The story of Anduin in World of Warcraft is causing discussion. “Real men” seem to have little to do with it — and receive much criticism.
If you look around in the subreddit or the forums of World of Warcraft, the latest expansion “The War Within” is quite positively received. Apart from minor issues with the auction house or the controversy around the leveling speed nerf, most seem to be excited about the story and the world. However, now and then, there are criticisms about Anduin, the King of the Alliance, who plays a significant role in the story.
Some believe that the king “whines too much” or should “just get over it.”
For many, this is quite a strange view when considering that Anduin is currently processing massive trauma.
This is how the topic is discussed: In the WoW subreddit, the topic is actively discussed in the post “To the people complaining that Anduin has feelings.” The user celestial-milk-tea writes:
I’m sorry that someone made you feel like you don’t have permission as a man to have feelings, and that it should apply to fictional characters as well. Men can have feelings, can talk about those feelings with others, and should be encouraged to do so. Good writing has characters with emotions and it’s a good thing when a story makes you feel some form of connection to a character and their emotions.
There are many veterans in this community with PTSD, and it breaks my heart to see some talk about Anduin’s PTSD and how he should “just get over it,” knowing there are people here with similar experiences reading this. Be kinder and behave better.
The post receives plenty of approval with over 3,200 upvotes and is actively discussed. However, that not everyone shares this view is evident in the comparatively low approval rating of “only” 79%.
This is how the community responds: There is active discussion under the post. Some seem particularly surprised that many people react so negatively to the handling of emotions. After all, the expansion is named “The War Within” – so it’s already predictable that it would deal with internal, emotional conflicts.
Eiknarf95 writes:
Did we really all think that an expansion named “War Within” would only deal with fights in caves and not with PTSD, mental health, and character development? […]
Just to make it clear: I’m absolutely for this kind of storytelling and think it’s great that we can explore such deep and emotional themes with some of the greatest characters in the lore.
Especially some people who claim to suffer from PTSD agree, such as geckobrother:
As a veteran with PTSD, I have to say, I love how they’ve written him. It’s very realistic how sometimes he’s okay and then suddenly something triggers him and puts him off. I fully support Blizzard and how they’re currently writing him.
NadalaMOTE represents a similar view and found the story quite coherent:
As a man with PTSD, Anduin’s problems felt extremely familiar to me.
What I didn’t expect, which really shocked and moved me, was the compassion shown to him by Faerin. Seeing someone struggle with this was very familiar to me. Seeing someone who has healed and come to terms and was able to transfer that warmth and light to someone in pain, seeing someone on the “other” side. That touched me deeply.
What are Anduin’s problems? That Anduin has become a “whiny washcloth” in the eyes of some fans is a recurring theme — also occasionally mentioned here in the comments. The reason for his current inner conflicts and self-doubt is the suffering he experienced in the Shadowlands. There, he was kidnapped by Sylvanas and the Jailer and ultimately forced to act against his beliefs and commit several atrocities with enchanted armor.
For Anduin, these experiences were so significant that he even lost his connection to the Light. He fears that if he asks the Light for help, it will no longer help him — and out of this fear, he doesn’t even try.
Particularly the story in Heilsturz, the third area of The War Within, deals a lot with Anduin, his personal development, and the processing of these traumatic experiences. An emotional story that, however, does not appeal to everyone, especially those longing for “strong heroes without feelings.” Moreover, the current expansion certainly has some pretty dark stories.
Not all fans appreciate a story where emotions come into play. Some simply long for “strong heroes” and “constant action.” When that doesn’t happen, the game is quickly labeled as “WoW: The Feelings Within” or “World of Emotioncraft.” That’s somewhat uncomfortable, after all.
If you are interested in the entire story of WoW, we have something for that too.
