Azeroth Interrupted: A plea for tolerance
by Robin Torres 
Jul 29th 2007 at 5:00PM
Each week, Robin Torres contributes Azeroth Interrupted, a column about balancing real life with WoW.
This past week, I was browsing the WoW European forums and came across a post about the Evil Children of Goldshire. For those of you who don't know, there are some children that sometimes appear on the second floor of the house outside of Goldshire. They are arranged in a pentagram and there is a 666 on the fireplace. Also, some eerie music plays when you are in the room with them. Someone complained about this kind of content being unnecessary to the game and the rest of the posts devolved into flaming him for his religious beliefs.
Coincidentally, a similar incident happened this past week in a knit-along that I am participating in. A brief explanation for muggle readers: a knit-along is a list group or other online communication tool where people follow a pattern at the same time and discuss their progress, etc. It is kind of like MMO knitting. This particular knit-along is the Mystery Stole 3, where we don't know what the item is going to look like until we finish it and we don't know what the theme is -- this designer always has a theme or backstory behind her designs. But, of course, people like to guess ahead of time and one of the guesses was that it was demonic in nature. So someone in the list group of 7000+ people complained that if that were the case, she didn't want to continue on something that was against her religion and then a similar flamestorm to the WoW post occurred.
What it all boils down to is that we all don't want to be offended in our refuge from the issues we have to deal with in real life. WoW is an escape and when we get offended and/or personally attacked, then our escape becomes another source of stress instead. The best thing to do, of course, is not to bring up religion at all, since it is an extremely volatile topic. But it happens and I'd like to break it down in detail to help both sides tolerate each other and possibly reduce the occurrence of these religious flamewars. Yes, I am sometimes unrealistically optimistic.
To the Non-Believers:
The thing you must remember about Believers is that they really, really believe what they are saying and there is nothing you are going to say to change that. Nor should you. Just as you don't want them trying to convert you, they don't want you trying to convert them. You probably believe in something for which there is no hard proof. Perhaps it is intelligent life on other planets or psychic abilities in some humans or that there will be more seasons of Firefly. (I want to believe.) Regardless, if you state your beliefs as if they were facts, you don't want to be flamed for them.
Here is another way to think about Believers. You most likely have someone you care about that is a Believer. -- a family member or a friend or a mentor. Your Gramma probably believes. Would you like other people to treat your Gramma the way you are treating Believers?
Believers wouldn't state things like "the whole pents and triple six thing is very uncalled for I.M.O. and should be removed" unless it were extremely offensive to them. Try to think of something in game that you could come across that would offend you -- perhaps someone named after a horribly violent act or a guild name that makes fun of an illness that someone you love suffers from. Put yourself in their shoes and treat them accordingly. Or best yet, don't even pick up the gauntlet -- ignore them and move on. Flaming someone for putting religion in your game or game forums continues the religious topic. Ignoring a religious statement helps to bury it.
To the Believers:
Non-Believers are constantly inundated with religion in real life, particularly in the U.S. God is on U.S. currency and in every speech from the current leader of "the free world". You may believe that is as it should be, but Non-Believers who believe in the separation of Church and State are offended. Entertainment on U.S. airwaves is being censored because of a religious-based, government-enforced morality. Non-Believers play video games to enjoy a somewhat uncensored form of entertainment and escape from real life things they cannot change, but want to. When you state your religious belief as fact in WoW or the WoW forums, you are forcing religion on people who are trying to escape from it (among other things). And they react accordingly.
Non-Believers may actually believe. They often do. But they believe differently or just don't want religious discussions in their WoW forums, where they are inappropriate. They are wrong to flame you, but you are wrong to have brought religion or politics or any controversial real life topic to the forums in the first place.
