Windknight said:
ok, as someone 'outside' of WOW, why do a lot of horde players seem to act like alliances players are not 'proper' players for playing as alliance?
There is a lot of webcomics and other media portrayals that always seem to act like the only way to play is as horde, and if you don't, there is something wrong with you, or your not playing the game 'properly'.
Because, sadly, that is the way infantile Horde players feel is necessary to flaunt their perceived superiority.
(Difficult discussion incoming...)
The idiots are a minority, like in most things; they're just a loud one. In WoW, neither side is evil, and most mature players, on both factions, will gladly point that up. (Even the more grown-up roleplayers, for whom it's a lot easier to fall into character supporting one side or the other, will acknowledge what "their" side has done that is far from honourable.) The problem (not the only one, but the biggest in my opinion) is the perception of the infants playing the game (perhaps shaped by games with clearer distinctions?) that "rawr Horde for teh evulz!" means it's okay to act like a jerk, because "it's in character!" or some rot like that.
Blizzard admittedly has not been helping this perception recently, especially with a narrow-minded warlord replacing a more nuanced diplomat as Horde leader, but in reality changes on Alliance-side haven't been that much more different - it's just easier to see when it's Orcs.
Worth noting is that these infants tend to very explicitly exclude Blood Elves, a Horde race, from their furious defence of the Horde. This may well be because they are the most human-looking of the Horde races. It seems these loud children associate anything that is "pretty" with the stereotyped nerdy kid whose only response to being physically brutalised is a nasal "hey, stop it!" as portrayed in shallow kids' shows. Thus these idiots also drop themselves into the stereotyped bully jerk. It's very sad.
WoW attracts players of all types. Many play characters on both sides, and can approach the game with maturity. Like everything else in the world, though, a loud enough minority can ruin it for the whole group. There are plenty of "I'm good, you're evil, so I'm better" infantile players on Alliance, too. The Horde ones just seem to be louder. Perhaps it's the bully mentality.
Regarding the OP, I think (and my opinion is limited, as I've elected not to watch the video) is that the concerns are coming not from what the metal-airhead said, but the fact that it was aired during Blizzcon and hence had an air of "Blizzard thinks this is okay". I don't think they do, and I don't think they had any intention of it. That said, sometimes it can be best to avoid creating a situation where those questions even get aired. I can see how people who were troubled by the video would also feel Blizzard's response to be somewhat dismissive.
Setting out deliberately to give offence isn't necessarily a bad thing; George Carlin and the like would certainly attest to that. Even when it's accidental, sometimes it can prove a point. Sometimes, though, the can of worms is best left alone. Was this one of those times? As I said, I'm not sure. Let's hope cooler heads prevail on all sides. (Or, let's have Thrall and Jaina work on this rather than Garrosh and Varian.)
