WoW Says Character Same-Sex Marraiges Violate Harassment Polices, Lambada Legal Investigates

[theotherbaldwin]

Via Acidforblood.net, a transcript of an in-game chat between a player and an official World of Warcraft Game Master confirming that same-sex character "marraiges", even if the two characters are played by real-life couples whom are members of the opposite sex, would violate the company's harassment guidlines. Character marraige is a previously accepted part of in-game content.

Now this virtual-world controversey is spilling into the real world, as Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest legal network of advocates for the GLBT community in the USA.

Via Kotaku, Brian Chase, an attorney for Lambada Legal had this to say:

“You can’t tell gay and lesbian people that they have to be quiet so other folk won’t harass them,” Chase said. “If you want to stop harassment you have to stop the harassers not the victims.”

Chase added that under California law a place of business cannot be discriminatory.

While I did call that development on on Jan. 30, it remains to be seen what effect this possible action will have on in-game policies.

(cross-posted to my 1UP.com blog)

(Edit- Update: For a game that doesn't want people to espouse orientation for fear of inciting harassment, why, then, are silly audio in-game quotes like this okay:

• Male Taureen /silly audio: "Homogenized? No way, I like the ladies."


• Female Dwarf /silly audio: "I like my ale like I like my men, dark and rich."


• Male Dwarf /silly audio: "I like my beer like I like my women, stout and bitter."

Doesn't this present a bit of a double standard?)

Comments

[grandbuddha.livejournal.com]

So let me see if I get this right...

Blizzard has stated that in-game marriage is accepted, but if those collections of polygons happen to both have the same gender-flag, then there's not only an issue, but a major one at that.

I wonder what happens if you can prove that you're in the states that allow for same sex marriages? Then what Blizzard, huh?

As far as in game policies and actions, Blizzard will probably turn the realm of World of Warcraft into a police state, and I imagine that in the months to follow folks will protest the action by getting free accounts for the trial membership and then just all joining the same server as one massive Mormon Same-Sex familial unit.

Essentially, the Blob, but with feet.

Blizzard won't take lightly to this, but then again, they are the relatively heavy hand of government when it comes to their product. And while I do say that it is their product, and they need to preserve the integrity, there is a difference between:

Scenario A) Two same-sex characters dare to share their forbidden passion amidst the fight for survival against the trecherous Horde.

AND

Scenario B) A level 60, for no reason, kites a Level 54 Devilsaur from it's native spawning grounds into Crossroads, notorious for being Level 10 and under.

Now, in Scenario A, you have two people, in this case already a real life couple, engaging in serious Role Play (remember those words), probably on an RP Server. Now, people may be taken aback that people join an RP server to Roleplay rather then just look for low-population servers, but every now and then it actually does happen.

Scenario B sound a little outlandish? Think again, cause it happened. Someone trained a Level 54 Elite monster into the Newbie Area, where it's Aggro Radius actually would exceed visual range. The result, an unbeatable paragon of muscle and doom that hates you well before it even knows what you look like... And how did Blizzard respond? Simply...

- Uninstall and reinitialize that particular Devilsaur
- Find the person responsible for the act
- Ban him

Blizzard's reaction to ban is similar to Tarkin's reaction to blow up Alderan anyway. It's a sign that if you mess with the Bull, you get the Ban, apparently. Oh, and yes, the in game /silly commentary are a glaring example of a "Double Standard", or, to put it in the terms of the EULA...

It's the "We get to do whatever we want and if you don't like it we ban you" act.

Holy crap.

[theotherbaldwin.livejournal.com]

I can understand bringing down the banhammer for griefing (I think that's the right word). I can't imagine treating gfiefing the same as same-sex game maraiges.

This doesn't even begin to touch on the issues involved with a male gamer player a female character and vice-versa.

[ellindsey.livejournal.com]

They probably figure that, with 5+ million subscribers, they can afford to have a few get pissed off and leave.

[embobly.livejournal.com]

Man, frankly I'm just suprised that Blizzard didn't take three years to get this new policy underway.

[genuinechris.livejournal.com]

but isn't the internet for porn?