WoW is a game where you summon demons and cast spells and do other things that the head of your place of worship would probably disapprove of. Death does not lead to an afterlife, but instead to a choice of resurrections. The Warcraft world was created, not by your deity, but by a combination of gods -- similar to Earth's ancient mythologies. Most importantly, this is a fictional world spawned from the imagination of several people, regardless of their beliefs. You play WoW knowing all these things that are against your faith are there. If you discover something that you find particularly offensive, send an email to Blizzard, but please do not complain in a public forum or in-game channel. You will only be bringing religion to a place where it doesn't belong and others will flame you for it.
To Everyone:
Even on non-RP servers, when you bring any non-WoW topic to the public channels you are reducing the enjoyment of many others. Talking about whatever sports game just ended will suck the fun of the people who are playing in order to forget about their team's loss. Discussing the bad day you had at work makes people think of their work stress and reduces everyone's immersion into WoW. Don't even get me started about movie and book spoilers.
Just as you should keep your work and home stresses separate, so should you keep your real life and WoW issues separate. It's better for you and it's better for everyone else. If someone brings anything you don't want to hear into your WoW experience, ignore them and continue to enjoy yourself. If you bring your non-Warcraft beliefs and activities into public WoW channels and forums, then expect to be at the wrong end of many people's anger.
Overall, regardless of your beliefs, in-game or on Earth, if you treat others the way you want to be treated, you and everyone else will be better off.
Robin Torres juggles one level 70 Tauren Druid, multiple alts across multiple servers, two cats, one toddler, one loot-addicted husband and a yarn dependency. After years of attempting to balance MMOs with real life, Robin lightheartedly shares the wisdom gleaned from her experiences. If you would like to ask Robin's advice or if you have a story you wish to share, please email Robin.Torres AT weblogsinc DOT com for a possible future column.
This past week, I was browsing the WoW European forums and came across a post about the Evil Children of Goldshire. For those of you who don't know, there are some children that sometimes appear on the second floor of the house outside of Goldshire. They are arranged in a pentagram and there is a 666 on the fireplace. Also, some eerie music plays when you are in the room with them. Someone complained about this kind of content being unnecessary to the game and the rest of the posts devolved into flaming him for his religious beliefs.Coincidentally, a similar incident happened this past week in a knit-along that I am participating in. A brief explanation for muggle readers: a knit-along is a list group or other online communication tool where people follow a pattern at the same time and discuss their progress, etc. It is kind of like MMO knitting. This particular knit-along is the Mystery Stole 3, where we don't know what the item is going to look like until we finish it and we don't know what the theme is -- this designer always has a theme or backstory behind her designs. But, of course, people like to guess ahead of time and one of the guesses was that it was demonic in nature. So someone in the list group of 7000+ people complained that if that were the case, she didn't want to continue on something that was against her religion and then a similar flamestorm to the WoW post occurred.
What it all boils down to is that we all don't want to be offended in our refuge from the issues we have to deal with in real life. WoW is an escape and when we get offended and/or personally attacked, then our escape becomes another source of stress instead. The best thing to do, of course, is not to bring up religion at all, since it is an extremely volatile topic. But it happens and I'd like to break it down in detail to help both sides tolerate each other and possibly reduce the occurrence of these religious flamewars. Yes, I am sometimes unrealistically optimistic.
To the Non-Believers:
The thing you must remember about Believers is that they really, really believe what they are saying and there is nothing you are going to say to change that. Nor should you. Just as you don't want them trying to convert you, they don't want you trying to convert them. You probably believe in something for which there is no hard proof. Perhaps it is intelligent life on other planets or psychic abilities in some humans or that there will be more seasons of Firefly. (I want to believe.) Regardless, if you state your beliefs as if they were facts, you don't want to be flamed for them.
Here is another way to think about Believers. You most likely have someone you care about that is a Believer. -- a family member or a friend or a mentor. Your Gramma probably believes. Would you like other people to treat your Gramma the way you are treating Believers?
