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WoW and Blizzard lack of support for GLBT players.
sleepyguyftl
Member Posts: 648
I was alerted to a situation where a gay player in WoW was threated to have their account banned for advertising a GLBT guild in the game. They didn't say gay, they used the initials GLBT. Hearing of this I sent Blizzard an email expressing my disgust in their policy. Below you will find the letter and response. I also realise that this will probably get many responces agreeing with them here, however my hope is that the GLBT players that do visit this site will read this and end their support of Blizzard.
Greetings,
Thank you for contacting the Account Administration Department. We
appreciate your interest in our in-game Harassment Policy. However, 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.
Please be aware that this ruling has been reviewed and is not subject
to change at this time. Any further inquiries regarding this policy
will regretfully go unanswered.
Thank you for your time and understanding in this matter.
Regards,
Karliss
Account Administration
Blizzard Entertainment
<http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/>;
Customer satisfaction is a top priority here at Blizzard Entertainment,
and we would like your feedback on the level of service you have
received. Please feel free to provide such feedback at the following web
address:
http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=eSurvey000&i=116&d=1/17/2006 4:50:03 PM&t=renedrivers@yahoo.com
-----Original Message-----
From: renedrivers@yahoo.com rene d rivers
To: wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com
Sent: 1/16/2006 10:04:43 PM
Subject: Treatment of GLBT Guilds and Players
I was recently told of a situation where your company
had threatened to ban the account of an individual who
was recruiting for a GLBT guild on your Shadow Moon
Server. According to your company, saying GLBT is a
violation of the terms of service because it's
sexually offensive.
As a long time player of MMO's I find your attitude
unacceptable. As such I will not support your company
now nor in the future, as well as strongly encourage
my gamer friends not to support your company.
You should be spending your time stopping people from
yelling "everyone has AIDS" during a plague bug and
not stopping people from recruiting in for a gay
friendly guild.
Rene Rivers
Longtime MMO player.
Comments
I have nothing against gays, The person I vote for (and won) is gay, I have friends that are. However I dont really feel that promoting ANY sexual prefrence has any part in MMOs. I feel sad that a someone who is gay would have to resort to starting a gay guild. I feel the same way about someone who made a straight guild, I just dont see why it should be a part of the game.
Mabey im wrong I donno, but I dont play games to hook up with girls/ or guys, I dont really feel that strongly about it in the long run. However I dont see why a company would threaten to ban someone who made the guild, I just really see makeing the guild as silly and banning someone for it as supid. Im not trying to offend anyone here if I did im sorry.
But if you are gay or know someone who is state some reasons why you would want this guild. I really donno. This always seems like a touchy subject, however I must say if true Blizzards reaction was kinda childish.
Upon first reading this post, I almost agreed with the course of action: After all, a majority of the player base consists of minors and parents might not want that kind of exposure in their child's video-game.
Society still hasn't come to gripes yet with sexuality, which is why you have parents banning "lewd" content instead of explaining it to their children. Blizzard is just a corporation like any other that doesn't want to be bothered with complaints that would incur extra costs and possible loss in revenue resulting from administrative tasking and canceled subscriptions.
I'm sure if it were a European video game, then you wouldn't have any issues, but the strong American puritanical values are so deeply ingrained in most people (most people are stupid, so go figure) that any other sexuality other than heterosexuality is still considered "deviant".
In all truth, I am neither homosexual nor bi, but I would not preclude my children from being exposed to an acronym denoting an organization that caters to those that are either or (oh.. almost forgot trans).
I do not blame Blizzard for this, since they are viewing this from a capitalistic stand-point, not a moral one. You can blame norms and patterned behavior instilled by the religious extremists in society. Sorry to hear about your friend though and I hope he gets his guild up and running.
This is a sequence of characters intended to produce some profound mental effect, but it has failed.
I don't know if you're gay or not, but I am. And I find having a guild named GLBT sexually offensive. You're playing an online game. That's no place to be advertising your sexuality.
A guild name is something that is visible to all players. It's the same as getting in the general chat and saying, "I'm gay, I'm gay, I'm gay." Except that you can't turn off certain guild names. What's the point of doing that? Consider that question for a moment. You might gain some introspective.
And if you're afraid of the lack of civil rights for gay people then you're barking up the wrong tree. Do something more meaningful. Like live your life as an example of how decent and proper gay people can be. Not act like an obnoxious rebel that feels defined by your sexuality.
**** Note to straight people - PLEASE do not think that all gays think this way. I get so tired of this "join our crowd" crap. It's so shallow. ****
--------------------------------------
I think you misunderstood. The guild name was not GLBT. The person made announcement on a chat channel recruting for a GLBT guild. The actual name of the guild doesn't indicate that it's a gay guild at all.
The issue is that Blizzard threated to ban the player for recruiting for a GLBT themed guild. Saying that using the initials GLBT in a chat was a violation of their policy.
I would agree with you that having a guild named something sexual would be an issue. That is not the case here.
