Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Blizzard CEO Lays Gay Guild Issue To Rest 296

Posted by Zonk from the our-bad-sorry dept.
Edge Online reports that Blizzard CEO Paul Sams has responded to the GLBT Guild issue that flared up in World of Warcraft a while back. From the article: "... he again characterized the earlier decision to prohibit mention of real-world subjects in recruiting for guilds as an 'unfortunate mistake,' which only came about because the initial comments weren't properly analyzed before sending a warning. 'It is expected and accepted that players will discuss a wide variety of topics, based on both the game world and the real world,' Sams says. 'Players are free to discuss personal characteristics if they wish, to include their sexual orientations and gender identities.'
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Blizzard CEO Lays Gay Guild Issue To Rest More

Blizzard CEO Lays Gay Guild Issue To Rest

Comments Filter:

  • Huzzah (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jorenko ( 238937 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:26PM (#14892242)
    I must say that this was pretty much the only possible acceptible thing that Blizzard could have done to resolve the situation while keeping my respect. Cheers to Mr. Sams and everyone else involved in resolving this so well.

    • Re:Huzzah (Score:5, Insightful)

      by 88NoSoup4U88 ( 721233 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:52PM (#14892581)
      Er... an even -more- acceptible thing would have been if he said this right after the incident happened:
      Not after the accountants/PR people told him.

    • Re:Huzzah (Score:3, Informative)

      by dr00g911 ( 531736 )
      I'm also glad to see that the issue is put to rest acceptably for all.

      There have been a couple of unforeseen effects that all the media attention has had, though... up until the incident, my main was level 60, alliance on Shadow Moon -- the server and faction that Oz was recruiting from.

      I have the feeling that a ton of people have created characters on that particular server to speak both for and against the issue at hand.

      Since then, the queues have been so long on that particular server, that my wife and I

  • Wow (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:26PM (#14892247)
    "Blizzard CEO lays Gay Guild"?!? Now that's customer service!

  • Eh... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Kyokugenryu ( 817869 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:27PM (#14892258)
    I agree with Blizz's previous statement of not having real world issues present in the game, such as a gay guild. I don't know what server they play on, but the amount of gay bashing and whatnot I see in barrens chats, I can only imagine how much arguing and whatnot would be caused by them boldly proclaiming they're gay in their guild title.

    • Re:Eh... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Eric S. Smith ( 162 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:35PM (#14892363) Homepage
      I don't know what server they play on, but the amount of gay bashing and whatnot I see in barrens chats [...]

      If Blizzard will allow anti-gay sentiments to fly freely, surely they must allow pro-gay expressions as well.

      [...] I can only imagine how much arguing and whatnot would be caused by them boldly proclaiming they're gay in their guild title.

      But forbidding it is saying, "Stay in your closet, the bigots were here first," or something similarly silly. It amounts to choosing a side, in any case, and that's something that Blizzard seems to have decided against doing.

      • thank you (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        "Stay in your closet, the bigots were here first,"

        In less than 10 words you summed up the original problem. Maybe it was easy for you to write, but it expresses EXACTLY what the problem is and what people have spent hours trying to get their brains around.

        It's the bigots who are the problem here, and they should not be appeased. Maybe they shouldn't have done to them what I'd personally like to do to them, but they definitely should not be catered to.

        • Re:thank you (Score:3, Funny)

          by Dunbal ( 464142 )
          It's the bigots who are the problem here,

                No no no, calling you a faggot is a compliment. Why do you get so upset? Sheesh some people are so touchy.

      • Re:Eh... (Score:3, Funny)

        by Amouth ( 879122 )
        it is a f*cking game.. who cares.. i am not for either side here..

        i don't think it should have been an issue to begin with..

        reminds me of a friend that tried to get me to play EverCrack by saying "it's soo cool you can even sit and watch a sun set" i then promptly pointed out the window and told him to go outside

    • Very true. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by WidescreenFreak ( 830043 )
      Definite agreement here. There must be responsibility on the part of any guild who would do such a thing. Honestly, how would any guild advertise something that goes against many people's societal norms and NOT expect to be targeted for it? I personally don't care as long as they don't pull an "in your face" attitude about their guild; but we all know, whether from experience or reading of others' experiences, that there are people out there who will cause problems anyway. Just being realistic here, fol
      • Honestly, how would any guild advertise something that goes against many people's societal norms and NOT expect to be targeted for it? I personally don't care as long as they don't pull an "in your face" attitude about their guild;

