Today we are talking about a peculiar place in World of Warcraft. The tavern of Goldshire, where everything revolves around sex.
A little warning in advance: The topic is a bit harsher than what you usually read on our site. You have been warned.
If you ask role players in World of Warcraft on the server The Aldor about Goldshire, then the topic is somewhat like the third cousin who shows up to every family gathering, causing you to smack your forehead in shame and hope no one associates you with that guy.
The topic isn’t really new. Goldshire has had its reputation for over a decade now, across all roleplay realms.
“Visiting the Rape Tavern”
Why am I bringing up the topic of Goldshire now?
I bring it up because others have done so in the last few days and they present role players in a very strange light. The website Motherboard wrote an article with the topic “World of Warcraft has a Rape Problem: Visiting the Rape Tavern”.
The article tells accounts of victims of “virtual rape”, about intrusive players who would “stalk” others because it makes them feel “really good”.
Like the folks from Buffed, I see what is happening in Goldshire quite differently than the author of the “rape” article.
Goldshire is not a den where crazy rapists roam free hunting innocent characters, rather Goldshire is the swinger club of World of Warcraft. Everyone knows what’s going on there. Anyone who goes there knows roughly what will take place – and that is consensual, and thus much less harmful than one might think. Because those who are not interested can simply ignore it. But unfortunately, that does not lead to a big scandal.
Let’s start from the beginning.
What is the Goldshire Tavern “Cave of the Lion”?
On most servers, the tavern “Cave of the Lion” in Goldshire, located in Elwynn Forest, has a pretty bad reputation. It is said to be primarily about eRP, meaning “erotic roleplay”. Lots of half-naked characters lined up waiting to engage in some debauchery.
Is that true? Absolutely.
I personally believe that this is more about cybersex because it appears to be more about the urges of the players behind the characters rather than the characters themselves, but one can surely debate this definition.
Fact is, that in this tavern (especially on RP-realms) at any time of day or night there are a lot of characters present, most of them female and lightly dressed. If anyone wonders where the term “Slutmog” comes from – it was surely created for Goldshire.
10, 20, 30 or even more characters stand around in Goldshire and typically stare at each other in silence – because the “action” takes place in whisper chat.
And this is precisely where the statements from the Motherboard article annoy me.
Everyone knows what is happening in Goldshire
Anyone who wanders into the “Cave of the Lion” might get the creepy impression that a strange cult is gathered here – as it is dead silent in the say channel. Maybe someone might jump on the table and start dancing wildly, but “public rapes” are pretty drastic in a way that I just can’t imagine that it really happens there – it would be such hot topic in the forums and general channels that it would spread like wildfire and lead to bans for those players in just a few hours.
Also the screenshot of the elf who claims in the “say” channel that she has already been “raped 5 times here”, but “keeps coming back because her friends are here”, makes me roll my eyes in annoyance.
I wonder whether anyone still thinks in context or is simply desperately searching for some sensation. Because if the player of a “raped elf” keeps returning to Goldshire and apparently interacts with other players who roleplay such things – then evidently it is because someone enjoys playing an elf who is “taken” by someone.
Sounds too harsh to be true? Not at all. In a role-playing add-on such as Total RP, players can describe all sorts of details about their character. While “real” role players usually have their descriptions in there, the Goldshire crowd describes how submissive their character is, what inhibitions they might have, or even provide a link to a page listing fetishes. So one cannot really speak of a “poor rape victim” here.
Can one find the eRP of such people disgusting and repulsive? Yup, absolutely! But at the end of the day, to phrase it bluntly, it’s just two guys whispering dirty messages to each other, getting each other aroused.
Other passages and quotes in the article I also find quite strange. Like the description of the dwarf who runs through the tavern with a snow cannon, asking “Who wants sperm?” and then splattering all players with snow. That does not sound like a devious rapist to me, but rather like the silly humor of a pubescent boy indulging in the anonymity of the internet while giggling stupidly.
Can one still find that ridiculous and report it to teach him a lesson? Of course! He would get in trouble for that just as he would if he drew male genitalia on the blackboard of his class and got caught doing it.
