How the WoW community is about to push the self-destruct button
by Adam Holisky 
Dec 12th 2009 at 10:50PM
If you've been paying attention to the role forums and the "Ghostcrawler drama" this past week, you know what I'm talking about. If not, we'll begin with a brief rundown.
The Inherency of the Status Quo
WoW is designed and run by a team of people, with a handful of "leads" in position to direct the design of the game. These people, such as Ghostcrawler, are at the top of the ladder in terms of game development. They are the conglomerate of the entire design and development teams underneath them.
Ghostcrawler, and in the past a few people like him, post on the role forums daily in an effort to establish a dialogue with the community over some, but not all, game design principals.
The community, as expected, is more than happy to talk with Ghostcrawler and the rest of Blizzard.
The Harm of the Vocal Minority
The vast, the extremely vast, majority of WoW players are quite happy with the direction of the game and the balance that has been struck therein. The majority of players understand that the game is ever changing, that just because you're at the top today doesn't mean you'll be at the top tomorrow. The vast majority of players take this to be a game, and nothing more.
However, a minority of the players, which have recently developed a very loud voice, are not pleased with the direction and development of the game; especially those that have been around the entire time the past five years. While this vocal minority have many legitimate issues, some which truly do deserve to be addressed, they risk having not only themselves but the entire system of direct designer interaction shut down over their inappropriate and abusive tactics.
Case in point is a 20+ page, 20,000 view topic on the role forums that has developed over the past day (there have also been innumerable other ones deleted). In it, the vocal minority goes on a direct yet rambling attack against Ghostcrawler and the rest of the designers for what they've done with the game. The attacks are inappropriate and a complete distraction from the real questions and concerns the community needs to have addressed.
Solving the Problem
The community needs to do a few things, and these things need to happen soon.
First, the inappropriate commentary needs to either be shot down en masse, or it just needs to be ignored. The vocal minority only responds the way it does because players in general respond well to their tactics. When a person yells "FSCKING GC nerfed paladins again! I'm quitting!" and then sees two dozen affirmations of his sentiments, not only will he continue but he'll also cause other players to mimic his behavior. Instead, if he saw two dozen replies telling him to grow up and behave, then he would be shamed into behaving.
Secondly, the community as a whole needs to understand that it doesn't have a solid grasp on class balance and general game design. The topics are infinitely complex, often times requiring high level education to understand completely; especially in such a huge system like WoW. The people who do understand these systems are employed by Blizzard, and if not, they're listened to by people like Ghostcrawler. The community is not entitled to run the game. The fact that we all have a unique and valuable opportunity to engage in discussion about its direction is not a blank check to demand change.
In addition to the community changing, Blizzard needs to do something as well. The need to get another person in the role forums whose job it is to police the participants. This would have two effects. First, it would serve to show that the vocal minority that Blizzard supports its designers – no one could say that "I was just banned because Ghostcrawler didn't like what I was saying." It would be much clearer that they were banned by the company and by a group of individuals for being inappropriate.
Secondly, and more importantly, this would allow Ghostcrawler and the team he represents to go back to posting and discussing actual topics of interest to the community, rather than having to respond to the vocal minority.
While it's obvious that trollish parts of the community value participating in internet yelling matches, the majority of the community does not care to hear it. We bring this issue up and to the forefront on popular WoW media because it's imperative for the health of the community that this vocal minority does not control or continue to influence the quiet majority.
If these problems within the community are not cleared up, we all stand to lose the most insight we've ever gotten about the internal workings of WoW. And when that insight is lost, along with it will go the ability to exert any influence, however small, over those internal workings.
So tonight we implore the community not to press the self-destruct button. The results are not what you want.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 27)
onekyfemme Dec 14th 2009 7:56PM
HEAR HEAR!
Scorch Dec 17th 2009 1:01AM
The only way the wow community is destroying itself is through the way they treat tanks, I have said for quite some time that tanking in wow is the most difficult job in the game, people demand obserd amounts of gear out of tanks for simple heroics, people blame tanks everytime they get themselves killed when in reality it's their own damn faults 99.9% of the time unless the healer is the one who died. This issue is finally coming out in the open thanks to cross realm pve, if you pug as a dps you wait a little while, if you pug as a healer you wait a bit less, but if you pug as a tank for any random heroic you will most likely have a group in less than 5 seconds. I have 2 80 tanks and I must say people need more realistic ideas of what stats tanks should have, most tanks don't even have 21khp when they hit 80 without a bit of expensive pre heroic gearing, and from what I hear and have experienced new to 80 in my holy off spec on my paladin, dps and healers don't even have to gear up because people don't even look at their stats. When I say most new 80 tanks dont even have 21k hp That's not counting squishy bear tanks and their fatty reserves of easily cut through and crittable hp, cheeky bastards, far too many idiot druids have started arguements with me because they think all tanks get bear hp.