I think you misunderstood. The guild name was not GLBT. The person made announcement on a chat channel recruting for a GLBT guild. The actual name of the guild doesn't indicate that it's a gay guild at all.
The issue is that Blizzard threated to ban the player for recruiting for a GLBT themed guild. Saying that using the initials GLBT in a chat was a violation of their policy.
I would agree with you that having a guild named something sexual would be an issue. That is not the case here.
My mistake. I aplogize about that. But he/she was still advertising sexuality in game. And like I said, why do people feel compelled to blast stuff like that? I think a better approach might have been to post a recruiting notice in forums for guild recruiting telling people the criteria for joining this guild is to not use any derogatory bigoted language. Then the guild master can filter members from there.
But, I know for a fact that Blizzard will not put up with anyone using derogatory language in public chat towards someone's perceived/actual sexual preference. I've reported people for it and they got reprimanded.
--------------------------------------
It goes back to what a guild should be about. It's the belief of many that a guild is a group of players with a simlar interest. In the case of gay guilds the interest is that the players are GLBT. The question then comes into play of why the need to have a gay guild at all. Well there are two reasons. The first being that having a guild of gay players allows the players in the guild to speak freely about their lives. In a guild where it's not known that the majority of players are gay coments like "I went to see xyz movie with my boyfriend" would be frowned upon, even promoting flaming. The second reason is for RP. With RP one does play a part. If a player wishes to play a gay troll who is looking for another male troll for a mate, that isn't easy to do unless there is an openly gay guild.
I certainly don't think people should go around yelling "I'm gay! I'm gay!". That isn't what this is about. This is about a group of players who happen to be gay, looking for other players who happen to be gay. Blizzard is saying that isn't allowed. My response to that (along with many other gay mmo players) is that policy isn't acceptable.
As I said before Blizzard is allowed to make up whatever policies they wish. It's the players and customers choice how to react to that policy. This includes suggesting a boycott and notifiying as many media outlets as possible.
In the end I realise that nothing might come of this except a few people quit playing their game. But at least I will live with the comfort knowing that I didn't just sit back and pretend something I disagree with is ok.
I am the person that this post is about so I suppose I should comment. First let me say that I have contacted EVERY possible source of media that I could think of, as well as every possible glbt activist group asking for assistance with the matter. I may or may not be able to take legal action (prolly not, but worth a try), but at the VERY least I hope to make this story public. It has been long thought that gaming companies support glbt friendly guilds. As you'll see in this article written about glbt friendly guilds in In News Weekly (http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=Ga&article_code=941) which quotes one of the PRODUCERS of World of Warcraft as saying that they support a glbt friendly atmosphere. This leads me to believe that the GM who I was reported to was probably either a bigot themselves, and grasping for any policy that they could twist around to fit their needs. And of course, once they've made such a large mistake, the GMs who followed up on the issue wouldn't dare go against the prior one. So as they grasped for more and more straws, they became more and more offensive with their replies. At one point, they went so far as to basically say that we bring hate and harrassment upon ourselves by being open about who we are. This is simply NOT an acceptable thing for a company to say. I'm outraged more, not because they aren't supportive of glbt friendly guilds. . . but because of the way the situation was handled and the unnacceptable comments that were made in follow up emails. It's FLOODED with discriminatory remarks against homosexuals if you really analyze their emails.
For those of you that don't understand the importance of glbt friendly guilds, I won't argue my stance. . . but I will explain briefly the reasoning for glbt friendly guilds. As sleepyguy already stated, many guilds are based on social interaction. Yes, this is a video game. But it's not JUST a video game that you play on your Playstation by itsself. It is a video game that is also a virtual world that players interact with one another in. Because of this, players' personalities shine through their characters when they interact with others. Especially when we start using programs such as TeamSpeak and Ventrillo. As we all know, not everyone in the world is accepting (or even tolerating) of glbt people. Many people even spread words of hate, without being provoked. It's just. . . who they are. That hate doesn't stop pouring from someone simply because they're sitting at their computer. As a matter of fact, it can be a lot more prevalent in their online personality, because they're safe at home behind a computer. This also goes the other way around. Some gay people are very flamboyant, simply because that's who they are. When you put these two types of people together on TeamSpeak or Ventrillo. . . things prolly aren't going to be pretty. So to prevent things from getting out of hand, we let people know that we are glbt friendly so that glbt member know that they can be themselves while playing the game. . . also so that people who are bigoted toward glbt members know not to join that guild (coz chances are they don't wanna play with "fags" anyway). Just like in real life, where we have clubs and establishments that are glbt friendly, it's an unfortunate necessity in the world we live in today. I do wish that glbt friendly guilds and establish weren't necessary. . . but the fact remains that, unfortunately, they are.