        Read what you wrote again and tell me how this is any different from the normal trash talking that goes on between guilds on a daily basis in WoW. There are guilds with reputations, both good and bad, on every server, for a variety of reasons. Some even brag about them, and are

    • Re:Eh... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by babydaddy ( 960332 )
      The argument that all mention of real life "issues" in-game should be forbidden strikes me as the argument of a hard-core role-player. If you're saying, "I don't want to hear about anything that happens on your side of the keyboard, ever," that's fine, that's just role-playing. It would be nice if you stated you're an RPer, but we'll forgive you that omission.

      But if you're saying "I don't want to hear about things I personnaly find icky on your side of the keyboard," then you're probably a hypocrite if

  • wait wait wait wait... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:31PM (#14892303)
    Hold on... Liberals won?! In the United States, in this conservative day and age, with politicans and corporations bending over backwards to appease the religious right, and capitalism trumping everything... ...and you're telling me the liberals won one?!?

    WOO-HOO!!!

    • Heh heh. That freeedom thing is a real bitch, ain't it?

      • Heh heh. That freeedom thing is a real bitch, ain't it?

        Na, I think more people are just shocked it still exists in various places in the United States after 4 years of King George. :)

        But hey don't worry, he just established 'anther governement program' for a religious department in the Govt.

        Love the conservative Republican Ideals King George has, which are to 'stick his nose into everyone's lives, even circumventing states rights, and the ability to keep spending and increasing the size of the Government to
    • and you're telling me the liberals won one?!?

      Only because it wasn't put to a vote. j/k

  • "Gay Guild"? (Score:3, Informative)

    by gorbachev ( 512743 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:35PM (#14892361) Homepage
    It wasn't a gay guild, it was gay-FRIENDLY guild.

  • Perspective (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Locke2005 ( 849178 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @02:43PM (#14892461)
    On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog [unc.edu] Unless, of course, you join a dog-friendly guild.

  • yay real world! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by minus_273 ( 174041 )
    yay! now my fantasy world is firmly grounded in reality! we can now also have republican guilds fighting democratic guilds, nazi guilds killing jewish guilds (on sight)! Lets not forget the Al-queda horde of saudi players! this will make exciting stuff! how far will blizzard allow this to go? are we going to allow all types of special interest groups? is it limited to sexuality or can we include politics and religion?

    I think this is the last straw. No more wow for me. Its not a fantasy wolrd to escape to a

  • Role Playing as gay (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Cy Sperling ( 960158 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @03:21PM (#14892887)
    Many arguments keep bringing up the idea of keeping 'real world' issues out of the fantasy game. So, what if the character you are playing is gay? If one were to open a gay themed guild, requiring members to stay in character, is that then still a problem? I don't see how a fantasy game precludes any sense of character's sexual identity. It is patently ridiculous to think that all characters in a fantasy game must be straight and any deivation from this means people have slipped into 'real world' identity. How many straight guys play female characters and would jump at he chance to cyber with another female player? Role-playing is about assuming a character. I can see people being upset about players talking about 'real world' things in such a way that it breaks the game's illusion- but in that context you can't pick and choose which 'real-world' topics offend- they ALL should. But, if the character is played as gay wholly within the context of the game world, how is that a problem?
    • The characters in question are incapable of having any kind of sex at all, rendering the roleplay aspect pretty much moot. The races in question appear to reproduce by pan-dimensional soul recruitment, and may seem to share the same soul to boot.

  • Legal liability..... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by katorga ( 623930 )
    8 year old gets recruited to gay guild, recieves inappropirate chat/tells in game, parents take a screenshot and hand over to a lawyer. Blizz gets sued for enabling child molestation. Parents and child walk away with millions.

    • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @04:34PM (#14893641)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:Legal liability..... (Score:2, Insightful)

      by vp0ng ( 751157 )
      --> 8 year old gets recruited to STRAIGHT guild, recieves inappropirate chat/tells in game, parents take a screenshot and hand over to a lawyer. Blizz gets sued for enabling child molestation. Parents and child walk away with millions. Your argument doesn't stand up.
    • And... why exactly would gay people be any more likely to say something sexually explicit to an eight-year-old than straight people?

