So Blizzard says, “No GLBT friendly guilds because we don’t want to create an environment where people harass each other in game.” I can see where they are coming from. It’s in the terms of service and all that. You know, the one I barely read through and says that Blizzard owns my first born children.
That is fine. What was not fine was that they are reprimanding the potential harassee instead of the potential harrassers. They let that person off with a warning instead of banning them outright. Of course, I would like to know how many religious guilds they have disbanded or prevented from forming.
There is pending litigation, which leads to some interesting questions about whether or not an online world is a “place of business” in the real world. Anti discrimination laws would then apply to Azeroth. Soon, I expect property taxes to be levied against my Evil Lair in City of Villains.
In a situation that could only be considered timely, Blizzard has released a Valentine’s day set of quests. I am going to quote part of the article from 1up.com.
A slightly disturbing goblin in a diaper named Kwee Q. Peddlefeet can be found floating near each hero (…) If players /kiss Kwee (guys, this means you too!), he’ll shoot them, in true Cupid style, with an arrow of goblin love that grants a special little bonus to the player.
I would like to point out that Kwee Q. Peddlefeet is a Goblin male, and male and female players alike are rewarded for “kissing” him in game.
Sure, my male characters don’t have to kiss a Goblin male if I don’t want them to. But those male characters won’t have the same advantages as other male characters that did kiss Kwee. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Goblins. Or males.)
I guess ultimately, it depends on how good that bonus is.
Which makes Blizzard morally corrupt for encouraging and rewarding Human, Night Elf, Orc, Tauren, Dwarf, Gnome, Undead, Troll / Goblin homosexual interspecies necrophilia.
Way to go.