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Guildwatch: You can't trick people into gquit anymore
Or can you? The picture above comes from the terrific Wowbash, which has screengrabs of some hilarious guild chats. The one thing they don't have, however, is some crazy, off-the-wall drama arguments-- who's collecting screengrabs of those nowadays? Anyone seen any good ones?This week's Guildwatch, which has not only your drama feed for the week (we've got a famous guild disbanding this week), but also downed and recruiting news from around the realms. Hit the link below to check it out, and don't forget: send us your tips, anonymous or otherwise, at wowguildwatch@gmail.com. "Really?" GW has left the guild.
Guildwatch: Reasons for lack of progressions
I'm not exactly sure why that guy's got a green triangle raid target over his head-- wait a minute. Is that Moroes?? Did he sneak up to the Prince with this unsuspecting guild? Look out guys! That garrote'll getcha every time!On a completely unrelated note, it's time once again for this week's Guildwatch-- your weekly dose of drama, downed notices, and recruiting pleas. If you've got something to share for next week, send your tips and info to wowguildwatch@gmail.com, and click the link below to read this week's GW. But watch out for sneaky raid bosses impersonating fellow guildies!
Playing Dirty: That's so gay
Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:Puppies are gay. Dancing is for homos. Even Link is a little queer. "Gay" has become a strange, strange word. From happy to homosexual to stupid, it can mean many different things. But there's no ambiguity in an insult like "That's so gay" – the favorite homophobic tag line of defenders of the heterosexual norm. It's like a built-in security system: whatever doesn't fit in gets "outed." Of course, there's no group that fits the heterosexual norm – young, male, straight – better than gamers. At least, that's how we're perceived, and often how we act: as a boys' club. We like big guns, fast cars, hot women. Maybe that's why we're so quick to attack games that lack traditional testosterone. Between forums, blogs, and general grumblings, gamers have declared everything from Nintendogs to Dance Dance Revolution to The Wind Waker (Bright colors? Queer!) "gay." Rockstar's Bully, however, doesn't fit that list. It's not pretty, or cute. If you don't watch out, it might even beat you up for your lunch money. Like the Grand Theft Auto series before it -- and especially the oh-so-controversial, hidden hetero action in San Andreas -- it's a man's game. Which, perhaps, is why we're so surprised to learn that Bully, too, is "gay."
Univ of Illinois conducts "Gaymer" survey
Ever wonder how sexual orientation might affect one's gaming preferences? A recent graduate of the University of Illinois, under the guidance of professor Dmitri Williams, is conducting a survey to find out to what extent (if at all) one's sexual preference can determine or affect what one plays. People of all sexual preferences are being asked to take this survey. All participants are anonymous and survey is estimated to take 25-45 minutes to complete (we finished in around 30 minutes). Game Politics has a brief interview with Jason Rockwood, the graduate conducting this survey, on why he thinks it is an important study (we are pretty interested, too, since a few Joystiq readers vowed to not buy Twilight Princess after Link was voted hottest male character by Out magazine). The chat with Rockwood also gives us our vocabulary word for the day: heteronormativity. Try using that phrase in conversation today.You can take the survey by clicking on the link below or by clicking on the adjacent image.
Blizzard apologises for GLBT blunder
We previously reported on Blizzard's run-in with Sara Andrews as she was recruiting for her GLBT-friendly guild; fortunately, there's a happy ending. Blizzard's decision has been reversed, and they are reviewing their policies (including their wording). Additionally, as the incident is being put down to a poorly trained GM, we'll be seeing GMs with added "sensitivity training" in future.According to In Newsweekly, another outcome of this is that a special "guild recruitment" channel is going to come into existence soon, making it easier to advertise and find guilds.Also, several academics have created and signed an "Open Letter to Blizzard" as a result of this issue, encouraging Blizzard to come forward and "make a public statement that the mention of homosexuality in general chat is not offensive. Beyond this, we also suggest that Blizzard investigate ways of making WoW more inclusive for GLBT guilds and players." It looks like this single GM reprimand has touched a very sensitive nerve.
Political correctness gone mad?
I've heard various rumours of people being silenced by Blizzard for referring to themselves as homosexual in-game; some of the players I know are members of a European gay-friendly guild. However, this recent action by Blizzard seems bizarre--a player advertising recruitment for a GLBT-friendly guild was cited for "Harassment - Sexual Orientation".Blizzard have seemingly made it clear that they don't want to bring real-world sexuality into the game; a response from them over this issue has said "We have determined that advertising sexual orientation is not appropriate for the high fantasy setting of the World of Warcraft and is therefore not permitted". Further justification for the charge was that positive discrimination would offend the majority of players. However, this makes little sense seeing as the guild was not exclusive, merely GLBT-friendly.To what extent do our in-game selves leave real-world attributes such as sexuality at the door? If I want to roleplay a lesbian dwarf, I would like to do so without being silenced by Blizzard. However, on the flip side of the coin, I don't want to be discriminated against in-game for my gender or sexuality--that's what Xbox Live is for. It's a tough line to draw, and GMs deal with it every day, but perhaps they overstepped the line this time.
