Honestly? I truly believe it’s a bit too complicated to put off to something that simple.
The fact is, when Blizzard turns their wicked eye upon a race, it’s 60/40 whether their hand is carrying a club or flowers. The best depicted race without any major gripes about their writing is what? The vulpira? Because literally it’s Vol’dun, their recruitment and that’s it, the end.
The more Blizzard gazes upon you, the more negativity you’ll have thrown your way. Cata did have nelf lands flooded with us filthy Horde, did have some previously long-standing night elf encampments overrun in Ashenvale, did “lose” Azshara, so it’s much easier for nelf fans to see those hits made on them and ignore the flowers of Hyjal and the wild gods, Malfurion’s return and getting a trip to the Well of Eternity to see some of their history.
So on and so forth, I’m not gonna go through the list because I’m very busy not leveling my voidy rogue. Point being, Blizzard hits races with the bat for conflict more often than giving them the flowers to make up for the clubbing.
It’s what stories do, so that makes sense. But MMOs demand more player participation than a book. I’m not reading about how once again, my orc warrior is just gonna go mass-eliminate some enemies who were my allies last week; I’m doing quests to do that eliminating, all because once again, some charismatic warchief told me to do it. I’m not reading about my favorite race, whose past crimes were caused by demonic blood infusions, proving to the world that I was actually a savage killer all along; I’m acting that thing out, and it’s going to bring a heavier emotional investment for it.
It’s why it’s easier to focus on that negative. Being forced by game mechanics to murder civilians doesn’t go away just because Thrall reluctantly came back and Saurfang died for our sins.
So when you’re the most overexposed race not named humans, and you’re getting that 60 bad/40 good split, it’s hard not to feel the bad and twist the good.
I don’t blame night elf players for doing that. I just wish they could see past the parts their emotions twisted into being bad and see them for what they actually are.
It’s why I keep saying things like “I really don’t wanna go into this hard-handed”, because at the end of the day? If I loved purple and blue as much as I do red and gold, I’d be a night elf and I cannot say I’d feel any differently than they do.
I just hope that when I would inevitably be ranting about how unfair this all has been, and we never get the good stuff, someone would take my hand and try to help me see the good stuff that really is there.
