WoW guild are dicks, film at 11
World of Warcraft players are a constant source
of amusement for me. At least they are since I stopped playing
WoW and can now look from the outside in. While I'm sure there
are some really cool and decent players somewhere on some server, I
never met them during my short stay, nor did I ever see even blurry
photographic evidence of this mythical “cool and decent player.” (sweet
jeebus I'm going to get email for this, so in my defense let me just
say that I believe I was on the “Designated asshole server,” mmkay?)
So it came as little surprise to read on Kotaku the news that the guild Imperial Order is holding the Detheroc server hostage.
used to ring a gong. Ringing the gong will open the gates giving
everyone on the server access to new content, but the guild refuses to
do it. At least, they refuse to do it until someone pays them 5,000
gold.
The wannabe game designer in me is of 3 minds on this.
My
first thought is what the fuck kind of headline is that Kotaku?
Holding a server hostage? Must we relate every goddam thing to a
terrorism metaphor now? One of the keywords for the article is,
in fact, terrorism, so yeah I guess that's what we've devolved
to. Dumbasses.
My second thought is that the folks at
Blizzard perhaps did not remember the cardinal rule of MMORPGs: if a
player can do it, they will. Of course, Blizzard didn't come up
with the concept of the server-wide quest, but they did glom onto
it. Like many MMO ideas it seems like a good idea at first.
I mean, MMOs are by definition about community, so what better way to
unite the community than a server-wide quest? But did anyone
think about the downsides? That this very thing could
happen? My guess is no, but who am I? Perhaps there was a
meeting, and the problem was deemed to be minor. Maybe it was the
same committee that determined the GLBT thing would just go away.
(ziiiiiing! Oh Amber, why must your wit be so finely
honed?) And did anyone stop to consider that if a single guild
controls access to the new content, then maybe it's not such a
community building exercise after all? This is why small guilds
die and leave your game.
And finally I have to say…good for
Imperial Order. Seriously, I still think they're dicks for doing
it, but I'm also glad to see players thinking about more than just
grinding and getting teh fat lewt. It shows that not only does
WoW suffer from the lack of diversity that almost every other MMO
suffers from, but that players want more and different things to do in
the games we play. In the case of Imperial Order, they're not
just satisfied with being the normal dicks you'll find on every goddam
square inch of Azeroth. They want more. They want to raise
the dick-bar, if you will. (not that there's anything wrong with
that…)
Has Blizzard, in some bizarre Chevy-Chaseesque way,
stumbled upon a new and possibly more interesting facet of their own
game? Is it possible that Blizzard will be the first MMO
publisher to see role playing and social interaction as more than just
chat channels? I seriously doubt it, but stranger things have
happened.
February 20th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
Good for them. Honestly, in a game that makes an astounding effort to distance you from any effect fellow players can have, it is refreshing to see some folks apply a bit of lateral thinking to make a name for themselves. Funny to.
And frankly, as far as griefing goes, this is remarkably benign. Unless my WOWplaying friends are lying to me, another group can great the Uberloot item, so all there doing is saying “Pay us or you will have to wait to access the lewt dungeon!”
Now if only Eve Online had figured out how to be newbie friendly we would have a zillion things like this happening.
February 20th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
i read your blog and think I know your problem. wow guilds are not dicks, its that you are such a mouthy bitch that you dont know how to be nice to anyone. You prob get all bitchy with them and beg for gold and gear and PLEEZ PL ME and they kick you out an you wonder why people dont like you. You seriously need to see some therapy cuz you cant say a nice thing about anything. maybe take some drugs to help ur low esteem.