Believers wouldn't state things like "the whole pents and triple six thing is very uncalled for I.M.O. and should be removed" unless it were extremely offensive to them. Try to think of something in game that you could come across that would offend you -- perhaps someone named after a horribly violent act or a guild name that makes fun of an illness that someone you love suffers from. Put yourself in their shoes and treat them accordingly. Or best yet, don't even pick up the gauntlet -- ignore them and move on. Flaming someone for putting religion in your game or game forums continues the religious topic. Ignoring a religious statement helps to bury it.
To the Believers:
Non-Believers are constantly inundated with religion in real life, particularly in the U.S. God is on U.S. currency and in every speech from the current leader of "the free world". You may believe that is as it should be, but Non-Believers who believe in the separation of Church and State are offended. Entertainment on U.S. airwaves is being censored because of a religious-based, government-enforced morality. Non-Believers play video games to enjoy a somewhat uncensored form of entertainment and escape from real life things they cannot change, but want to. When you state your religious belief as fact in WoW or the WoW forums, you are forcing religion on people who are trying to escape from it (among other things). And they react accordingly.
Non-Believers may actually believe. They often do. But they believe differently or just don't want religious discussions in their WoW forums, where they are inappropriate. They are wrong to flame you, but you are wrong to have brought religion or politics or any controversial real life topic to the forums in the first place.
WoW is a game where you summon demons and cast spells and do other things that the head of your place of worship would probably disapprove of. Death does not lead to an afterlife, but instead to a choice of resurrections. The Warcraft world was created, not by your deity, but by a combination of gods -- similar to Earth's ancient mythologies. Most importantly, this is a fictional world spawned from the imagination of several people, regardless of their beliefs. You play WoW knowing all these things that are against your faith are there. If you discover something that you find particularly offensive, send an email to Blizzard, but please do not complain in a public forum or in-game channel. You will only be bringing religion to a place where it doesn't belong and others will flame you for it.
To Everyone:
Even on non-RP servers, when you bring any non-WoW topic to the public channels you are reducing the enjoyment of many others. Talking about whatever sports game just ended will suck the fun of the people who are playing in order to forget about their team's loss. Discussing the bad day you had at work makes people think of their work stress and reduces everyone's immersion into WoW. Don't even get me started about movie and book spoilers.
Just as you should keep your work and home stresses separate, so should you keep your real life and WoW issues separate. It's better for you and it's better for everyone else. If someone brings anything you don't want to hear into your WoW experience, ignore them and continue to enjoy yourself. If you bring your non-Warcraft beliefs and activities into public WoW channels and forums, then expect to be at the wrong end of many people's anger.
Overall, regardless of your beliefs, in-game or on Earth, if you treat others the way you want to be treated, you and everyone else will be better off.
Robin Torres juggles one level 70 Tauren Druid, multiple alts across multiple servers, two cats, one toddler, one loot-addicted husband and a yarn dependency. After years of attempting to balance MMOs with real life, Robin lightheartedly shares the wisdom gleaned from her experiences. If you would like to ask Robin's advice or if you have a story you wish to share, please email Robin.Torres AT weblogsinc DOT com for a possible future column.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Azeroth Interrupted
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mats Jul 29th 2007 5:30PM
I believe in something, I don't subscribe to a lot of conspiracy theories, however, I have this feeling, belief some would call it, that man never landed on the moon. Yea, I know, it's stupid, you can all say it's stupid. I know. Really I do.
Thats how someone with a belief in something should behave. I would not prevent people from telling me what I believe to be wrong, I don't go out and protest space movies. And I would not send letters to blizzard if they had something about moon landing in there game. I do however let like to see documentaries that confirm my weird and strange idea. I like to read websites that support it.
So: my belief is my thing. I don't spread the word, I don't enforce it on others, I know to keep it my own.
Michel Jul 29th 2007 5:35PM
I want to be offended
I want to be challenged
I want to learn
I want things to change, I want progress, I want better
so Yeah, I want wow to NOT respect my believing or whatever stupid prejudices I have
I want General channel to be free for people to speak about what they want.