That said, here is the email I've sent to EVERY source of media that I could find (as well as all civil rights activist groups that I found), along with copies of the email correspondences between Blizzard and myself:
To whomever it may concern,
I am a transsexual individual who spends my relaxing time playing video
games. . . one video game in particular, an mmorpg (massive multiplayer
online roleplaying game) called World of Warcraft
(http://worldofwarcraft.com). This is one of the largest selling online
games of 2005. It's basically a virtual world where players interact with
one another and play the game together. In this game, users can create
"guilds" or groups for people with similar intersts to play the game
together. There is an entire community of gay online gamers (a gaymer forum
can be viewed here:http://gamers.experimentations.org/forums/index.php?),
and many of us create glbt friendly guilds on the servers which we play.
Here is an article written by In News Daily that I found about glbt friendly
guilds: http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=Ga&article_code=941
As you can see, it is widely thought that the producers of this game
(Blizzard) supports glbt friendly play environments. To my complete
disbelief, I recently discovered that this is not true!!!
Upon receiving a warning (from the game's GMs) that I had supposedly
violated one of their Terms of Use by recruiting for my glbt friendly guild,
I inquired further about the situation. Below is a copy of the emails that
followed. I have contacted GLAAD and the writer of the In News Daily
article, and am in the process of contacting the ACLU and other
organizations and forms of the media. If I cannot take legal action, I
would like for this story to be publicized at the very least! I am appalled
that I was basically told that I bring hate upon myself with my advertising
of a glbt friendly environment for players!!!
Thank you in advance for your time and attention. Please feel free to
contact me regarding this situation further at my email,
PrismaticEcho@hotmail.com. The emails are below (original email starts at
the bottom):
From: <wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com>
To: <prismaticecho@hotmail.com>
Subject: World of Warcraft - Game Issue
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:35:58 -0800
Greetings,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate and understand your point of view in this matter, yet if you believe other players are presenting themselves in a harassing or abusive manner to you or another member of the World of Warcraft community, please feel free to use the in-game petitioning system to have a Game Master address the issue. Rest assured that all parties involved in a reported incident will be addressed appropriately, including the petitioner if warranted. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.
Regards,
Karliss
Account Administration
Blizzard Entertainment
<http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/>;
-----Original Message-----
From: prismaticecho@hotmail.com sara andrews
To: wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com;prismaticecho@hotmail.com;xoxygenationx@aol.com
Sent: 1/16/2006 1:35:21 AM
Subject: ATTENTION MANAGER!!!
I have reported this incident to the ACLU, along with copies of these
emails, and requested their legal assistance with this matter. Furthermore,
I will no longer be renewing my account with World of Warcraft, due to your
lack of support for a glbt friendly environment. It seems to be ok for
general chat to be flooded with, "That's so gay!" and "I just got ganked!
What a fag!", yet advertising for a glbt friendly environment where we don't
have to deal with such language is deemed "inappropriate". Hopefully you'll
be hearing from my ACLU appointed attourny soon.
~
Cordially,
Sara Andrews
>From: <wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com>
.
>To: <prismaticecho@hotmail.com>
>Subject: World of Warcraft - Account Issue
>Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:39:10 -0800
>
>Hello,
>
>Thank you for taking the time to write in. While I respect your position
>and understand your perspective in this matter, please keep in mind, that
>according to our Terms of Use
>(http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.html), you may not:
>
>(i) Transmit or post any content or language which, in the sole and
>absolute discretion of Blizzard Entertainment, is deemed to be offensive,
>including without limitation content or language that is unlawful, harmful,
>threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful,
>sexually explicit, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, nor
>may you use a misspelling or an alternative spelling to circumvent the
>content and language restrictions listed above;
>
>Please remember that it is up to our sole and absolute discretion whether
>or not to allow certain types of language in the game. While some language
>in and of itself may not be offensive, it may incite certain responses in
>other players that will allow for discussion that we feel has no place in
>our game. As such, I am afraid that I am unable to reduce, reverse or
>otherwise amend our previous decision.
>
>Thank you again for your time and consideration in this issue.
>
>Regards,
>
>Stawl
>Senior Account Administration
>Blizzard Entertainment
>http://www.worldofwarcraft.com
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: prismaticecho@hotmail.com sara andrews
>To: wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com
>Sent: 1/14/2006 7:18:56 PM
>Subject: ATTENTION MANAGER!!!
>
>I have been advised to contact the ACLU on this matter if this action is
>not
>reversed on my account, as I have clearly NOT violated the Terms of Use as
>they are stated. The terms CLEARLY state:
>
>Offense: Harassment - Sexual Orientation
>This category includes both clear and masked language which:
>"Insultingly" refers to any aspect of sexual orientation pertaining to
>themselves or other players.
>
>Again, I said:
>1/12/2006 8:50 (GMT) Shimmre General - Stormwind City
>"OZ is recruiting all levels, but especially 50-60s! We are working on our
>Onyxia Chains and will be doing UBRS and hopefully Onyxia soon! We are not
>"glbt only", but we are "glbt friendly"! http://guilduniverse.com/oz";
>
>That is in NO way violating the Terms of Use, as I have not insulting
>refered to sexual orientation. I was obviously reported by someone who has
>a problems with homosexuals. I certainly hope that Blizzard doesn't
>promote
>this type of bigotry, yet it appears that you do as you don't seem to be
>reading what I've said OR your own policy. I would like a phone number
>where someone can be reached, so that I can discuss this matter in person.
