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The Warcraftian Stigma
4 years ago
General
I wanna try and keep this one a bit short, but I really feel like I should address this. I've seen a few folks who have Warcraft-based characters lately who are denouncing the Azeroth setting. Not a ton, but a few, which has definitely brought forth a slew of conflicting feelings as a Warcraft-based smut writer.
Frankly, I don't blame them, and I support the effort to distance themselves from Blizzard.
That being said, I... I honestly don't wanna do that myself. I had a ragebaiter on CuriousCat who was spouting angry statements about Blizzard and its CEO, and while I didn't wanna feed into the hatred, I can't deny that I'm not fond of how this whole debacle is being handled either. I mentioned before that I quit Warcraft a few months back, but to satiate the urge I still touch some free bootlegish, older versions of Warcraft from time to time.
I invested over a decade into Warcraft. My main had over 400 days of /played time on him. I still love the setting and the good lore. But I do think it's feasible to separate the creator from the artistry. I think similar arguments can be made for Harry Potter fans despite Rowling's transphobia, but I think it's also just as fitting to be critical of said author while still enjoying the world they created. Maybe I'm wrong, but I guess I'm just not ready to shun the fandom yet, even with the stigma that Blizzard has surrounded it with.
Sorry if this seems a bit pointless. I guess I wanted to at least acknowledge the seemingly-growing distaste for Blizzard and try to sorta defend my continuing use of the lore and setting.
Cheers, Ben
Frankly, I don't blame them, and I support the effort to distance themselves from Blizzard.
That being said, I... I honestly don't wanna do that myself. I had a ragebaiter on CuriousCat who was spouting angry statements about Blizzard and its CEO, and while I didn't wanna feed into the hatred, I can't deny that I'm not fond of how this whole debacle is being handled either. I mentioned before that I quit Warcraft a few months back, but to satiate the urge I still touch some free bootlegish, older versions of Warcraft from time to time.
I invested over a decade into Warcraft. My main had over 400 days of /played time on him. I still love the setting and the good lore. But I do think it's feasible to separate the creator from the artistry. I think similar arguments can be made for Harry Potter fans despite Rowling's transphobia, but I think it's also just as fitting to be critical of said author while still enjoying the world they created. Maybe I'm wrong, but I guess I'm just not ready to shun the fandom yet, even with the stigma that Blizzard has surrounded it with.
Sorry if this seems a bit pointless. I guess I wanted to at least acknowledge the seemingly-growing distaste for Blizzard and try to sorta defend my continuing use of the lore and setting.
Cheers, Ben
Ultimately anyone can do what they want, but I felt I needed to justify my reasoning, and I don't think it's gonna end up being a character-breaker. Characters are so much more than the fandom they may have originated in. The longer they exist, the more life they have, and they accrue many, many facets that had little-to-nothing to do with the game.
Furthermore Mike Morhaine and most of the seniors left a few years ago to get back to their roots of game-making. Staff may be somewhat complicit in the events lately although mostly through inaction.
With the availability of private servers there's no problem keeping a link to WoW especially if its mostly for inspiration to fiction. And considering the state of Blizz I don't see a moral dilemma with them... it's not like they haven't made billions upon billions already.
Admittedly I went back with a couple WoW Tokens paid for from my gold stash, but it'll be a while before Blizzard gets my actual money again. However, I admit to liking the look of the next expansion. Dragon-folk are a plus in my book, and open up a *ton* of story possibilities....