Continued Diversity & Representation in Customization

Community General Discussion
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I would like to start out by saying that I applaud Blizzard for making a move towards adding more diverse options and having better representation. I myself am able to find a skin tone a lot closer to my own than previously when I simply couldn’t. However there is still disparity between options.

Humans got the benefit of diverse hair styles, but Gnomes, Blood Elves, and Dwarves did not(?)

Using Blood Elves as an example, there are 14 skin tones not including the recent undead one that VEs and NEs also received, of the 14 I’m looking at 10 shades of white, so the diverse options were a total of 4? There is nuance in darker skin tones as well, that seems fair to at least assume should equal the same amount in the nuance we see in selecting white skin tones.

Kul Tirans have a total of 6 skin tones, period. Why are they not benefitting from a lot of the human stuff, specifically the skin tones and hair styles? But even extending to the face options humans get.

"Because frankly I think we see this as correcting an oversight on our part, over the years. And just trying to improve representation more broadly. We are custodians of a fantasy universe and a world that we build and we don’t want to not do the right thing because we feel shackled to a decision that was made creatively in a different era that was fifteen plus years ago."

While I understand that across the board for races customization is lacking, I do hope that as we move forward diverse options aren’t considered “finished”. Part of why I would be concerned of this is the locking Blizzard seems to like to do, many human faces being locked to specific skin tones, the red eyes Elves now get being locked to one skin tone, jewelry being locked to one body type, none of this screams movement towards more diversity even amongst options we have hence why I question if it remains a commitment moving forward for the existing races.

EDIT: To include some of the examples I included later in the thread but think would be good in the OP ^.^

Something like this as a nice diverse selection of skin tones!

Diverse Hairstyles!

By Mystic Potion

By TaliaMirai

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The gnomes should be an easy afro.

At least it should repair the damage Gnoarn suffered.

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Diverse hair styles is exactly what I would have thought would have been included when they said adding representation was important for them when they touted “more customizations” as an ongoing selling point of SL.

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This.

diverse options for all types is a great thing and they started down that line towards it but then they let themselves fall back and be too limited.

I hope Blizzard continues to push that envelope and give us all the option to make the characters we want to, and to be represented as we would like to be. Especially if that allows us to represent disenfranchised real life minorities.

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Thats what I noticed w my example for BEs

4 options being added was nice, but compared to 10 shades of white, so they understand nuance exists, they just didn’t add it for everyone else still, and again I worry moving forward what that commitment looks like from them.

I don’t see why Kul Tirans don’t get human skin tone options and hair styles, (humans being the one they did add a few more diverse hair styles to)

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I don’t see color.

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Then you don’t see me.

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Here’s my unpopular opinion that no one asked for but I’m giving anyway,

Diversity that makes sense and fits into the game/lore ie; adding lots of diverse options for humans etc…= good.

Diversity for the sake of diversity that doesn’t fit into lore or make any sense but is hamfisted in anyway = bad.

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Funny is the Dracthyr visage forms do have more diverse hairstyles to the male form so the elves are mostly half-ready.

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I see a person of value.

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I want to hope that means thats of benefit to everyone then

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How do you know what real Gnomes, Blood Elves and Dwarves have for skin colors?

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So if a white skinned gnome uses an afro, would that be a problem?

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Oh right. The Space Bun drama in Animal Crossing. This wouldn’t benefit everyone, it might draw more drama to WoW. :dracthyr_uwahh_animated:

edit: No one is sensitive to afros, right? Now i’m actually worried that any more drama could destroy WoW.

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John Cena?

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Yeah. They can see that there are many shades of one grouping of skin tone. The darker tones though didn’t get as much love in that regard. I do hope they expand it in the future.

Very much this. I think Mechagnomes also did not get the full range and I think those two were the only ones.

I do hope they get them. I’d certainly like that.

I personally don’t think that the lore alone in this case should be the main focus.

Representation is an amazingly freeing thing for those people who suffer from a lack of it. They deserve the options and I think given the fantasy setting there is no reason that those tones cannot exist and be here. The “fitting the lore” is whatever Blizzard wants it to be.

I do hope they want it to be inclusive.

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Am I the only one that saw the title, winced and came in expecting it to be a T or T thread (forum regulars know who I am talking about)… and was actually surprised it wasn’t?

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Agreed, but only where it actually makes sense.

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It makes sense wherever Blizzard wants it to. Its not earth and its not governed by the same setup. Humans aren’t even natural in wow…

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Thankful for my blonde hair blue eyed elves

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