Gallifrei Dec 19th 2009 8:21AM
@ninthbatter
Because you yourself were replying, I could not reply to your post. But I was going to suggest you look at other changes since the patch, because scourge strike actually got FIXED, so it can be used in a viable optimum-DPS spec. Before 3.3 you had to use obliterate in a best-dps unholy spec.
Devilmark Dec 20th 2009 3:02PM
I see a lot of people kissing ass here. Not sure why they are, but I see a lot of it. I'm an objective kind of man, very open minded and a free thinker. I like to believe that I know what I'm doing when I register a complaint. The sad part is, I'll be labeled a troll for this because I'm not "constructive" or "polite".
Blizzard has made a joke of its fan base. To them, we're dollar signs. This has been a common occurrence since the merger with Activision. They assume to tell us we know nothing of how to balance a game, and that we can't possibly understand how difficult it is to get it right. These are developers are they not? Do they not create everything for a game? Then my question is simple, why can't they get it right?
Are you telling me that when you create something, you don't understand every aspect of what you have created? That you don't know how what you've made functions? Were you sleeping when you made it? Or were you just throwing together junk from the nearest pile of trash because you were bored and now you have no idea what purpose you made it for. If that's what they've done with WoW, maybe they need to rethink it. I've made many things in my life, and there isn't one...not one...that I did not have an intimate understanding of it's innermost workings.
When you build something...when you create something, you understand it better than anyone. Ever make your own game? Probably not. I have. It's funny, but the game was impossibly simple for me, but no one else could beat it. Why? Because I knew it inside out, and made it too difficult so that it would challenge me specifically...but then I realized, it's not challenging me that I'm trying to do, I understand it, there isn't GOING to be a challenge for me. The challenge exists for someone else. I had to reduce the difficulty significantly. Then people started to understand it.
I used to mod Diablo 2, I know what it takes to balance classes. And Blizzard doesn't care enough to do it. "The majority of players understand that the game is ever changing, that just because you're at the top today doesn't mean you'll be at the top tomorrow."
Land Dec 12th 2009 10:58PM
Totally agree, and it's not just specific to WoW, but to most all other MMO's. And i find it ironic that Enterprise is the picture for this post considering all the trolling and postings on this very subject in the STO forums LO>
Kurdaj Dec 12th 2009 11:45PM
This post, WoW.com is run by fanboys. That's not a problem - it's a necessary requisite for a news site about WoW. I understand that.
But here's the thing:
- you don't post WHAT the legitimate concerns the community has are, not doing so implies there aren't any
- you imply heavily that ALL negative criticism is trollish
- "if you don't like it, don't play" is too narrow-minded a position for such a benevolent company like Blizzard to take
- Ghostcrawler is a prima donna and too insensitive and he should stop posting all together, he causes more harm than good
That last one isn't opinion, it's fact. There shouldn't be a problem pointing it out. When he posts, it's to talk down to the community. For holding us in such high respect and for desiring to give us the best possible game, he's a real jerk about wanting us all to love him.
WoW.com should not so blatently shell out to Blizzard. Report objectively or not at all. Why don't you TRY to post what the "trolls" so-called legitimate concerns are? You say they have some, but are ignored. Well alright WoW.com, what are they?
Mr. Tastix Dec 12th 2009 11:57PM
You should be grateful he says anything at all. He could do what the majority of other game developers do and just simply ignore you.
Appreciate that he doesn't.
Kurdaj Dec 12th 2009 11:59PM
Mr Tastik:
I am not grateful because GC is not providing a desirable service.
jam Dec 13th 2009 12:02AM
Kurdaj = one of the fail trolls
Dart Matsuraki Dec 13th 2009 12:36AM
I'm expecting Kurdaj to be a troll but I'll bite anyways.
WoW.com has been and most likely always will be a BLOG. I don't think WoW.com has ever actually been advertised as a news site. Last I checked, aside from inappropriate content, bloggers are allowed to write articles on whatever tickles their fancy.