      (And why exactly would an eight-year-old be playing a game rated "Teen" that features constant murder and dismemberment?)

    • Re:Legal liability..... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by thesandtiger ( 819476 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @06:03PM (#14894465)
      Considering that homosexuals make up a disproportionately small percentage of child molesters, I'd say that an 8-year old is safer in a "gay friendly" guild than in a straight one.

      Honestly, if one looks at the statistics, I'd be much more frightened of leaving my child with straight people than gay.
  • I'm gonna start a new guild. "WomenBangers". And you just know we're gonna talk about it a LOT.

  • New Guild (Score:2, Troll)

    by infinii ( 27811 )
    Applications are now being accepted for the Brokeback Guild.

  • What Blizzard can and cannot do (Score:4, Insightful)

    by meadandale ( 605319 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @04:10PM (#14893375)
    Lambda writes:

    Although Blizzard is well within its rights to insist that players avoid referring to other gamers in an "insulting manner," Blizzard cannot issue a blanket ban on any mention of sexual orientation or gender identity.


    I find it funny that Lambda thinks that they can tell Blizzard what it's own terms of service may be. Last time I checked, Blizzard was providing a subscription service. You don't like the terms? Stop paying them and go somewhere else. That's your right and your choice. They can be as discriminatory as they want and while it may piss some people off, that's their perogative.
    • You don't like the terms? Stop paying them and go somewhere else. That's your right and your choice. They can be as discriminatory as they want and while it may piss some people off, that's their perogative.

      Yeah! Right on! And the same goes for Alabama bus services, right? If you don't like the seating arrangements, then go take a cab!

      Fuckwit.

    • Re:What Blizzard can and cannot do (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ArtDent ( 83554 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @05:43PM (#14894292)
      I find it funny that you think that California law can't tell Blizzard what it's terms of service may be.

      According to Lambda's letter to Blizzard, "Discrimination against LGBT individuals in the provision of public accommodations is clearly prohibited by California law. Id., see also, Cal. Civ. Code 51 et seq. It has been so for more than fifty years. Stouman v. Reilly, 234 P.2d 969 (Cal. 1951)."

      It would appear that Blizzard's lawyers didn't find this particularly funny.

  • Read Blizzard's Policy (Score:3, Insightful)

    by babydaddy ( 960332 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @04:16PM (#14893443)
    Too many people are responding to this article in hysterics because Blizzard has changed its policy to revoke a ban on gay chat and overt sexual references in guild names and to allow descriptions of homosexual acts in public chat channels.

    That's not the case now, nor has it ever been. Blizzared never banned gay chat in public channels, only insulting references to sexuality. And descriptions of sexual acts always have been, and continue to be, forbidden. The policy has not changed.

    So before you have a freak out, you might want to read the posted policy. It's here:

    http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01719 p [blizzard.com]
  • ...the entire fantasy genre is built upon racism.
  • ... pictures of the prophet mohammed.

  • Fucking Political Correctness (Score:3)

    by rAiNsT0rm ( 877553 ) on Friday March 10, 2006 @07:26PM (#14895102) Homepage
    That's right fuck Blizzard, and fuck their CEO and his politically correct bullshit. I'm so tired of everyone being so afraid to make decisions and stick to them because of PC pressure.

    It's a game. I don't give two shits about the nightelf I'm teamed up with prefering to suck cock while I'm killing 50 bunnies to get a patch of fur to craft a new tunic or whatever lame ass quest I'm on. I don't feel compelled to talk about screwing chicks while I play a game. Gay/lesbian people need to ease up on this force-feeding of their views and lifestyle on everyone else. It's a game, just fucking play it. Period.
  • if there was a hetrosexual friendly guild in the game that discussed hetrosexuality on public chat channels in the same way that GLBT friendly guild and discussing GLBT sexuality on public chat channels?

    You would think, under equal rights, that one does not need to say X-Friendly in their guild or chats and just accept everyone equally? Doing so is sort of starting a segigation between groups of people, saying one type they are friendly to, but not mentioning what other types they are friendly to. It makes

Slashdot Top Deals

Our OS who art in CPU, UNIX be thy name. Thy programs run, thy syscalls done, In kernel as it is in user!

Close