World of Warcraft eliminates ambiguities and nasty remarks. Several emotes are being removed, others are being changed – but there are also new ones.
For weeks, the team around World of Warcraft has focused almost entirely on the major sexism and discrimination scandal involving Blizzard. Many developers had to leave or did so voluntarily, and the company is being restructured in several areas. But even in World of Warcraft, offensive or ambiguous things are changing. Emotes are being removed and modified. But there are also a few new ones.
Which emotes are being removed? In total, 4 emotes are being removed from the game without replacement and cannot be used with Patch 9.1.5. These are:
- /kick
- /stink
- /shake
- /moan
It is interesting that the emote “/kick” only works indirectly, as it is also the chat command to kick people from the group.
Which emotes are being adjusted? A number of emotes have been adjusted or changed, so that the meaning of the sentence does not change when targeting another player. These are:
- /drool
- /cough
- /burp
- /fart
- /whistle
- /spit
- /moon
Two other emotes now have slightly altered text when targeting another player, which are:
- /pounce
- /groan
These positive emotes are being added: A number of positive or encouraging emotes are being introduced with Patch 9.1.5. These are:
- /huzzah
- /magnificent
- /impressed
- /wince
Roughly translated, the emotes read as follows:
- [Player 1] cheers enthusiastically for [Player 2]! Huzzah!
- [Player 1] nods approvingly at [Player 2]. Excellent work!
- [Player 1] applauds energetically for [Player 2], clearly impressed.
- [Player 1] flinches sympathetically. That looks painful!
Why is Blizzard doing this? In the latest patch notes, the developers left a brief comment explaining at least roughly why the emotes are being changed or removed. It says (translated):
Some of these emotes may seem harmless at first glance, but when used while another player is targeted, their intentions can unexpectedly become ambiguous or intrusive. We have made some adjustments to these emotes that had negative connotations regarding other players, while we added a few others.
Just a few days ago, Blizzard removed the /spit emote from the game.
What do you think of these measures? Good and sensible? Or is it rather annoying and destroys a part of World of Warcraft?