That means that bloggers have every right to post their opinions on matter of the community. Does that mean you have to agree with them? Of course not! That doesn't mean they're wrong either.
EZ Dec 13th 2009 12:44AM
it's funny how because someone disagrees it makes them a troll. I disagree with this post. It sounds like it was written by GC himself, everything down to the grammar and the self-important talk like ""The topics are infinitely complex, often times requiring high level education to understand completely; especially in such a huge system like WoW. ""
According to this article the people who are unhappy with the game have been playing for 5 years. I think that alone makes them qualified to comment on something as complex as balancing a video game. If you are not happy with the direction of the game, then I URGE you to make a post about it in the role forums. If GC is getting pissy because people disagree with certain changes, then maybe he should rethink those changes, or at least take into account why people are complaining. Brushing off criticism as 'trolling' is just Blizzards way of dealing with negative PR and silencing the "vocal minority".
If everyone was like Mr Tastix and putting GC on a holy pedestal then Blizzard would rob every customer blind if they were given the chance. They are a company (only reason they care about you is because you pay, you have a sentimental connection with GC, but I assure you he just wants to keep you playing so he keeps his bank account overflowing), and they are in bed with activision after all...Also, yes I am one of those conspiracy theorists that believe the game is purposely imbalanced to add another carrot to the stick so we all keep chasing the game, and paying the subscription fees.
Back on topic. Please change the author of this post from Adam Holisky to ghostcrawler. I know you probably got paid a nice sum for this PR stunt, but trying to fix problems with the game by silencing the people who criticize is not going to solve anything. It's just going to drive people away, and expose Blizzard for the type of company they are becoming. People are not happy with the way they are being treated as long time players, people are not happy with the direction of the game, and people are not happy with wow. This is the reality, and trying to marginalize it by "shaming them for having a different opinion" is SHAMEFUL.
Adam Holisky Dec 13th 2009 12:58AM
Hahaha.
Ghostcrawler did not ghost write this article.
Thanks for suggesting I sound like a college professor. I've been meandering through getting my degree for a few years now, glad I at least have the lingo down if I ever go for a PhD.
NinthBatter Dec 13th 2009 1:08AM
@EZ ok I for one know that wow.com doesn't get paid by blizzard because 1) AOL signs their checks and 2) the FTC requires you to say if you're getting paid by the item or organization you're reviewing and 3) Adam would have enough money to change his name to Adam Facepalm Holisky
But seriously, the issue here isn't don't voice your opinion it's don't be a douche bag about it by calling the lead developer and ass cramming dick fucker that eats shit for breakfast. How about Scourge strike was my goto button in my rotation and I've lost 3% dps since the change. We're lucky they even talk to the comunity.
Oh and ya I work in a buisness that gets a large vocal minority. In general if you have 100 person base and 1 person writes a negative review that means 2-4 people didn't like it and if you have 1 posative review 15-20 people liked it. That is assuming you are gaining proffit and not loosing viewership. Which blizzard isn't. People are always much more likely to tell you when they don't like something rather than when they do like something. Go look at the offical forums, look how many people have said they like the new dungeon finder adn quest finder yet it's fair to say that most everyone likes it.
Jorges Dec 13th 2009 1:09AM
Let's see... WoW has around 12 Million players...
I'm going to be very generous, and say that there are 2 Million players unhappy with the game, and 1Million of them are flaming the forums..
Of that 1Million, 500,000 players are directly Blaming GC...
That leaves us with 10Million payers that are happy or at least, don't mind the state of the game right now.
Yeah... you're the "vocal minority".
Hordeslayer Dec 13th 2009 1:45AM
It's more than the small minority of people than people think that dont like the way the game is going. its just most of them dont talk to blizzard about it on the forums or here like the others do, I play in a casual guild we do 10 man raids once in a while, and believe me, we fail but still, the people in my guild and everyone pretty much on my realm state the game is so easy, and it is, no one likes everything being given out on a plate, and it all started this expansion, the 'heroics' were a joke, since then blizzards has been giving out free emblems in these 'heroics' now, not only the heroics, why the hell has blizzard decided to make everyone get exalted with all reps so easy now, 520 rep for just one emblem??? 30% increased rep gain??? man i got exalted with them in like a month and that was too quick. things are getting out of hand. WoW is losing what made its name. as for the players complaining on the forums about class balance, we cant tell blizzard how to do that, they know best, they decide the numbers on that and usually get it right in the end imo.