I can disconnet "general" if people speak about real thing I don't want to see in the game (I am a roleplayer, I don't play wow to know what the latest president did, I read news for that)
BUT I WANT Artists, creators, designers, producers and sellers of games (novels, movies, poems ,whatever) to be free to create and sell.
but, I checked, in USA religion and state are separated. as the Fathers of the constitution wanted to be.
I'm urge people to remind we _need_ tolerance of everyone and remember : in Wow, we fight the bad daemons and we help people kidnapped by bad people.
--
you can try of the time you want, there will be _always_ some people hating how you live, what you like, and how the world is.
the only thing is living doing the best without fear of intolerance.
--
In my own experience, I try to disrupt political or religious discussion in my workplace and in my warcraft guild because it brings too much trauma to people
if you force people to your believing, you don't love them.
I appreciate this post, it's a nice text about believing and non-believing with extra caution. but if (only if) no freedom are threatened, I don't think you should speak about some people making a fuss of nothing.
It's bad for us, it's bad for them because they lose their time and in the end, you know they antagonize people. no need to add others in that. I was happy ignoring that specific thread on the wow US forum.
If I can help , I want to know, but if it can only annoy people and antagonize against the intolerant people, where is the good ?
is there really a danger in the USA to fall into a theologic dictature with freedom of thought banned ?
(there are no similar debate in the french forum, for the time, thanks everyone and everthing)
Timothy Jaxon Jul 29th 2007 5:51PM
From the Average-Bear:
Your religion (or, more broadly, your faith) is like your car.
* It’s very important to you, and not really that important to other folks, even folks who are close to you. They might, in fact, forget what brand, make, or even color your car is, even though they’ve seen it a number of times, whereas you have gone so far as to give it a pet name or personalize it in a number of different ways.
* Part of the reason for that is because much of the time you spend in your car is spent alone. It’s just you and the car. Yes, you bring along other people sometimes, but that’s usually on the weekends, and it’s never the same as your personal time. ((In fact, you might find yourself thinking that you’re a much better driver when you don’t have all the other distractions in the car with you — I seem to have all my ‘close calls’ when I’m driving someone somewhere.))
* Unless I’m in the market for a new car, I’m probably not that interested in being sold on your model of car, though I might love you hear you gush enthusiastic about it.
In short, your car really matters to me:
* If you hit me with it.
* If I’m riding with you.
* If you’re in an accident when I’m riding with you.
* If you’re trying to get me to buy the same model.
Also… no one likes car salesmen, especially pushy ones. (Atheists, I’m looking at you too. Just because you’re running on biodiesel with no middle-eastern dependency doesn’t mean you aren’t in a car.)
Finally, and most importantly, there are lots of cars I find too staid, too ostentatious, too big, too ugly, too flashy, or too trendy to own, myself. Doesn’t mean I don’t like the people driving them. In fact, the car you drive influences my opinion of you about as much as your religion — until you get in my face about either.
And when it comes to impressing me, the car almost never does. The driver is the one that matters.
Necromancer Jul 29th 2007 7:19PM
We could just burn all the complainers on a stake, decapitate all the elitists, stone to death the high grounders and nuke everyone else.
Then we would not have to put up with this crap any longer.
Oh the joys of /ignore and /leave #
Chriasas Jul 30th 2007 1:28PM
So I guess it's safe to assume the those who are offended don't play warlocks? I am as religous as the average American, and I am a fan of WoW, obviously. WoW has good and evil, so it's natural for it to have angels (Spirit Rezzers) and demons (all of my warlock demons). But, they're presented in the style of mythos, not religion. So, beleivers, don't read into things that aren't there, and non-believers, don't knock me for what I believe.
solidsnake13 Jul 29th 2007 7:31PM
For a video of the creepy children, here it is on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrToVaNtp0U
CrpyTech Jul 29th 2007 8:01PM
@#3 that was the most intelligent post I have ever seen on the internet. You have covered every belief system in the verse with tolerance. Shiny!