>My next step will be to contact the ACLU and have them assist me with this
>situation.
>
>~
>Cordially,
>Sara E Andrews
>
> >From: <wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com>
> >To: <prismaticecho@hotmail.com>
> >Subject: World of Warcraft - Account Issue
> >Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 17:38:07 -0800
> >
> >Greetings Sara,
> >
> >Thank you again for your follow up e-mails regarding this issue. We have
> >reviewed this case and have determined that advertising for a guild based
> >on Sexual Orientation is not appropriate for the World of Warcraft. As
> >such, any further violations will affect your account as described in our
> >"Penalty Volcano" located at:
> >http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01714p.
> >
> >We thank you for your time and anticipated cooperation with our position.
> >Please feel free to contact us again should you have any further
>questions
> >or concerns.
> >
> >
> >Regards,
> >Karliss
> >Account Administration
> >Blizzard Entertainment
> ><http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/>;
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: prismaticecho@hotmail.com sara andrews
> >To: wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com
> >Sent: 1/13/2006 9:50:08 PM
> >Subject: RE: World of Warcraft - Account Issue - ATTENTION SUPERVISOR
> >
> >Yes, but I willl continue to advertise for my glbt friendly guild because
> >it's NOT against the policy. . . and if I get reported again by some
>bigot
> >that doesn't like seeing a glbt friendly guild advertised, and I get my
> >account suspend. . . we'll have SERIOUS problems. Therefore, I need to
>be
> >assured that this will not happen. . . so that I can reassure my
>guildmates
> >that they will not be in trouble for recruiting for my glbt friendly
>guild.
> >I refuse to recruit any other way, because there are WAY too many people
>on
> >WoW that use REAL anti-gay terms and I do not want those people in my
> >guild.
> > If we cannot settle this via email, I would like a phone number so
>that
> >I
> >can speak to someone in person. Thank you.
> >
> >~
> >Sara Andrews
> >
> >
> > >From: <wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com>
> > >To: <prismaticecho@hotmail.com>
> > >Subject: World of Warcraft - Account Issue
> > >Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 21:43:00 -0800
> > >
> > >Greetings Sara,
> > >
> > >Thank you for your follow up e-mail regarding the warning issued to
>your
> > >account. While we appreciate and understand your point of view, we do
> >feel
> > >that the advertisement of a "glbt friendly" guild is very likely to
> >result
> > >in harassment for players that may not have existed otherwise.
> > >
> > >If you will look at our policy, you will notice the suggested penalty
>for
> > >violating the Sexual Orientation Harassment Policy is to "be
>temporarily
> > >suspended from the game." However, as there was clearly no malicious
> > >intent on your part, this penalty was reduced to a warning. As
> >previously
> > >communicated, a warning on an account has very few, if any, long-term
> > >repercussions.
> > >
> > >Thank you for your time and patience in this matter.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >Regards,
> > >Karliss
> > >Account Administration
> > >Blizzard Entertainment
> > ><http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/>;
> > >
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: prismaticecho@hotmail.com sara andrews
> > >To: wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com
> > >Sent: 1/12/2006 7:23:22 PM
> > >Subject: RE: World of Warcraft - Account Issue
> > >
> > >The offense reads: This category includes both clear and masked
>language
> > >which: INSULTINGLY
> > >refers to any aspect of sexual orientation. . .
> > >
> > >Yes, GLBT is a known abbreviation for gay lesbian bisexual
>transgendered,
> > >but I am NOT refering to GLBT in an insulting manor. The offense
>states
> > >that you cannot use language that refers to sexual orientation
> >INSULTINGLY!
> > >It does NOT state anywhere that you cannot refer to sexual orientation
> > >period. We do mention that we are GLBT FRIENDLY, which is NOT against
>the
> > >rules and regulations because we are not insulting anyone for their
> >sexual
> > >orientation.
> > >
> > >I suggest that someone speak with a manager or someone with authority
> >about
> > >this matter, because this situation can and will be taken before a
>court
> >of
> > >law. My guild members are now afraid to recruit because of YOUR
> > >misunderstanding of the offense which you've given. If you can show me
> > >where it says that we can't mention sexual orientation at ALL (not just
> > >"insultingly"), I will agree to this offense. Until then, I would like
> >the
> > >situation handled properly and a reply when this is done.
> > >
> > >~
> > >Sara E Andrews
> > >
> > >
> > > >From: <wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com>
> > > >To: <prismaticecho@hotmail.com>
> > > >Subject: World of Warcraft - Account Issue
> > > >Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:26:06 -0800
> > > >
> > > >Hello,
> > > >
> > > >Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding the World of
> > >Warcraft
> > > >account you are using. We appreciate and understand your point of
>view,
> > >yet
> > > >have to reiterate that all players participating in the World of
> >Warcraft
> > > >environment are required to adhere to the Terms of Use
> > > >(http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.html) at all times.
