Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is a way to set up memorials to loved ones who played WoW. I’ve been thinking that Blizzard should have a way of keeping them with us, somehow, in game.
For a little bit of reference: recently I replied to another forum post titled ‘I cried a little in Elwynn Forest’. This article was about someone losing their father who was a fellow player. My response was akin to what they are going through. My father, who has played for about 18 years now, is about to leave us. He was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer that spread to his liver. As of the time of this writing he is with us, but fading fast. The thought of not having him by my side in life is heart wrenching. Not having him by my side as my family continues our journey through Azeroth is painful.
So, to remedy this, I think Blizzard should have a way to immortalize someone’s characters to keep them with their guild/family in some form. Maybe as a toy that summons one of their characters. Something to keep me company after he passes.
I’m sorry that your father and your family are facing that situation and trust that those that remain are able to carry on as he would wish you too.
With that in mind, individual remembrances may be outside the scope of what can reasonably be done. The sheer numbers of players that are going through similar situations would prevent that. That being said there could be something along the lines of real life, where people can go to a church, light a candle, or have a memorial performed. That seems like something that would be workable for Blizzard and still fill a need for their community.
Again, sorry for the situation you’ve found yourselves in and I do hope that you find your way through.
It would be tough to pull off code-wise but if possible don’t see a reason why not. I did read an article a while back regarding the concerns with immortalizing loved ones with virtual reality and AI. Something about folks feeling “haunted.” Maybe this is a way around that.
Sorry to hear, by the way. Hope you guys can make the most of time left.
First off, I want to wish you and your family all the best as you navigate a difficult time.
As for in-game memorials, I fear it would quickly overwhelm the landscape due to the shear volume of requests that would come through. Unless something is done on the client side where only the player could see it. That might have a chance.
Millions of players in the game and millions more who use to play. There is absolutely no way to accommodate this. Im sorry for the loss you are about to incur. As a player, I would say to move my favorite character to a particular spot and grieve for me there yourself. Camp out there knowing they would be happy.
As a hunter, I would say to release my pet so they can live free in azeroth.
It doesn’t seem feasible to me, because there isn’t really a way to personalize a ‘thing’ for every different person; plus, if you’re talking about collectibles, any collector is going after it just for that reason alone, which kind of goes against what it’s meant to be.
I think the best you can do is just cherish the memories you have together.
Personally I just use pets as a way to keep memories alive. My dad was a huge Star Trek fan so I have pets named after that. The process of finding a pet that feels like something my loved ones would have liked was enjoyable to me but I hope to never have to do that for a long time.
One possible solution is to add a feature to the WOD Garrison that allows players to add a few “guests.” A character creator can allow the player to design a few memorial characters. They would just walk around and hang out.
Or a simple holographic display to feature at the Garrison, like the trophy system. Players can whip up something in the character creator that is displayed like a picture.
Names are so ephemeral in this game. All the people on my friends list from Vanilla and BC are now just a few letters from their name and a bunch of numbers. I guess their names were lost.
Get there login information, pose them in places you like, put your toons next to them, and grab some screen shots and put it on your screensaver, or print them out for a book, or a framed picture.
Blizzard really should get into the 3D printing business, or partner with somebody who’s actually reliable. That’s would be a another great way to get a memento of your loved one.
The final thing, would be to have toons create pets, or mog toys, or something, that they can give to people that would summon a flickering image of them.
The key point, is that they’re a gift from the other party, you can’t take them from someone else unwittingly. (Otherwise it’s creepy stalker central.)
In my travels, I’ve seen memorials to people who are no longer with us.
Little marker in the Wetlands is one example.
However, I think that memorials for long term players who pass can be done by designating certain unused areas as cemeteries complete with headstones that a player can visit to honor their fallen loved one.
There’s lots of areas in Dun Morogh, Wetlands, The Barrens, etc. that could be utilized for this.
I’m sorry to say, but people would misuse such a thing. They would do it as a joke or to clown someone else. The only way to prevent that would be for Blizz to authenticate the death, which would be extremely costly and would still be riddled with fraud.
