I was going to make a point to not write anything about Blizzard for a week or two because I’ve talked a lot about WoW lately and other blogs have still not shut up about pandas. (No, they’re not talking about the expansion in general, just debating whether Pandaran are silly. You know who’s silly? People who are still frothing about pandas, on either side of the argument.) However, despite my intentions something has come up that cannot be ignored: the horrible Corpsegrinder video that was officially displayed at Blizzcon.
During the Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftan (a band which features high-level Blizzard employees) show last Saturday, Blizzard chose to air a video featuring Corpsegrinder, the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse. In the video the singer goes on a tirade about how much he hates Alliance, including calling them “cocksuckers” and “faggots”. The words were bleeped, but it was clear to everyone what was being said and in what context the words were being used.
I cannot even begin to comprehend how or why anyone at Blizzard felt this was acceptable. Well, actually, that’s not true: sadly I can comprehend how this happened, and it involves a complete disconnect between Blizzard and their playerbase and a whole truckload of ugly privilege. The official “apology” makes that clear: they are not sorry for playing the video, they are sorry that we’re upset about it. It was a joke, man, and why can’t GLBT folks and their allies just relax already. Sheesh.
There have already been some wonderful posts about this and there’s not anything I can really add at this point except my outrage. There is already so much inherent casual homophobia, sexism, and racism in the gaming community that it breaks my heart to see a company come right out and literally disseminate slurs. It reeks of such a lack of respect for.. well, not only their players, but HUMAN BEINGS.
I cannot in good faith give this bunch of hurtful fratboys my money. Although I just restarted my account, it seems that two weeks later I find myself cancelling it again. Shame on you, Blizzard.
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For more information and posts that are far more eloquent than mine, please see:
- Piercing Shots: I would rather not be making this post
- Grimmtooth’s Troops: Well, I’m not joking
- Paw Prints at the Portal: So, Blizz. You certifiable, crack-brained dumbkopfs
- Need More Rage: fuhg bigotry
Herding Cats is the blog of Liore, known in the real world as Jessica Cook. She writes mostly about MMOs and RPGs, and believes in 
Between this, the tank Q&A, and several other missteps Blizz has made lately, not in game design, but in the way it presents itself to the community, I really think that they need a new corperate communications department.
The Renaissance Man´s last post: Misteps in Cataclysm: Misfired Story Arcs, Blizzard’s Failures at Understanding the Medium of a Narrative
Disappointing, in the response particularly. Obviously no random blue is going to step in and criticize a band full of WoW higher-ups.
Although, even more disappointing – do Blizz higher-ups really hang out and play metal with a “f*gg*ts should slit their wrists” kind of guy? Lovely.
Oh, please. This is the biggest load of fact twisting, agenda filled bullshit I’ve ever seen. Grow up. Seriously. Everybody with more than two brain cells knows that nothing was implied, and no curse words were actually heard. They were all edited. But the drama mamas of the world want to twist that and act like the dude was up there spewing hate. People are generally just bitter idiots trying to make someone else pay for their own misery in life. And that’s exactly what happened here.
My definition of “grow up” includes empathy.
But no, seriously, thanks for stopping by to tell me when it is and isn’t cool for me to be offended by something.
“fact twisting, agenda filled bullshit” … “nothing was implied, and no curse words were actually heard”?
I think the facts are pretty clear. If the words need to be edited, their intent is certainly implied.
I’m a huge fan of crude humor and poor taste. This is neither.
I /gkick guildies that made comments like this a second time.