Amaxe Dec 13th 2009 1:57AM
So the TL:DR for it all is, Blizz needs to moderate their forums better and boot out the people who violate the rules? It would make communication so much better compared to "ZOMFG... teh nerfed mah class again"
Who knows, maybe the blues might even feel more inclined to respond if they knew the uncivil ones were going to get booted
Toothpicke Dec 13th 2009 2:04AM
People aren't calling the trolls "trolls" because they are posting negative comments. You are being called trolls because your negative comments are not constructive. Your comments are not polite. Your comments are self-serving and egoistic and it is obvious to everyone but yourself. If everyone is coming down on you because of your negative troll-like ways then you know what? It's probably because you are a negative troll-like poster just trying to vent their spleen all over net while massaging your nerd-rage ego.
It's an effing game, and the fact that you care enough to dish such putrid crap in heaping piles all over this website and official forums shows that you still enjoy the game and that deep inside you know you would be an empty shell without it to make you feel like you belong in this world. I know the reality hurts, but dude, take a deep breath.. go outside, watch the life around you, and then try to act as angry as you are now about a simple video game. I guarantee you couldn't.
BubblePriest Dec 13th 2009 2:04AM
To the people down-voting comments: Keep in mind that in this case it does confirm to the vocal minority that the fanboiz are trying to keep them down and that the only way to get their point across is to complain more and louder. It's better in this case to explain to them calmly where the line is and when it is crossed.
Yes, you can disagree with things that Blizzard does. But keep in mind, there is a difference between intentional decisions they are making and unintentional things that may have slipped through the cracks. If you are not aware by this point that Blizzard is making World of Warcraft more casual friendly, you must be living under a rock. MMO players who don't even play WoW are aware that WoW is the casual-friendly MMO. Blizzard has stated this is their intention, and if you think that adding your voice to the cacophony will change the direction the game is taking, you have a very overinflated sense of your own importance. This is when you simply should look for a different game.
However, when it comes to smaller issues, there is a possibility that your input will be helpful, but you MUST stay calm. If your class has become unbalanced, post numbers. Do not make up numbers, learn to use a combat log parser. If a bug that Blizzard thinks is not urgent is causing you to not enjoy the game, explain to them why it is more important than they believe it to be. If there is even a remote possibility your post might be construed as whining, have a friend read over it before you post it. If you sound whiny, your post will be dismissed out of hand.
People think it is appropriate to be angry and post venom filled diatribes. Perhaps it makes them feel better, but it has absolutely no effect on the game. When people approach you spewing venomous criticism, do you ever believe that it's your fault? No. If the other person is making themselves sound ridiculous, then it is too easy to dismiss the content of their criticism due to the way in which they communicated it.
Sadly, I think a lot of it is an maturity issue. It is very easy as a teenager to be convinced of the righteousness of your cause (whatever the cause may be, I'm ashamed to say it was politics for me) and perceive those who do not agree with you as morally lacking. I think many of the people who perceive Ghostcrawler as condescending fall into this camp. For the rest of us, remember you were there once. It may not have been a video game, but there was something you felt that way about and annoyed everyone around you talking about.
Maymer Dec 13th 2009 2:07AM
I say all we do is create a giant poster of a crab just staring at you with his eyes, and underneath it says "GHOSTCRAWLER IS WATCHING YOU!"
You know, 1984 those forums up I say.
Raynier Dec 13th 2009 2:15AM
Hordeslayer: There are plenty of things in the game that Blizzard doesn't just "give away." For example, hard modes and raid achievements. Iron-bound Protodrakes. Loremaster colors and title. Tons of rare-drop mounts, including some that require a showing of skill or particular achievement to obtain. The list goes on.
Just because you feel the need to have the game on God Mode so you can lord your manhood over the rest of the playerbase doesn't mean that's what Blizzard owes you. They're making a product. Products need customers to buy them. Very few people, yourself and a "vocal minority" being the exception, would buy into a game that offers pain in place of fun and grind-after-grind in place of relaxation.
IMO, Blizzard has done a remarkably good job balancing content so that it's very easy to learn the game, but still a significant challenge to try to master it.
Complain all you want, but it's that very accessibility that you're railing against that has kept this game going. If you don't like it, find some other pursuit that more readily allows you to lord it over the mortals. Like bodybuilding or triathlons.