This is to replace Tazimir’s late thread. (RIP, there was good discussion going on there)
As roleplayers it is within our right to criticize the game’s story and the galling lack of representation in it, especially considering:
-all the LGBT pride merch blizzard has sold us -all the interviews they gave where they talked about how important inclusivity is, how proud they are to write characters of many different backgrounds -the prominent role that heterosexual romance has played in several major questlines and story arcs within their games.
Please discuss!
EDIT: also, feel free to discuss certain motivations blizzard may have for censoring what few gay characters they do have in China, and just China’s influence on blizzard in general. I believe that is highly relevant to the topic.
EDIT2: here are some important points that came up in the last thread, that the very well-spoken Karmas put together in a great list for us!
It was Christie Golden, who seems like a nice person, but naive. So it’s possible she just liked the art and didn’t realize the implication of sharing it.
What if they added combat bodyguards who if you fought alongside them enough you could make them your BF or GF and it wouldn’t matter what gender your character is.
I’m just going to make a list so it can be referred to later when it invariably becomes relevant.
Increased representation does not decrease individual agency.
Pretending to not exist doesn’t make for a less violent progression; it makes for a zero sum progression.
Heterosexual romances in WoW are cringey, awful, and terrible. Who cares if the LGBTQ+ ones are as well? At least we’d all cringe together.
The addition of LGTBQ+ themes will NOT come with an increase in homophobia and transphobia. They ALREADY EXIST BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GAY IN GAME REGARDLESS OF LORE AND PEOPLE ARE HOMOPHOBIC/TRANSPHOBIC OF IT REGARDLESS.
Civil Discourse can only occur from the start of a good faith discussion.
The start of a good faith argument does not begin with “you’re too sensitive” “a statement ending in ‘but that is none of my business’” or words containing “to each their own but ‘echo chamber’ ‘virtue signaling’ ‘word policing’ ‘hive mind’ and that’s just my opinion!”
People doing the right thing for the wrong reasons also does not negate the fact that the right thing is being done.
People are complex beings who are capable of doing and caring about more then one thing at a time.
Your bad faith measure of the required amount of effort being put into something is not a measure of the validity of the current subject being protested.
You are not required or entitled to being treated with respect and kindness when you’re directly attacking somebody’s right to exist.
“Why are you talking about this and not this.” Is not as smart or as clever a talking point as you seem to think it is.