However, I have now in the past time again and again gained the feeling that through the headquarters at Blizzard a bunch of wild-eyed, headless chickens raging, which now wants to strike away everything that no longer seems to be compliant.

Purge my Name

I think it’s understandable that all references to accused ex-Blizzardians are thrown out of games; the references to Alex Afrasiabi and Jesse McCree have been particularly prominent in recent weeks. Serious sexism accusations have been made, after all, and the initial reaction of horror (and perhaps a bit of panic) will probably always be to radically remove the “bad” as soon as possible. That’s what happened with World of Warcraft (buy now ) already shown before the DFEH sexism lawsuit came to light, for example in the Swifty case or the Quinton Flynn case.

However, I take an ambivalent view of this radical reaction. Because I consider some remodeling of NPCs, items and achievements to be a poorly thought-out hair-pulling action that degrades the work done in the past by now deleted developers. In the end, however, it is the right of those responsible at Blizzard to deal with their intellectual property as they wish and see fit.

Purge my Sack

While we’re on touchy subjects … why not also throw whale slaughter out of the game?

Source: buffed

You can now argue with me about whether it was necessary from the beginning to call a WoW achievement “Bros. Before Ho Hos” in the original. That this name suggests devaluation towards women is obvious. This name is not necessary. Nor is it a pun that will immediately make me laugh for the next five minutes. But a smirk will possibly have been elicited from one or the other. Well, we are here in Germany and probably don’t get much of the change in “Holiday Bromance” anyway.

I consider the name of the success “My Sack is Gigantique” even less complicated. Sure, it’s ambiguous. But in the end it’s about a bag and not about male testicles. The success to the bag purchasable by Haris Pilton, which is by the way in German an allusion to expensive bags of Dolce and Gabbana, was renamed now in “My Storage is Gigantique”. In my opinion, one would not have had to do.

Purge my Penis

Blizzard’s overzealousness to correct offensive content has reached a new level for me, though, now that it involves adjusting the “Great Love Rocket” icon. Alright, the graphics will more closely resemble the in-game model of the rare holiday mount in the future. Understandable. But with all the sexism accusations, I don’t believe that the adaptation is primarily “just” about that. But rather about the icon looking phallic.

I can only speak for myself, but I didn’t think of a penis when I saw the old icon. I was thinking of a firework rocket. And even if I did … what’s wrong with a male genital called “Big Love Rocket” now, of all times? Or in other words: What was NOT bad about the icon in the past twelve years? Because that’s how long it’s been in WoW. And what about the fireworks tooltips in WoW? Will the Inexhaustible purple firework icon be adjusted now too? Or the firework bundle?

Sexuality and eroticism are not sexism

I think it is right to fight against sexism, especially in the ranks of the current society. I do not think it is right to remove sexuality and eroticism from a virtual world. There are serious differences between sexism and sexuality. Sexism in the traditional sense means discrimination based on gender, and exists in the (admittedly) most absurd forms. Sexuality in a broader sense (besides biological and socio- as well as behavioral-biological definition) means the totality of life expressions, behaviors, sensations and interactions of living beings in relation to their sex. Eroticism is part of the basic human needs for sexuality and partnership.

Affectionately called Azerothian Gothic by fans, the image on the right is a nod to American Gothic by Grant Wood – found at the Inn at Brill, among other places.

Source: buffed

Purge my Titian

The one or the other Blizzard responsible person should perhaps look this up briefly, because in the meantime the thought forces itself on me that now with the axe through the WoW forest is driven, in order to banish everything also only rudimentarily disreputable. Another example of the developers’ de-escalation of eroticism are the disdainful murals that have been in the game since vanilla WoW and whose motifs are now to be covered up or replaced altogether. Many of them reference real-world art, such as the naked lady hanging on the wall in Rabenholdt (who is by no means naked). That one is apparently a reference to the Venus of Orbino by the Italian Renaissance painter Titian, which in turn has been referenced by many artists. Another example of art in Azeroth would be the WoW reference to American Gothic by Grant Wood.

Lady in robe

Venus of Azeroth

Only the Venus copy seems to be too naked. And has already been prophylactically replaced by a fruit bowl on the PTR for 9.1.5. The WoW version of American Gothic may stay. How long, I ask you, will it take until all our heroes can only romp through WoW in a potato sack?

Yes, of course that’s an exaggeration and probably won’t happen (at least I hope). But more and more is changed in the game, a creeping process, logical. How do returnees take it, for example, when half of the icons in their inventory appear completely foreign at some point? And what will happen to the slippery romance novels I love so much?

And on the subject of “sexy fruit” …