Arachnaphobia mode is dumb. I thought they added it as a gag?
IDK. I willingly moved to Australia and have had a very dangerous spider bite me inside my mouth while I was sleeping. I thought I lost a filling but the dentist I went to told me no, it was merely a ‘worst nightmare’ scenario.
That’s not even the worst bug thing to happen to me here. Elune be praised.
So long as it wasn’t a white-tailed spider?
Jesus H Christ on a pogo stick. And you still live there??!?
One of my very good friends has arachnophobia and was talking about needing to play through the Nerubian stuff with her eyes closed. Even if it’s not for me, I get it, y’know? People don’t like looking at spiders. It can be hard to play through visceral reactions of disgust/fear.
Immediately turning that around to “so you think Genocide is okay??” Is like that twitter meme of “No, that’s a brand new sentence. What are you talking about.”
These modes almost always feel sort of joke-y because there’s not really a non-funny way to replace assets without re-contextualizing the whole scene (and, obviously, making every spider-web-strewn dungeon into a thematically crab-appropriate beach scene would be a silly way to allocate dev resources).
But the low effort somewhat goofy asset replacement is fine I guess, like the Skyrim mod that turns the giant spiders into bears or the Grounded mode that turns spiders into funny little floating beans
You know, I’d be laughing at this except for the fact that I have a friend who is so phobic that she can’t do quests or zones that are near spider mobs. So there are gamers out there who get creeped out by the spider’s angular legs and little hairs. Or icky faces. This mode is for people like her. Good.
Heh, it’s kinda funny. My Hunter uses spider pets exclusively. The mode seems like silly bubble wrapping, but whatever. I just wish that when you turned it on it would play the crab rave song on loop.
WoW is a silly game and crab mode is a silly but fun way to be inclusive for the ppl with spider phobia or weird crab fans like me
Another reason to not have a playable spider-like race is capital cities and other hubs. Instead of avoiding the Nerubian quest areas or turning on Arachnophobia mode to transform the occasional hunter’s pet, arachnophobic players would be surrounded by Nerubian PCs running around the AHs and inns. It also defeats the point of Arachnophobia mode unless they want to render an entirely separate crustacean PC, spell cast/fighting animations and all.
Also, phobias aside and from a purely skeleton standpoint, non-bipedal races are very unlikely given how much it would involve re-adapting old armor to their rig.
All right, hold up. Are you legitimately thinking that the Nerubians aren’t a spider-like race and we’re talking about adding some new spider-like race? I’m sincerely confused.
“Everything in WoW that is remotely progressive is Blizzard trying to dig themselves out of a hole.”
Let’s say that’s true. Isn’t it better that they are digging themselves out of a hole with accessibility features as opposed to saying “screw off” to people with phobias?
Must we be reminded of the time Blizzard told a woman gamer that her feelings on female characters didn’t matter at Blizzcon? Is that what you want to have happen again?
Isn’t this a good thing? Why does it feel like everyone on the internet is so against Blizzard that they don’t see any value in being a better company than before?
Because it begs the same question as to why this triggering subject is worthy of action and numerous other triggering subjects that deal with far more severe issues aren’t?
I don’t get all this defensiveness on Blizzard’s behalf. I think it’s a completely fair to question the logic of what’s worthy of action and what isn’t.
That’s my thought as well. The spider thing is clearly a pop culture joke. Not saying legit arachnophobia is, just the “omg spiders” thing is a bit of a pop culture gag. THAT is why they added it.
There are many, many phobias that are not and will never be addressed in the game. Ones that are as common or more common.
Do you want the real reason?
Because many people in America do not experience genocide and war the same way some other countries do.
You can acknowledge these things are very horrible, and yes, should be more triggering than any sort of spider. At the same time you can acknowledge that the country Blizzard makes games has lived in relative peace for about the past century.
This isn’t discounting any of the injustices that have happen here, of course not. But in America we don’t think of war happening very often on our shores.
It’s very weird to be hung up over this and feels like you just want to hate Blizzard for adding something that is literally a good thing for people with phobias.
Edit: Before anyone says anything, yes I acknoweldge genocide does not have to be a war. As I said there have been many, many injustices done in this country but literal war where bombs are dropped on our turf is not one of them, discounting the one major event.
See, I understand that, but I honestly think you’re not looking at the bigger picture. I can definitely accept that Blizzard can portray sensitive subjects, but it’s also been an ongoing and deserved criticism that their handling of these subjects is clumsy and often lacking in proper attention.
Wouldn’t it be a net good if there was more time and energy put into the care of these stories? And isn’t it a worthwhile question to ask why that isn’t happening and hasn’t happened?
This paragraph is so unnecessary. It’s not weird at all to be interested in the content you consume. And it’s silly to try to speculate on my motivation when I’ve already told you I’m just interested and confused. You wouldn’t like it if I speculated that you’re a Blizzard employee acting defensive, so please show me the same respect.
I 100% agree that they do not handle these subjects well. It is a very common complaint I and others have against Blizzard.
That being said, it read to me that you were upset about an inclusive option because “It feels like they’re digging out of a hole”.
Which is eerily similar to the complaints I hear when there is LGBTQ+ representation in Warcraft. Maybe I’m being presumptious here, so I’ll ask directly. Do you believe when Blizzard makes an LGBTQ+ character in WoW that they are “pandering” or is it generally a good thing that a company is improving from the “good ol’ days” of Cataclysm with the male blood elf joke in The Day Deathwing Came?
“Pandering” isn’t the word I’d use. But (and I’ll acknowledge that this is a subject of personal taste; I’m sure some will disagree) I haven’t found the characters they’ve put forth to be all that compelling. I, personally, feel we’re beyond a point where a handful of one-off characters who get barely any development suffices as good representation.
It’s fine. But it’s shallow. And it doesn’t go particularly far. But I admit, I’m a snob about these things. So again, that’s personal taste.
I absolutely don’t think it’s a bad thing to be moving on from “the good old days,” I just don’t find it all that genuine. To me, it comes off as corporate effort–staid, wholesome, empty. When I’d rather have actual art and effort put into a character with actual development and story.
Again, though, that’s personal taste.
I can’t help what reads like what to you or what you presume.
Or they could be following the zeitgeist* and making a small stride towards accessibility.
*https://www.businessinsider.com/safe-accessible-modes-video-games-tackle-fears-spiders-deep-water-2023-5
Seems a bit hollow with how much toxic stuff is tolerated in this game (e.g. would love a ‘no comms’ option for solo shuffle).
It’s an easy one, I guess, swapping models? That’s about the only kind of phobia they can address.
If accessibility is their goal, though, they should probably reconsider gating normal flying behind an achievement.
They also might want actual UX design processes in place because some of these new additions feel like they’re 20% done.
I have a feeling their psych people are focused on ROI over beneficial features.
LISTEN
I cannot tell you how angry I am by this.
TWW:
Dragonriding from the moment it’s live.
Old World Flying has to be earned.
As someone with an actual physical handicap that makes dragonriding short distances physically painful to the point that I DO NOT TAKE PART IN IT, I am ANGRY about this.
I’m missing a finger and half on one hand and my wrist / forearm has muscle/tendon/bone damage.
Dragonriding is actually painful for me and others.
You want your spiders to look like crabs because it’s a phobia? NO PROBLEM. Blizz can make your spiders disappear.
I want old world flying so I’M NOT IN FREAKING PAIN? Apparently that’s a problem.
Blizz can toss off with their kinder, gentler ways. They are FOS otherwise I’d get old world flying just like ya’ll getting dragonriding.