> > > >
> > > >Account Name: PRISMATICECHO1
> > > >Realm: Shadow Moon
> > > >Offense: Harassment Policy Violation - Sexual Orientation
> > > >Details (Note - Times are listed in Greenwich Mean Time, GMT):
> > > >1/12/2006 8:50 (GMT) Shimmre General - Stormwind City "OZ is
>recruiting
> > >all
> > > >levels, but especially 50-60s! We are working on our Onyxia Chains
>and
> > >will
> > > >be doing UBRS and hopefully Onyxia soon! We are not "glbt only", but
>we
> > >are
> > > >"glbt friendly"! http://guilduniverse.com/oz";
> > > >
> > > >GBLT is a known abbreviation for Gay Bi Lesbian Transsexual.
> > > >
> > > >With regards to the above account action, please review the World of
> > > >Warcraft Harassment Policy at
> > > >http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01719p. As you can see
> >from
> > > >the above information, using such language falls into the Sexual
> > > >Orientation category. You will also notice that the suggested
>penalty
> > >for
> > > >such actions is to "Be temporarily suspended from the game"; however,
> >you
> > > >were given a warning. Receiving a warning is nothing more than an
> > > >education in policy for minor issues and a tool our in-game support
> >team
> > > >uses to track player behavior. While it is not a good idea to ignore
>a
> > > >warning and continue the inappropriate action(s), warnings on an
> >account
> > > >have very few, if any, long-term repercussions.
> > > >
> > > >We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and hope this
> >has
> > > >resolved any concerns you may have had. Please let us know if we can
>be
> > >of
> > > >further assistance to you.
> > > >
> > > >Thank you for your time and patience in this matter.
> > > >
> > > >Regards,
> > > >
> > > >Gorido
> > > >Account Administration
> > > >Blizzard Entertainment
> > > >www.worldofwarcraft.com
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >-----Original Message-----
> > > >From: prismaticecho@hotmail.com sara andrews
> > > >To: wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com
> > > >Sent: 1/12/2006 3:45:35 AM
> > > >Subject: RE: World of Warcraft - Account Action Notification
> > > >
> > > >I'm sorry, but what was my offense here? My email stated that I
> >violated
> > > >this policy:
> > > >
> > > >Offense: Harassment - Sexual Orientation
> > > >This category includes both clear and masked language which:
> >Insultingly
> > > >refers to any aspect of sexual orientation pertaining to themselves
>or
> > > >other
> > > >players
> > > >
> > > >I beg to differ. My guild recruitment message states:
> > > >
> > > >"OZ is recruiting all levels, but especially 50-60s! We are working
>on
> > >our
> > > >Onyxia Chains and will be doing UBRS and hopefully Onyxia soon! We
>are
> > >not
> > > >"glbt only", but we are "glbt friendly"! http://guilduniverse.com/oz";
> > > >
> > > >As you can clearly see, I'm not "insultingly refering" to any aspect
>of
> > > >sexual orientation. I'm WELCOMING anyone and everyone to join my
>guild,
> > > >REGARDLESS of sexual orientation. My guild is glbt (gay les bi trans)
> > > >FRIENDLY! It is a place where glbt members can come without being
> > >harassed
> > > >or insulted for their sexual orientation with phrases that are used
>ALL
> > >too
> > > >often, such as "That's so gay" and "That horde just ganked me! What a
> > > >fag!".
> > > > I also state that we are "NOT GLBT ONLY", but we "ARE GLBT
> >FRIENDLY".
> > >.
> > > >.
> > > >meaning that we do not exclude those who are heterosexual. We simply
> > > >insist
> > > >that everyone who joins be friendly to everyone else, and keep
> >prejudice
> > > >talk (which happens all too much in Azeroth) OUT of our guild. How
>is
> > >that
> > > >insulting? I believe there has been a HUGE mistake! Whoever reported
> >me
> > >is
> > > >the one that is apparently the one with the harrassing issue towards
> > >people
> > > >of a different sexual orientation. They're the people who you should
> >be
> > > >giving a warning to. I would like to be notified when this mistake
>has
> > > >been
> > > >resolved.
