a major theme in WoW? Very few of the characters seem to have clearly defined sexualities. Or have I just been missing all the cut scenes/dating quests?

[Deleted]

I still don't understand why there's any kind of issue here.

WoW is one of the most diverse games on the market. Humans aren't the only playable race, you know? There's also plenty of female characters in every race that is of significant importance.

Wanting more diversity is fine, but arguing that there isn't enough in WoW is to me pretty damn stupid, since you'd have deliberately ignore what's already there to make that claim. Would anyone mind to see more female characters in WoW? No, no they probably wouldn't. Does that mean they need to be forced in? No, it doesn't.

And sexuality? Its not that kind of game, and it doesn't need to be that kind of game either. You have enough freedom with your own character to explore that part yourself.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

Care to name a few? Personally I think Moira Bronzebeard is currently the only actually good female character.

Even if I do, it is unlikely to change your mind. Lillian Voss is liked by many people. Agent Kearnen was MoP.. and even in SoO I think. Sky Admiral Rogers was prevalent in MOP as well. None of those characters fall under any of the tropes you mentioned.

Again, tropes exist for men too, and I don't think they are "better" tropes than the female versions.

[ro9ue]

This shit is getting out of hand. I lost so much respect for Blizzard.

I gaurantee Pardo new this was coming and decided he didn't want to be a part of a company that caters to "me me me" people. I'm not by any means a majority in my personal views or heritage, but I'm not going to sit back and demand a business do what I tell them. You are not entitled to shit because you're different. If you want something different, get off your ass and make it yourself.

[Deleted]

Even if I do, it is unlikely to change your mind. Lillian Voss is liked by many people. Agent Kearnen was MoP.. and even in SoO I think. Sky Admiral Rogers was prevalent in MOP as well. None of those characters fall under any of the tropes you mentioned.

Again, tropes exist for men too, and I don't think they are "better" tropes than the female versions.

Lillian Voss and Rogers fit pretty perfectly under the mean, "bitchy" archetype that we see with so many other female characters (e.g Vereesa, Jaina, Tyrande, Sylvanas, Maiev etc.).

I do think that with the more minor characters Blizzard has greater success. They don't feel the need to conform to their favourite tropes and make them super awesome so the characters feel more natural.

[Wilian]

Nice, gasoline for the flames here.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

I still don't understand why there's any kind of issue here.

WoW is one of the most diverse games on the market. Humans aren't the only playable race, you know? There's also plenty of female characters in every race that is of significant importance.

Wanting more diversity is fine, but arguing that there isn't enough in WoW is to me pretty damn stupid, since you'd have deliberately ignore what's already there to make that claim. Would anyone mind to see more female characters in WoW? No, no they probably wouldn't. Does that mean they need to be forced in? No, it doesn't.

And sexuality? Its not that kind of game, and it doesn't need to be that kind of game either. You have enough freedom with your own character to explore that part yourself.

I agree. This isn;t a game about sexuality or romance. There are very few romances at all, an dmost of them occur OUT of the game. I think the problem might occur when people feel their lives are defined by their sexualities. I just don't see how not having X type of sexuality automatically excludes, or makes someone "not welcome."

[Deleted]

You know what? Harpies man, f*cking harpies! They kidnap men to RAPE them and force BREED with them then MURDER them!! Remove this from the game because I am very offended.

[Deleted]

Ah and Protar, the guy who seems to think bad writing for female characters is sexist. While bad writing for male characters is considered to be simply bad writing.

I was wondering when you'd show up.

[Redroniksre]

I will never understand why people insist on pushing their own values into pieces that are not their own. The one great thing about games, novels and such is that they are the author's own writing and masterpiece, and it is their choice as to what goes in it and what doesn't. Hell i'm pretty sure the KKK has damn books where it is just a white supremacist fantasy, but that is okay because we have lots more with diversity. The problem is now a days there are so many names for things and different sexualities (Which shouldn't matter) and different genders that have been come up with that to represent them all you would get the weirdest game in the world. And they can't change what they already have, so suddenly making a female Warlord would be asking too much.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

Lillian Voss and Rogers fit pretty perfectly under the mean, "bitchy" archetype that we see with so many other female characters (e.g Vereesa, Jaina, Tyrande, Sylvanas, Maiev etc.).

I do think that with the more minor characters Blizzard has greater success. They don't feel the need to conform to their favourite tropes and make them super awesome so the characters feel more natural.

I don't agree. Neither are mean or bitchy. You could literally make Rogers a man, and suddenly she (he) would be a stern, hardened Admiral. I don't think having a vagina makes her "bitchy."

[Deleted]

You know what? Harpies man, f*cking harpies! They kidnap men to RAPE them and force BREED with them then MURDER them!! Remove this from the game because I am very offended.

This is also a good point.

Has there ever, in the entire course of WoW's history been any complaints about this because straight men feel its offensive to their "group"? I'll bet my ridiculous salary there hasn't been.

Now if there was a race of males kidnapping women to rape, breed and kill them to further their own race.. Actually I don't even want to imagine the outburst that would follow.

[ro9ue]

Lillian Voss and Rogers fit pretty perfectly under the mean, "bitchy" archetype that we see with so many other female characters (e.g Vereesa, Jaina, Tyrande, Sylvanas, Maiev etc.).

I do think that with the more minor characters Blizzard has greater success. They don't feel the need to conform to their favourite tropes and make them super awesome so the characters feel more natural.

It's a losing battle. Make a girl assertive, she's a "bitchy stereotype". Make a girl passive, she's a "submissive female stereotype". No matter what you do with any character, someone will get offended. So do you just not make anything? Fuck that. I'd rather live it a world where people did what they wanted and stayed true to the story they wanted to tell, than a start seeing storytellers pump out template after template making sure they have 1 character that represents every type of person out there. Which is stereotyping regardless.

I'm black and playing a game with a white character. So I can't relate to him because we have different color skin? That in itself is telling me youre saying blacks and whites are different on a deeper level. That's way more racist that not including a black character.

[Borgiest]

Another whiney player hits the road. Who cares? This was basically a long bitchy "I quit cause I am an entitled cunt" letter.