So there is a college, University of Massachusetts global, just a block from Blizzard HQ.
Is there any way the Blizzard writing team could be sent there to maybe audit some creative writing courses? They could probably just leave work for a few hours every week, walk through the starbucks on the way there, sit and take some notes on how things like “stories” "plots"and “writing” work, then come back and think about what they learned for an hour.
I would consider those to be hours well spent… and let’s face it, their products can’t be any worse at this point.
Anyone interested in starting a go-fund-me to educate them on how stories work? Maybe buy them a copy of World of Warcraft so they can learn the game’s story and lore as well?
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Man…I should go to Twitter and share a skillshare writing course to Danuser 
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Lesson 1. Consistency. your audience if they are into the story will remember every little detail. So you must remember it too.
lesson 2. Do not overuse the same plot device. Hahaha, I fooled you again. Look I am the hidden dreadlord. again.
No dude…I knew you you were there. I was waiting, and hoping they’d not do this again. I assumed better of them. And I was wrong. so…lets do this. Get it over with as I am pretty sure I get another one later with Mal’ganis. which we did. oh the tension, the shock, the disbelief.
the only dreadlord reveal I want to see from now on, for he rest of wows next 17 years (if it makes it) is the fan theory Jaina dreadlord. besides that…no more.
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I suspect part of the problem is college is where they came from.
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You cannot teach someone creativity if they do not have that spark within them.
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Dreadlord murders Rhonin to prevent him from defusing the mana bomb, then replaces Jaina, who is vaporized in the blast.
100% fits.
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There is that old saying about how you can take the horse to water but you cant make it drink. What makes you think any amount of education would change how the game’s developers and writers view the WoW story?
You’re assuming that they’re held at a high standard.
I don’t think they are. Not if fanfiction Sylvanas takes center stage.
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I’m doubtful. Most novels are no better than the current WoW story. Sometimes even worse. The moment “creative writing” was invented good writing died.
And remember the “Pyromancer effect”: yes, the story is terrible, but you would NOT do better. Proofs of this abounds both in these forums and among the Youtube “content creators”.
The proposed “improvements” to the WoW story are even more cringe than it.
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Here’s the kicker
You need 6 years experience to work for Blizz.
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(reflectively glances at War of the Ancient’s trilogy, Rise of the Lich King, and the Warcraft RPG books)
“I protest”
Honestly? I don’t think there are many who could do worse. This story is inexcusably bad, to a degree I cannot believe they still have jobs. I’ve read countless better ideas that could have improved the course of this horrific train wreck. Danuser has taken a 20+ year story and reduced it to something that can be used as a case study of his not to write a villain or a story. This should be shown in school as how to butcher and how to avoid it.
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The writing of Shadowland convinced me that having the right connection is more important than talent.
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Damn…barrier of entry is so high in gaming industry
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College isn’t for everyone
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I’m sure there’s a difference between something well written and something well received. Their technical writing is fine, and they can tell a story. They just can’t tell a good story that makes sense from the perspective of previous stories they have told. Neither have the stories they have told since Legion had an epic feeling. Epic is lacking, a lot.
Even so, where do we go from here? If the jailor orchestrated all the trouble for thousands of years that only bloomed in a brief 20-something year period. Then he was pretty lame. Heck, the only being higher than him would be the creator race. We have nowhere to go that makes any sense. Blizzard painted themselves into a corner.
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Just to clarify: I was talking of novels at large, not of the WoW books.
Yep.
CCP’s game lead came from the accounting section. Or the front office side but almost sure accounting.
It was his lucky day a few years back. Riot poached CCP hard, took many loved devs with them. some leads even. then pearl abyss happened, more left.
Power vacuums created…vacuums filled. and thus a bean counter worked ways to run the show. into the ground so far.
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