Mats Jul 29th 2007 8:09PM
@3 Atheists are the guys who want you not to drive a car.
Not believing in god, is not a faith. You don't have a faith in not believing in Thor or Zeus. Your thinking of naturalists or humanists.
Mike Jul 29th 2007 10:03PM
We must find our way to a time when faith, without evidence, disgraces anyone who would claim it.
-Sam Harris
Owen "loopy" McRae Jul 29th 2007 10:30PM
@3 That was absolutely brilliant, is that your own work or sourced from somewhere else?
@6 Here we have a true Believer in the Firefly religion. It has been killed, now we await the glorious resurrection!
DISCLAIMER: I'm a Christian Youth Leader (not that either of the two things really matter)
bwest0526 Jul 29th 2007 11:19PM
Honestly, it is like all those"horable" TV programs...In MY OPINION...If ya don't like it Turn it off! Don't try to ruin it for the other 9 MILLION people who do Like it! If ya don't like the creepy children...guess what...DON'T GO THERE! Dork! It kills me with all this PC crap, Tell me I can't spank my kid in Wal-mart when he is acting out, and I will show you my hand smacking his butt! Seriously, society is too soft, you can't do this, you can't do that! It sure did work for all those years before, but now it is all too harsh!! OMG Get over yourselves. If someone does something I don't like or am offended by it. I just note to myself not to be around that person.
Plain and simple, If you don't like it, don't be around it. TV..don't watch, Creepy Children..don't go there. It is the same concept as eating at a resturaunt, if the food sucks or the service sucks...do you go back there to eat again? IF you do, you are beyond the help of most psycologists!
Everlong Jul 30th 2007 3:10AM
Seriously, this isn't the first time movies been referenced in WoW.
This isn't some kind of attempt from blizzard to offend christian players or anything like that.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087050/
Anathema Jul 30th 2007 7:54AM
Why should society tolerate lies and deciet?
Why tolerate something that has caused incalculable harm since it's invention?
Why tolerate something that oppresses populations and empowers evil leaders.
The Crusades.
The Inquisition.
The Salem Witch Trials.
The Holocaust.
The 9/11 Attacks.
All those actions were done in the name of God. Your God is dead and your faith is a lie. Belief is the shackles that hold back science.
Just as the blind cannot see, the believer cannot think.
Greg Jul 30th 2007 4:45AM
Err, so some people are offended by 666 and a pentogram, yet an Undead playable race and numerous other demonic references are just dandy? Jeez... it's a game.
Venkman90 Jul 30th 2007 5:00AM
I always thought (and im sure a GM hinted) that thos creepy kids were some kind of "marketing" for Diablo3 , but they showed up waaay back before the scourge invasion...
jason Jul 30th 2007 8:32AM
@14 Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner.
Wolfstalker Jul 30th 2007 8:34AM
Should we also try not to offend people who believe in Fairies and Unicorns?
*SPOILERS INCOMING*
There is no such thing as god. God is a fantasy created by ancient humans to help them deal with the concept of death.
*END SPOILERS*
Paw Jul 30th 2007 8:58AM
Here in the US, at least, everyone has the right to be offended.
If you feel that WoW has so offended your sensibilities I recommend clicking:
Start
Programs
World of Warcraft
Uninstall
[proceed with uninstall by accepting all prompts. Reboot when complete]
baron Jul 31st 2007 4:18PM
Every time I start to write a serious post even on private guild boards I stop halfway through, delete the post. Move on.
If you have to tell someone how to live properly then its just not worth the effort. You can expand the minds of your closest friends, you cant change strangers.
Elbows Jul 30th 2007 9:45AM
People still actually believe in god? Grow up, retards.