Blizzard, We Have a Problem
(That’s an Apollo 13 reference, for those who didn’t catch it.)
Let me preface this by stating that I am fully aware that I am not an “average gamer”, if such a creature can be said to even exist anymore and presuming that it ever truly did to begin with. Gamers defy even the expectations of those who are, themselves, players of video games in all their myriad forms. I am aware that my experience is not universal, but there are aspects of it that are far wider ranging than might be understood.
And this is causing a problem.
I am neurodiverse. This includes a condition called Pathological Demand Avoidance. It is a known comorbid condition with either my ADHD or my Autism. This means that the more I need to do something, the less I am able to do it. Even if I want to do it. Even if it would make my life easier, better, safer. Even if it’s supposed to be the easiest thing in the world. If I am required to do it, or even FEEL like I am required to do it, the effort the task requires multiplies tenfold or more.
Hell, the mere act of needing to make this post so that I am certain that my voice CAN be heard by those in a position to make decisions is making the task so strenuous and difficult that I likely won’t be able to manage much of anything else for at least the rest of the day, if not several days. Anyway, on to the matter at hand.
I want to enjoy playing World of Warcraft. I desperately want to enjoy this game. I love the Dwarves. I love some of the NPCs. I love that I have finally managed to find a community of players that I can actually play the game with, all helping each other in a casual, friendly manner. But for the sake of all that is born of Life and Azeroth, we have a Problem with Dragonriding, or Dynamic Flying as it seems to be called.
I simply canNOT do it. And that is making the game inhospitable and unplayable to more players than just me.
That it exists is a beautiful addition to the game, for those who enjoy it and want to interact with the system. But the fact that it is required in order to reach quest and event objectives is abominable and is actively making the game inhospitable to players.
Did you know that there are players with visual impairments who play World of Warcraft? Because they exist and some of them are scary-good at it. But Dragonriding is physically impossible for them to manage. Did you know that there are players with physical impairments in their hands that play the game? Dragonriding is a literal nightmare for them.
And then there’s me. With Pathological Demand Avoidance. Whose entire experience of Dragonflight, a story I have been told is very worth playing and that I want to play with all my heart, has been absolutely poisoned by Dragonriding being the only form of flight available to me in the Dragonflight zones. I don’t know that I can overstate the effect Dragonriding has on my ability to even quest on foot in Dragonflight zones. I step into the Waking Shores and my motivation to play just drops faster than my ground mounts off the edge of cliffsides.
Dragonriding is beautiful, but as with all beautiful systems, it cannot be required, nor can it ever be forbidden. If any form of flying is available, then both forms must be. And all content must be able to be completed using either form as preferred by the player in question. The irony of PDA is that if I had the freedom to interact with the system, or NOT as the case may be, I would be much more likely to put more time and effort into learning it. There’s enough there that I can see why it would be fun for some people. But being obligatory absolutely kills my ability to even want to try.
And I actually want to try. Please, Blizzard, let me try. But let me do it in my own way on my own schedule. My learning curve is long, but I’ll get there, eventually, if you don’t try to force me to go faster than I’m able.
