Breakfast Topic: This is getting a little silly...
Night Elf Mohawks and Mohawk Grenades? I should know by now that Blizzard can throw a curve ball better than anyone, but the announcement of Mr. T hacking into the World of Warcraft and handing out completely whimsical, nonsensical items still caught me by surprise. Any Blizzard fan knows that humor plays a big part in their games, and WoW has been no exception -- Azeroth is rife with in-game jokes, pop culture references, puns, easter eggs, and silly items like, well, Mohawk Grenades.
It sometimes gets silly to the point where it just doesn't make any sense. There isn't even any deep lore to it (which is probably what got our resident lore nerd Alex's knickers in a bunch)... there's just this strange-looking Night Elf handing out grenades in starting areas. Coupled with the television commercial where Mr. T brags about hacking into the World of Warcraft, it all seems very meta. I like the way the game doesn't take itself seriously, but this latest gimmick comes so far from left field I don't quite know what to think.
What's your take on World of Warcraft's whimsy? A lot of items, particularly from loot cards, are silly, like the D.I.S.C.O. or Ogre Piñata. Others are pretty badass like the Spectral Tiger. Not everything is necessarily tied in to lore, and that's alright. But where do you think Blizzard should draw the line? When does a joke ruin the game world or immersive experience? Or is everything fair game?