> > > >
> > > >Thank you,
> > > >Sara E Andrews
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > >From: <wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com>
> > > > >To: <PRISMATICECHO@HOTMAIL.COM>
> > > > >Subject: World of Warcraft - Account Action Notification
> > > > >Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 02:46:44 -0800
> > > > >
> > > > >Greetings Sara,
> > > > >
> > > > >Account Name: PRISMATICECHO1
> > > > >Realm: Shadow Moon
> > > > >Character Name: Shimmre
> > > > >
> > > > >Account Action: Warning
> > > > >
> > > > >Offense: Harassment - Sexual Orientation
> > > > >This category includes both clear and masked language which:
> > > > >.. Insultingly refers to any aspect of sexual orientation
>pertaining
> >to
> > > > >themselves or other players
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >Details (Note - Times are listed in Greenwich Mean Time, GMT):
> > > > >1/12/2006 8:50 (GMT) Shimmre General - Stormwind City "OZ is
> >recruiting
> > > >all
> > > > >levels, but especially 50-60s! We are working on our Onyxia Chains
> >and
> > > >will
> > > > >be doing UBRS and hopefully Onyxia soon! We are not "glbt only",
>but
> >we
> > > >are
> > > > >"glbt friendly"! http://guilduniverse.com/oz";
> > > > >
> > > > >The actions detailed above have been deemed inappropriate for the
> >World
> > > >of
> > > > >Warcraft by the In-Game Support staff of Blizzard Entertainment.
>For
> > > > >further information, please view the World of Warcraft Policies and
> > >Terms
> > > > >of Use Agreement:
> >(http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01712p)
> > > >and
> > > > >(<http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/termsofuse.shtml>
> > > > >
> > > > >For any concerns or disputes on this matter, please E-Mail
> > > > >WoWAccountAdmin@Blizzard.com mailto:WoWAccountAdmin@Blizzard.com
>and
> > >our
> > > > >Account Administration team will be happy to assist you.
> > > > >
> > > > >Be aware that additional inappropriate actions may result in
>further
> > > > >disciplinary action, leading up to or including account closure. We
> > >thank
> > > > >you in advance for respecting our position.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >If you have any concerns, praise or feedback please e-mail us at
> > > > >wowgmfeedback-us@blizzard.com.
> > > > >
> > > > >Thank you for playing. May your blade never dull and your adventure
> > >never
> > > > >fade.
> > > > >
> > > > >Regards,
> > > > >
> > > > >Tirauka
> > > > >Game Master
> > > > >Blizzard Entertainment
> > > > >www.worldofwarcraft.com
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >Customer satisfaction is a top priority here at Blizzard
> >Entertainment,
> > > >and
> > > > >we would like your feedback on the level of service you have
> >received.
> > > > >Please feel free to provide such feedback at the following web
> >address:
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=eSurvey000&i=477&d=1/12/2006 2:41:53 AM&t=PRISMATICECHO@HOTMAIL.COM
It goes back to what a guild should be about. It's the belief of many that a guild is a group of players with a simlar interest. In the case of gay guilds the interest is that the players are GLBT. The question then comes into play of why the need to have a gay guild at all. Well there are two reasons. The first being that having a guild of gay players allows the players in the guild to speak freely about their lives. In a guild where it's not known that the majority of players are gay coments like "I went to see xyz movie with my boyfriend" would be frowned upon, even promoting flaming. The second reason is for RP. With RP one does play a part. If a player wishes to play a gay troll who is looking for another male troll for a mate, that isn't easy to do unless there is an openly gay guild.
I certainly don't think people should go around yelling "I'm gay! I'm gay!". That isn't what this is about. This is about a group of players who happen to be gay, looking for other players who happen to be gay. Blizzard is saying that isn't allowed. My response to that (along with many other gay mmo players) is that policy isn't acceptable.
As I said before Blizzard is allowed to make up whatever policies they wish. It's the players and customers choice how to react to that policy. This includes suggesting a boycott and notifiying as many media outlets as possible.
In the end I realise that nothing might come of this except a few people quit playing their game. But at least I will live with the comfort knowing that I didn't just sit back and pretend something I disagree with is ok.
This is the first thing that jump to mind when I hear people asking why would you advertise for a GLBT themed guild. It really is all about finding like minded players so you can freely talk without having to be carefull of what you say in normal converstation. I personally find it no different then some people advertising a primaryly all Canadian guild, Asian guild, European guild, etc. Now if it was something like a KKK guild then I see where we will have a problem since that is mainly linked with spread of hate messages. Sure you can try to explain that as just a group of like minded people but lets be honest here cause we all know or should know that wouldn't be a good thing. I clearly don't see a GLBT theme guild as a problem. I've seen this advertised in other games and I've never had a problem, especailly since I understand what it is.
Yet advertising it in chat does cause a problem (for various reason for different peopl) but not to the degree its being made out to be. If the players were mature about it, and lets get real mature isn't a well known word in WoW (yes I"ve played it and anyone that has played know this is the case), then advertising this wouldn't be a problem. Especailly if the guild name doesn't even hint at it and other players aren't even able to view their guild chat.
You know the funny thing about this at times that I've seen is? I've seen people in game, different game from WoW get upset when someone tried to get people for a guild like this and jump up and act all offended, saying the person was promting homesexuality, etc. The problem was that the person (he or she I don't really know) didn't even bother to read what was typed before. They only saw one thing and just jumped to one conclusion. A lot of people seem to be like this in life in other things. Instead of reading exactly what is in front of them and taking it for face value, they for some reason read only parts and get the entire meaning of things wrong. Leave out a word here or there and they actually end up putting in their own word. I've seen this as far back as junior high. It's so annoying and it causes so many damn problems in a social situation because of it. Not sure if this was the case but with a game like WoW, where most of the players (not all but far to many) are immature (this has nothing to do with age either at times) this is bound to happen a lot I've noticed.
