The recent changes to World of Warcraft make the game worse. At least that’s what lore demon Cortyn thinks, explaining what’s so bad.
World of Warcraft is cracking down hard – at least when it comes to changes in the game world and the depiction of various women. A few icons are also being changed and ambiguous items are being renamed. But there is more and more criticism against these changes.
Where most agreed that predatory developers should not be immortalized in the game, many – men and women alike – are now speaking out against the latest changes. It seems that World of Warcraft is banishing any form of sexuality.
Anyone who knows me and my contributions a little knows that I generally have a positive attitude towards changes in the game. For example, I thought the implementation of dark skin tones for humans and elves was great. I appreciated that Blizzard gradually introduced examples of characters engaged in non-heterosexual relationships and I also thought the implementation of a transgender character like Pelagos was fantastic.
These were all controversial innovations that I liked. They didn’t make the game world smaller, but highlighted more diversity and were fundamentally an enrichment.
But with the latest changes in Patch 9.1.5, I can only shake my head.
Okay, I liked the icon change of the Pink Love Rocket. The icon now looks more like the actual mount – I thought that was appropriate. But with pretty much everything else mentioned in recent days, I lack understanding.
From Concubines to Loyalists
What particularly annoys me is the adjustment of the “Twin Concubines” in the Throne of Thunder. They will now be called “Twin Empyreans” and their story has been completely changed. Previously, they were the “greatest treasures” of the Thunder King and as the only female Mogu were something very special. Their name “Concubines,” along with their rather revealing clothing, quickly made it clear to anyone what kind of “treasures” they were. They certainly wouldn’t have worked as Lei Shen’s financial advisors.
In the new text, they are simply described as “especially loyal loyalists” who represent the last line of defense. Why they walk around in bikinis? Unimportant details.
I hate the “Where will this end?” questioning, but it simply cannot be avoided with this topic.
Because if Blizzard is already changing such supposed little things as Lei Shen’s concubines because they don’t fit in the game, they will have to change a whole lot. Two examples come to mind:
- Taretha Foxton, the girl who served as an emotional anchor for Thrall during his captivity in Durnholde. The young woman was kept and abused by Lord Blackmoore as a mistress – when she was still very young, before she was later killed.
- Alexstrasza the Lifebinder was literally forced to lay eggs repeatedly during the times of Warcraft II as a breeding machine, so that the pups could serve as mounts for the Orcs.
These are just two of many extremely dark incidents in Warcraft history that are directly related to sexual violence against women.
And I liked them. They gave the world of Warcraft a very dark touch, in places where it fit. They helped not only to define the villains (like Lei Shen, Blackmoore or the Orcs of the Dragonmaw clan) more accurately, but also, in turn, made the female characters stronger.
I always found it extremely admirable that Alexstrasza, despite all of this, continues to love life and the mortal races as a whole and – unlike many other female characters – she hasn’t just gone mad. She remains the epitome of motherhood, a protector of life. Sure, somewhere also a cliché role for women, but still a pretty solid one.
Villains Lose a Part of Their Identity
What bothers me even more is that these changes take a dimension away from the villains. I remember that I found it pretty cool and also somehow “cold” that you had to extinguish the life lights of Lei Shen’s two wives before facing him. That was just another dimension of Lei Shen that made him unsympathetic as a villain for me – and that was good. Villainous characters do villainous things and you want to stop them for that reason. Classic, but fitting.
I can absolutely understand that you don’t want to glorify when women are treated badly or represented in an exploitative-sexualized context. But when “the bad guys” in WoW do that – and Lei Shen was certainly quite a dictator – then I found that consistent and fitting.
Lastly, I want to return to the two images because I had to think about it longer than my time preferred. That the image of the reclining woman was altered – okay. I can live with that, because at least I can piece together that the reference to a harem with the woman as “property” does not belong in different places in Warcraft. After all, the image is displayed in several places and not just in the evil boss’s private office.
Sexism and Sexuality – Does Blizzard Know the Difference?
However, I find it difficult to understand that the lady in the picture with the deep neckline was changed. Either Blizzard does not know the difference (or consciously ignores it) between sexism and a sexy appearance or the voluntary and self-determined expression of sexuality. For me, that image always looked like it depicted some high noble lady who just wanted to present herself without being exploited or reduced in any way.
Sexuality has always been a part of Warcraft, to some extent. Whether it’s the flirt lines of various characters or somewhat suggestive jokes that units have made since Warcraft III. A relaxed, humorous Umgang with the topic has always been a part of Warcraft, just like flirting and more revealing clothing in our society is completely normal.
It’s time for Blizzard to explain why some of the content was changed. Because there could be good reasons. Perhaps there were truly a multitude of complaints from certain cultural circles. Or all the content that is now being changed originates from developers who are deeply entangled in the sexism scandal.
If no explanation comes in the next few weeks, that’s difficult. Because gradually eliminating sexuality and any form of nudity – and thus also self-chosen nudity – from the game makes the game subjectively worse.
After Blizzard had already established under criticism that there is space in the game for all sexualities and genders, they are now everywhere cutting, so that the expression or even just the hint of sexuality is evidently completely undesirable. That is nothing less than ridiculous.
But if you’re already at it, Blizzard, then please keep in mind that you have a quest in the German client that is called “Good to Bird.” It would be a shame if someone found it funny and actually enjoyed it.
