Shadowlands being "inclusive", or a different agenda?

[Etyriel]

Hi all,

Perhaps a slight controversial topic considering the nature of today's society, one which is now deliberately finding it's way into WoW's fantasy world, a world which a lot of us escapes to to perhaps avoid these kind of things (political/religious aspects etc.);

https://www.techradar.com/news/world...e-for-the-game

In short, I'm curious about your thoughts on this?

PS! I've read the forum rules, but I'll challenge them considering this is now part of WoW's "fantasy" going into Shadowlands.

[Tyris Flare]

every reply will be one of the following:

A) Everyone who objects to this or even points it out is a racist
B) "sjw agenda ruins everything"
C) diversity and inclusivity is great, but it's more effective when it doesn't come off as pandering and ham-fisted, which the book especially kind of does
D) Mod closes the thread

[parages]

The fact Blizz is making a point to get articles published and do interviews sends a very clear message (to me) that this a PR move. Feels forced and awkward but that's just my two cents, I don't play WoW for romance hetero or otherwise (I find the Malfurian and Tryande dynamic equally cringe)

On a separate note the example given of the romance reads like a fan fiction to me: "Matthias had never observed the other man from this distance. He hadn’t noticed that Flynn smelled as strongly of salt and soap as he did of whiskey, and the combination was intoxicating. His leather coat was warm to the touch, holding lingering sunlight and body heat.”


edit: based on Tyris post looks like I fit into column C lol.

[Toybox]

every reply will be one of the following:

A) Everyone who objects to this or even points it out is a racist
B) "sjw agenda ruins everything"
C) diversity and inclusivity is great, but it's more effective when it doesn't come off as pandering and ham-fisted, which the book especially kind of does
D) Mod closes the thread

This isn't your first rodeo, is it?

The fact Blizz is making a point to get articles published and do interviews sends a very clear message (to me) that this a PR move. Feels forced and awkward but that's just my two cents, I don't play WoW for romance hetero or otherwise (I find the Malfurian and Tryande dynamic equally cringe)

Blizzard are masters at virtue signalling, so it comes as no surprise.

[Very rare pepe]

Ahh well, the WoW story is dead, do what you want with it.

[Neba]

*sees gay couple*

Ugh, wish they'd stop forcing their politics on me.

[Cæli]

things like that coming suddenly out of nowhere, it just feels so weird... but just that I guess... I don't really care as long as anti freedom agenda isn't pushed in a video game...

[blankfaced]

Hi all,

Perhaps a slight controversial topic considering the nature of today's society, one which is now deliberately finding it's way into WoW's fantasy world, a world which a lot of us escapes to to perhaps avoid these kind of things (political/religious aspects etc.);

https://www.techradar.com/news/world...e-for-the-game

In short, I'm curious about your thoughts on this?

PS! I've read the forum rules, but I'll challenge them considering this is now part of WoW's "fantasy" going into Shadowlands.

So you exclusively play video games to avoid gay people?

News flash, including lgbt peoples in the media isn't an agenda. It's including people that actually exist in media. Get the hell over it or find another source of entertainment that continues to bow to the status quo of straight whites only being represented.

And it's hilarious, the crazies that keep shouting "AGENDA" all over the place, are the ones with the agenda. To keep everything straight and white. Now shoo and go back to the cave you crawled out of homophobe.

[Mosha]

*sees gay couple*

Ugh, wish they'd stop forcing their politics on me.

If only it were just that. I personally like the idea of diverse characters, but this is obviously a publicity move. I like it when the characters just seem to be presented in a way that it was never a question of how they felt because of story telling but when they straight up say they are trying to be more inclusive and centering the story telling around that it just becomes weird imo.

Think of it like this, let's say we are back in cata and they are just announcing the worgen playable race, they just announce it as the worgen race, you read the lore on it, you get it and accept it and it's all good.

But, then lets say instead of just doing that they include "Hey we need to be more open to the furry community so we are going to start adding more characters that allow them to feel included" and then make the worgen race around that. It's the same thing, it still doesn't bother me, but it just feels weird that they had to push it that way.

I like to look at games like Fable for example, does anyone ever remember them pushing for diversity or LGBTQ inclusion or any of that in a game that was released in 2004? No you probably don't. But in that game you could be gay yourself and be married to multiple men/women of your choosing.

It just felt like it was a part of the game that no one talked about because that's how it should be. No one talks about how heterosexual Arthas is, and I don't think it should be the same for other characters as well. Because their character should just BE they way they are.

[ThatsOurEric]

I mean it's not surprising. A group of 99% straight Caucasian males made a game with nearly
99% straight Caucasian males.

[Lawri]

a world which a lot of us escapes to to perhaps avoid these kind of things (political/religious aspects etc.);

I'd just like to point that lgbt+ representation isn't (at least shouldn't be) a political thing. We're normal people just like straight people so our existence should in no way be about politics. I for one love to see some representation in video games after so many years of "forced hetero agenda".

[Wuusah]

Pelagos choosing to be a man when he was a woman in his mortal life makes sense for them to include into Shadowlands. Everyone chooses who and what they are in the Shadowlands so it makes sense that they will change it if they weren't happy with it in their mortal life. There should be gender changes, there should be race changes.

On a separate note the example given of the romance reads like a fan fiction to me: "Matthias had never observed the other man from this distance. He hadn’t noticed that Flynn smelled as strongly of salt and soap as he did of whiskey, and the combination was intoxicating. His leather coat was warm to the touch, holding lingering sunlight and body heat.”

I guess they feel like they have to make it really obvious that these two have the hots for each other or else people would just misread it as a good old hetero bromance.

[Aucald]

Firstly, this thread is still touching strongly on forbidden topics such as race, sexuality, and gender-related issues that aren't permitted. Secondly, it's the Nth attempt to make this kind of thread and it's already following the same general downward arc. Closing this.