How else can you find like minded players for a guild anyway? Make a post on the official forums? I doubt it would be allowed there as well. I guess Blizzard does have to play more toward the less open minded about certain things in the end, since it's about the money. It's frustrating and nowhere near fair I agree but that seems to be how things are. True I agree as well though that had this been a European game or just a non-US game this really wouldn't have been much of a problem I think.
im now officially starting a Staight Person guild.
Thats right, and entire guild of straight people.
You have to be kidding me if you think nobody would jump on that, call me a gay basher.
It goes both way, if they want to flaunt their sexual choices, they shouldnt be offended when I flaunt mine.
Guess this explains why I dont have any overtly gay friends. I have one or two, but they dont do the whole "gay pride thing" they just want to be treated like normal people, not any different.
A gay guild is just as descriminating as a straight guild... only thing is a gay guild offends even more people and has less supporters...
after 6 or so years, I had to change it a little...
Some people don't get it: just about every guild in existance IS a straight guild by default. People automatically assume everyone else is straight and as a result, talk/joke about hetero sex all the time, hit on people of the opposite sex, make gay jokes/use 'gay' as an insult, etc. How can you try and put the blame on gay people for wanting to get away from that, into a different guild with people they can relate to?
Don't even try and invoke the TOS about sexuality, cause in that case they'd have to ban 90% of the population for things they've said in their own guild chat.
I agree.
As for me, I'm starting a white guild. I will advertise my guild in public channels. Offensive? Obviously.
To create a guild only for gay people is just as offensive. It is irresponsible and childish to make a guild that discriminates (and yes that is exactly what you're doing. look it up) based on such a socially volatile criteria. How much in-game chatter do you anticipate being homosexually-themed? You really need an entire guild to talk about it? If you're a normal person, you're not going to be talking about your sexuality that much in world of warcraft. Yes, there are jerks that would give you crap about your sexual orientation, just like there would be jerks that did the same if I mentioned in passing that I was black or something. The solution then is: don't hang out with those people. Play with people that aren't retards. And, just so I don't get crap about being anti-homosexual, one of my best friends is gay. It's not a big deal. No, he doesn't talk about it constantly just like I don't talk about being hetero constantly.
From what was said and I'm understanding it was a gay (GLBT) "friendly" NOT "only" guild. There is a big difference.
As Effect has said the guild did not state that they wanted to be "gay only" or an any way single out straight people.
What they wanted was a guild where gay people could feel at home. I feel sorry for gay people when I hear people in a MMO group say "your just gay" or "quit being a homo" or any other derogatory comment against non-straight people. Our society needs to grow up a lot more. Fourty years ago it was ok to talk this way about blacks and other minorities (in the US at least) and today we would not think of saying such a thing in public channels because at least most people don't aim to hurt peoples feelings.
This person just wanted a guild where they more or less said "this is our guild and in order to join it you need to be GLBT friendly and accept us for what we are - and doing things that are offensive to us like using the word "gay" as a negative term will not be accepted.
I read the entire email chain between this person and Blizzard and I have to say that I get the impression that the CS people were not listening to him/her at all - just reading canned answered out of a guide book or something.
If Blizzard is not going to allow this then they need to crack down hard on people saying things that offend this group so that they feel welcome and safe in their online world. They would not allow racist behavior and they should not allow this. People wanting to form a GLBT friendly guild is only a reaction to these people feeling insulted and shunned - not because they want to avoid straight people.
The drama.
Frankly, I'm disgusted by this attention whoring.
Media outlets, contacting the ACLU? Disgusting.
They're a corporation, they want their game to be kept running smoothely. Their opposition to this is no different than opposition to a White Supremacist Friendly clan. There are people who are homosexuals, there are people who are white supremacist. Just because you are it, no need to go flaunting it and causing a disruption to the atmosphere around you.
You can argue whatever reason for it. Point being, both ideals/lifestyles most people find offensive, and creating an enviroment where it is so flagrantly advertised, whether it goes into detail of the ideal/lifestyle is not the point, the outer skin of it being in display is bad business sense.
Going around trying to garner support, infamy, media attention, and even going to the extent of legal pursuit will only show you as what you've thus far shown to be, a media whore: Grow up.
"Fear not death; for the sooner we die, the longer shall we be immortal."
The drama.
Frankly, I'm disgusted by this attention whoring.
Media outlets, contacting the ACLU? Disgusting.
They're a corporation, they want their game to be kept running smoothely. Their opposition to this is no different than opposition to a White Supremacist Friendly clan. There are people who are homosexuals, there are people who are white supremacist. Just because you are it, no need to go flaunting it and causing a disruption to the atmosphere around you.