The article is sensationalist and so far removed from reality that statements like “WoW has a rape problem” genuinely leave me in disbelief.
Here’s the “public action” from Goldshire in fast motion. But don’t fall asleep from boredom!
AGE 12 – Clear Stance?
What one doesn’t need to argue much about is the fact that World of Warcraft is a game for ages 12 and up. There’s a good reason for that, and protecting young players is an important task. Those who are confronted with such matters should make good use of the reporting function and immediately discuss it with their parents. No question. The protection of children’s welfare is extremely important.
Nevertheless, I believe it is somewhat naive to really think that a “AGE 12” label could ensure that all players live in a completely protected environment where they are never confronted with inappropriate content. That would be over once the “Anal” game breaks out in the trade channel again, where people try to “jokingly” connect the word “anal” with the name of a tooltip. In WoW and everywhere else in life, there is no absolute security against dangers.
Should Blizzard take action if someone sexually explicitly messages someone who never wanted that? Absolutely!
Can Blizzard see into the future and should they check private whisper conversations between players that haven’t been reported? No way. That would be way too far for me.
Live and Let Live?
I personally now believe that we should just leave the people in Goldshire alone. Sure, it is annoying that this causes the “beautiful place” Goldshire to be out of bounds for “real” RP. Ultimately, it is just one place out of thousands that exist in World of Warcraft. Isn’t it nice to know that most of “these people” are all gathered in one spot? You can easily avoid them!
The people who come and go in Goldshire know exactly what to expect. If someone just runs in there to quest, they may stop in shock and see a lot of naked pixel skin, but after a “lol” they probably leave right away.
My point is: Those who actively participate there and respond to the “whispers” know what is going on. This is not a hidden scene place but plainly known and has been a topic in general channels multiple times a day. Anyone who has never heard of “Pornshire” simply has a tunnel vision that even the worst deception rogues in PvP would envy with emo music.
As long as it’s two players who agree on what they want and play it out separately in whisper chat – Yes, you have my blessing! I just don’t want to know the details. Or to phrase it in the wise words of my grandma: A person’s will is their heaven.
Serious Problems? Definitely.
That sometimes on a role-playing server, one receives whispers of filth while playing a female character “comes with the territory”. It is not pleasant. Sometimes it is truly disgusting. But: This is not a Goldshire problem. It happens “now and then”. Whether in Stormwind at the auction house or while questing in Suramar.
Every few months you receive a whispered emote where some hand strays into a restricted area or you are asked if you would like to “have a quickie” or if your elf had already trained away the gag reflex.
Congratulations, welcome to the ignore list and thanks for wasting 3 more minutes of my life for a ticket.
It is disgusting and should be condemned. Perhaps a warning of 3 days ban, followed by a permanent ban would help. Those who “directly” message others with such content (regardless of where in the game world), in my opinion, should lose their account as quickly as possible.
There seems to be a thought among some players that on RP servers, everyone is permanently horny and lying in the bushes. From my experience, such whispers usually do not come from “real” role players, as they would at least have a flag add-on, but from outsiders visiting the server or those who have an overdose of hormones in their body. The “local” people are busy entertaining each other in Goldshire.
No Measure and No Rule
And despite all that I have mentioned above, there are a number of people who clearly overstep the lines. There are some players who have apparently shed any decency, have no shame, and have rather explicit character descriptions. These are not “hidden”, but just a click away. Anyone generally curious about the flags of other players can take a look. And what you read there might turn some stomachs. Here are a few “nice” examples of special prominence. Click to enlarge and read at your own risk.
I dislike “name-calling”, therefore the names of the corresponding characters are hidden. Perhaps the affected individuals might feel a bit embarrassed after all:
And for those who still have enough strength to comment on the topic, I expect your opinions under this article.
What are your thoughts on the Goldshire problem? Live and let live? As long as everything stays in whisper chat, can they do what they want? Or should Blizzard check this themselves and punish any game of this kind immediately?
If anyone wants to read something funnier now, they should check out the 5 weirdest places in WoW.
