Black elves, transgender characters, and a gay couple have sparked many discussions about World of Warcraft in recent weeks. Cortyn from MeinMMO is quite annoyed by the outrage over what is being discussed.
With World of Warcraft Shadowlands, the game world of World of Warcraft is becoming more colorful. Thanks to new character customizations, it is possible to give heroes new looks and equip them with many more details than before.
All this, however, repeatedly leads to heated discussions that really upset me, Cortyn from MeinMMO. There are frequent crude insults, overt homophobia, and many other things that make one wish for the introduction of an “internet driver’s license” that only those with a minimum level of decency would receive.
In this article, I will try to address and explain what bothers me about many comments and supposed arguments.
Dark skin on elves – a break with the lore?
Let’s start with the new skin colors and customizations, as these are one of the larger topics. With Shadowlands, most races in WoW can choose from a variety of new skin colors. Humans, Blood and Void Elves stand out the most as they receive really dark skin tones.
The outcry among humans was relatively limited and only existed sporadically. Here I can only guess, but I suspect that this would have been too easily recognized as blatant racism. But to give the “benefit of the doubt,” it could also simply be that there are fewer issues with human characters – after all, the new options are modeled after real people, making it possible to represent the full range of skin colors of players in the game as well.
But with elves, the fun apparently stopped. Dark-skinned or even black Blood Elves were apparently the red line that WoW would ruin as soon as crossed – at least for a few people.
The main argument here is a break with the lore. Elves have always been portrayed as light-skinned, and changing this retroactively would simply ruin High and Blood Elves.
I find it difficult to argue with a “break in the lore”.
You accepted that:
- Night Elves got black eyes
- magic-addicted Blood Elves can choose the class of a disciplined monk
- Tauren became paladins
- Void-corrupted elves fight alongside the light fanatics of the Draenei
But for black elves, the line has been crossed. Really?
Moreover, there is the fact that elves are almost exclusively skilled in magic – magic knows almost no bounds. In the Warcraft universe, almost anything can be achieved with magic; illusions are part of the standard repertoire of wizards in this world. Visually, any wizard could be anything they want – something that vain elves would likely make use of in many cases.
In such discussions, I also immediately have “in-game conversations” in my head that characters in the game world would lead, which quickly leads to absurdity.
“Thank you, Champion! We are so glad that you have saved us at the cost of your life from the Burning Legion, the Old God N’Zoth, and Sylvanas’ reign of terror, let me express my gratitude on behalf of all the residents of the city – … Oh, you have dark skin and short ears. No, never mind. Bye.”
People are of course right that there have been no black elves in the game so far. Just as there are no female ogres or troggs, but they still exist in World of Warcraft, they just haven’t been shown or portrayed meaningfully because there was no need for it.
Similarly, with the “new” skin colors. If Blizzard now states that dark-skinned elves have always existed – which makes sense given the spread of elves – then so be it. Personally, I have wanted to play a dark-skinned elf who fought through time as a southern sea pirate for a long time.
I can do that soon. You all can do that too – but you don’t have to. If the mere possibility of elves being black ruins your understanding of World of Warcraft so mercilessly, then you have several options: don’t play such an elf and if that isn’t enough, play another game. Radical, but those are the views of some of the commentators as well.
No one is shoving anything in your face, except yourself
I also find the recurring accusation that these topics are being “shoved in your face” and that “such things should be kept out of games” to be far-fetched. This is especially problematic when it comes to characters with an LGBTQ background.
No one is shoving anything in anyone’s face. Everyone reading this has made the choice to engage with it. After all, you clicked on the article – fully aware of what it is about. If that is already “shoving it in your face”: then I have a big “Uff” for you.
It works the same way in World of Warcraft. Nothing is shoved in your face:
- Yes, there are lesbian night elves.
- Yes, the character Pelagos in Bastion is transgender.
- Yes, the two night warrior souls in Ardenweald were a gay couple in their lifetime.
These are both small building blocks of a diverse, large fantasy world. Small, individual elements of a greater whole that contribute to the liveliness and diversity of the world.
If the mere existence of such characters is interpreted as “that’s being shoved in my face” – then almost everything in life is being shoved in your face. How one can still leave their own four walls without being outraged at everything that hasn’t actively avoided their gaze is a mystery to me.
Mainstream-SJW-woke-nonsense?
One last point often raised is an accusation in this or similar wording: “Yes, the big companies are all doing this just because they can and it’s all ‘in’ right now.”
I don’t want to deny that at all. I find it very likely that Blizzard is bringing such characters and customization options into the game because they fit well with the current zeitgeist. Discussions about LGBTQ+, alternative lifestyles, and racism are a major topic worldwide.
Positioning oneself and saying: “In our game world, this is not a problem, there is diversity here and we are increasing the representational possibilities of character diversity to reflect this.” is a good thing. It doesn’t matter whether Blizzard or any other company is doing this because they expect good PR and more revenue from it.
Then there are the quick accusations of a “political agenda” and “SJW propaganda” or “left-green-sick over-tolerance.”
From my perspective, it is much simpler:
A fundamentally good act remains good regardless of the motivation behind it.
Tolerance for fellow humans who harm no one with their lifestyle is always a good thing. Period.
Honestly, what would be the alternative? With “they’re only doing this because it’s woke right now,” there’s always a subtle implication of “they shouldn’t do this and should be against this mainstream.” Why? A thing is not fundamentally good or fundamentally bad just because many do it. Look at the issue at hand rather than who else is doing it.
Yes, this may all sound a bit accusatory – and those who feel attacked by it are probably right to do so. But it bothers me immensely that such topics always evoke the same nasty comments where you think after two minutes, “Let’s stop the comments, the insults aren’t worth the effort.”
I would like to discuss this topic with you because I find it important. I can understand anyone who doesn’t want to talk about it – but these players may simply choose to disengage and no longer click on such articles. Clicking on them and then complaining about having to read such things is quite silly.
If you have a different opinion on the topic – please. I’m open to it; I can understand points without having to agree with them. But please maintain a respectful tone and present your arguments coherently.