You can argue whatever reason for it. Point being, both ideals/lifestyles most people find offensive, and creating an enviroment where it is so flagrantly advertised, whether it goes into detail of the ideal/lifestyle is not the point, the outer skin of it being in display is bad business sense.
Going around trying to garner support, infamy, media attention, and even going to the extent of legal pursuit will only show you as what you've thus far shown to be, a media whore: Grow up.
"Fear not death; for the sooner we die, the longer shall we be immortal."
Sara,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
I am a World of Warcraft player and I am also a Raaaging Dyke. In real life, I am a person who has been heavily involved in advocacy for the rights of (among other minorities) the GLBTQ community. In my experiences, the extra social stigmatism toward individuals who are not only GLBT but also transgender breaks my heart. To have an environment such as World of Warcraft to find haven in is of extreme value.
However, I do not believe that GLBT friendliness should be a descriptor for guild recruitment. By doing this, one is introducing real life social identifiers that are really not a part of the fantasy role playing of games like World of Warcraft. Being crossing this line, one could also describe a guild as Asian friendly or Black friendly and so on. By having these identifiers that separate us in real life, we diminish the value of the anonymity which lends to the sense of community and equality in games such as World of Warcraft.
With that said, you have every right to pursue Blizzard for the discrimination which ensued. The appropriate clause that Blizzard should have addressed the descriptor of your guild by should have been the role-playing aspect. The issue might have been resolved respectfully if Blizzard had simply said sexuality is not a part of World of Warcraft and is therefore not apart of the PvE/PvP theme. Introducing GLBT as offensive language was a grave error on their part. To deem what I find offensive or to deem what is morally acceptable to my children is really, really not for computer programmers to decide. They really need to address the anti-gay slurs that are constantly present in general chat long before they need to address a few letters strung together that the naïve player will mistaken as a BLT before they recognize it is a sexual theme.
To people who believe this to be center staging sexuality: It is truly not about that. It is simply about finding an individual finding haven where one can be themselves without fear of reprisal. Period. Until you walk down the street in real life and get spit on and called fag and, if you are unlucky, beat up (maybe even by someone you play World of Warcraft with), you will not understand that need. Until you do not assume everyone is heterosexual and/or not offended by gay jokes and slurs, you will not understand. It is not about grand standing. It is about understanding.
Sara, I wish you luck as you pursue this. Life is full of situations like this and I encourage you to focus on the support coming from people like me and also from people who are not even gay. The gaming community is largely made of people that are open-minded and I hope that you have more encounters with them than those that make up Blizzard.
Good luck,
ML
What does the fact that you're gay have to do with MMOs?
Imagine the outrage if someone started a 'straight guild'...
What about all the "Girls only" guilds etc? I am offended that as a male player I am locked out of that guild...
Sigh. After reading this I am glad I quit WoW, and to the person affected by this you have my support. Its a racist thing that you were not allowed to create a Gay Guild. I mean there are Gay Clubs all over, I guess the staff at Blizzard are scarred of you.
As many have said GLBT guilds are not GLBT ONLY guilds. They are GLBT friendly guilds. If a heterosexual person said they wanted to be part of them, they would be more than welcome. Also as many have said there is no need to start a "straight" friendly guild because that is assumed.
"What does the fact that you're gay have to do with MMOs?"
As also was explained MMO's aren't simply a game where you play a few hours and talk to no one. They are games with a HIGH degree of social interaction. In the area of guilds, what happens is that players sign on to play with the same group of people for hours on end. Because these people do spend hours a day together talking about what is going on in their real lives, they want people who will share their interests.
If GLBT people didn't try to form social groups that were friendly to their lifestyle, then they would never be able to discuss their lives in game. So while currently it's perfectly acceptable to have someone talking about how they went to the park with their wife and kids, the minute someone guy said "I went to the park with my boyfriend' you would have people feeling uncomfortable. You would even have some immature players yelling "fag" or "homo".
And just to put things really into prospective...
Would you feel comfortable if someone in your guild was talking about how their HIV meds were keeping them up all night?
Would you feel comfortable with someone in your guild talking about how they were nervious because they were going to have the finally have sex change surgery?
Would you feel comfortable if someone in your guild was talking about how their mother didn't like their boyfriend/girlfriend?
Um... why would I?
Surley parading about the fact that you're gay in a game like WoW (high population of kids/immature players) is only asking for attention from people who would find the above situations uncomfortable. You said how mentioning the fact that you're gay in guild chat may result in cries of "FAG!/HOMO!". Well how many cries do you think you'd get walking around IF with a big <GLBT> under your name? Imo it just adds a superfluous CS problem when there are enough griefers/bugs/whatever in the game already.
And say for:
Blizzard are not stopping GLBT players having guilds... I'm sure Blizzard couldn't care less what sexuality their players are, they just don't want guilds flaunting the fact that they recruit based on sexuality. I'm sure they would deal with an all-black guild similarly. It's simply unnecessarily bringing an part of real life into a fantasy game.