February 20th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
I can't figure out how to make a user on your site so sorry for the anonymous post. First let me be the honorable person and apologize on behalf of the community for those in our community who have expressed their feelings to you in unapropriate ways that a lady should never be exposed too, even though she be foul of mouth. But I and many of others have take offense at your post. You dishonor and shame us through lies. You try to defend your post by saying that you are only talking about the guild known as The Imperial Order, but then you say and I quote “…the normal dicks you'll find on every goddam square inch of Azeroth.” Every square inch sounds a lot to me like you are dismissing all WoW players as “dicks.” On behalf of all WoW players I eagerly anticipate your apology to the community. If no apology is forthcoming then, I will do my best to make sure the entire WoW community is aware of your slander, and to take apropriate actions.
February 20th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Pfft. what do you have to apologize for Anon? Bitch calls everyone in the game a dick, and your sorry that she gets some rude email? She throws the d-word around so much it sounds like thats what she needs instead of an apology.
Raskal
16 Undead Warlock
I proudly play WoW, so bite me
February 21st, 2006 at 1:51 am
How dare you insult my guild, the Vampire Penguin Society, yes this a real guild, a guild that is only composed of only one dick, being me, and the rest by pussy face fuck tarts. Excuse me, while I file a complaint by upper cutting your taint. Anyways, I'm going to go make myself a sangwich and rub my nipple puffs and train some other guilds with my cock.
Damn, I got a dirty mind, your discussings corrupt me, your nefarious ways influence me in the ways of potty. Despite your intense passion for the majority of the wow playerbase, I still invite your participation in my elite three penguin squad of vampirism whenever you choose to do so.
No? Damn you..
February 21st, 2006 at 6:25 am
“And did anyone stop to consider that if a single guild controls access to the new content, then maybe it's not such a community building exercise after all?”
It's good to check facts before starting to rant, it can make one look less silly.
No single guild controls access to the new content in question. One guild _by now_ jumped through all hoops necessary to obtain the gizmo that opens access to this content, but it does not prevent anyone else from doing the same thing, and opening the very same content for everyone for free. If they feel like it.
February 21st, 2006 at 9:46 am
not to be sexist but this is why women dont play games and those that do play thme suck ass. u have no ida what your talkin about wow has some of the best players in the game they just dont put up with whiny crybabys that cant pull their load. go play puzzle pirates or toontown u will be hapier and we wont have to listen to your whiny ass. and in case u didnt notice terrorism is real and if sumone acts lik a terorist they shud be called one.
February 21st, 2006 at 11:18 am
ziiiiiing! Oh Amber, why must your wit be so finely honed?
Normally I would be sympathetic to someone who has taken as much shit as you. I even agree with some of your points, but damn girl what an ego. Your pretty full of yourself arent you?
February 21st, 2006 at 11:46 am
I don't expect this comment to change anyone's mind about what Amber said or more specifically what you think she said, but I have to say that I'm completely disgusted by many of the ways people have chosen to express their opinions. You attack her by attacking her gender? Could you seriously not come up with a decent rebuttal that addresses the post?
I've played WoW too, and one of the things people in WoW love to chat about the most is that the majority of players are griefers and ninja looters. Players who play the game say these things. So…what? You have to have an active subscription to express an opinion that is widely held amongst most WoW players anyway? You have to be in the club?
I'll say that I think Amber could have chosen a few (and only a few) of her words a little more carefully, but hey that's the nature of blogging. These things don't go through editors, and authors don't have the luxury of sitting on them for a couple days to fine tune. Read the rest of her blog before you form an opinion. I think you might come to the conclusion that she's more on your side than you give her credit for.
Mox
February 21st, 2006 at 12:44 pm
First off: wow, Amber manages not only to prove that the internet is full of anon dickheads (who knew?) but also that some of them will post in her comments section!
Congrats, Amber, and I'm sure the idiotic insults you're getting from anon dicks is no suprise to you.
As a side note that's actually pertinent to the article, I disagree with you that every square inch of WoW is full of dicks. My wife and I play when we can and we've met some very nice people. Of course, we weren't playing on the “designated asshole” server, so that probably explains it.
Very witty post. And I'm sure that another of the uberguilds on that server will either get the gong ringer thing or else pay those guys the 5000 gold. They can afford to do either one.