Breakfast Topic: Do you wear WoW in public?
by Rob Bush 
May 1st 2011 at 8:00AM
There is only one reason I wear my WoW T-shirt in public, and that is to hear my favorite question: "Horde or Alliance?"
"Alliance!" I answer with such enthusiasm that you would think King Varian and the Alliance banner decorate my bedroom wall. More often than not, I get an impersonation of a snobbish blood elf look. It's safe to assume we don't share the same faction pride and I have obviously chosen wrong. My recovery plan: "Well, I have a 68 troll mage." My new Horde friend gives me a curt nod that would make any non-emotion showing orc proud. I'm welcomed into the strong ties of the Horde, perhaps due to the fact that I didn't roll a female blood elf -- or perhaps it's simply because I have a Horde toon that is above 20 and not a death knight.
Regardless of whether I get the blood elf look or not, it is always an interesting conversation. Now if only I could get everyone to talk about the drinking habits of dwarves ...
"Horde or Alliance?" When I wear that T-shirt in public, I'm guaranteed a few WoW conversations. So what do you wear when you go out to find your fellow Azerothians?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Gäbriel - Warsong May 1st 2011 8:10AM
well, i use my "my life for the horde" t-shirt almost every week when i go to college (people doesnt know what is the wow here in brazil, its not that popular), and my pendant is with the horde logo
anyway i found a lot of new friends that play wow simply by using this stuff
Zarst May 1st 2011 8:11AM
I don't have any WOW gear yet, but I'm seriously considering getting some. I am finally getting to a point where I comfortable being as nerdy as I am, and want to meet more people with the same interests as me. I know I couldn't be the only person on campus who plays WOW, so maybe a shirt or something could me meet some new people.
Cheb May 1st 2011 11:01AM
I had a shirt that said Eastvale Logging Camp with a stylized picture of the lumber mill on it. It was a great shirt, anyone who played WoW knew exactly what it was, and people who didn't assumed it was one of the locale shirts that American Eagle/Abercrombie/Old Navy always put out. I like the more subtle shirts.
Harvoc May 1st 2011 11:49AM
@ Cheb
I don't have any WoW wear, but if I decided to get some, I'd probably do what you're doing and wear something subtle, so that those who play WoW would understand while others would just think it looks cool.
Rai May 1st 2011 11:57AM
I own the +20 Frost Resistance hoodie from J!NX and wear it all the time.
Doesn't work in the summer though.
VSUReaper May 1st 2011 5:52PM
I used to keep it a bit of a secret when I lived in the us that I played: the one time I was open about it I had some bottles of Coke dumped on my laptop (b/c I was a "nerd"...).
When I moved to Canada, it was a fresh start, and I wore my Horde Pride on my sleeve... Or at least on my laptop bag. It's def a different experience being open about it.
If it didn't cost quite so much and Jynx had something I really liked, I would invest in some hoodies or something, but at around $60 for something that makes me go meh... It's just not worth it.
Udderpowered May 1st 2011 8:12AM
I'd probably have no shame in wearing one, presuming I saw one that didn't cost 5 times as much as a normal t-shirt serving the same function. If I saw a cheap WoW shirt in a shop, I'd definitely buy it!
Mitawa May 1st 2011 11:13AM
You could try screen printing your own?
Instructables has a number of good screen printing walkthroughs, and all you'd need is a nice-quality image of the faction logo of your choice to trace, an old picture frame, a fabric remnant, and some old extra paint to print as many WoW shirts as you want.
Just don't sell them or you'll run into copyright issues. :)
D tothe Y May 1st 2011 12:26PM
I got lucky and found wow tees at JcPenny 2 for $20! yea i wear it once a week, girlfriend got the other. Its really hard to spend $20-$30 on a T-shirt! I think thats why you still see metallica and other band shirts today, they cost a fortune!
Sarah Bee May 1st 2011 8:16AM
I got one of the Alliance shirts but it's a too big, but I have a Horde one that fits great. :D
exogenesis. May 1st 2011 8:25AM
I wear a "FOR THE HORDE" t-shirt. I love it to bits.
No one has commented on it or started any WoW conversations with me yet though.
MusedMoose May 1st 2011 8:29AM
I have a few WoW shirts, but so far no one's recognized that my "Dalaran University" shirt is from a game; the style is close enough to most college-type shirts that people probably just assume. I'd wear my legendary mage shirt more often, but every single time I wear it among friends, they ask me why I have a sheep on my shirt. @_@
Although, we're all going to Dragon*Con this summer, and I'm pretty certain people there would recognize it for what it was. Perhaps I should get the "Epic Purple Shirt" from Jinx... ^_^
newellprice May 1st 2011 8:32AM
I wear WoW t-shirts or gamer themed ones quite often and love the way it can strike up an "Alliance or Horde?" conversation in the randomist of places. I play Horde and pity the Alliance fools (although when pressed will fess up to having an 85 Nelf hunter).
I was at the checkout of a local supermarket when the guy serving me asked that. Turns out he plays on the same server as me, although he is a member of a notorious alliance-side ganking guild (whereas I am in a fairly well known Horde guild of the same genre) - he was real nice ooc and we said we would look out for each other in game ;)
And yes, I sit here right now in my "Rogue" t-shirt.
vorgadk May 1st 2011 8:32AM
Hate to admit it... I won't wear any wow gear in public. There are a lot of assumptions people make about WoW players, and they aren't all positive : (
Harvoc May 1st 2011 11:51AM
That's the main obstacle for me in wearing WoW wear right now. I've had friends ridicule the game even without knowing what the hell it is. They just wanted to jump on the bandwagon.
Trelteth May 1st 2011 8:34AM
I don't usually wear anything unless it's my WoW hat. I do have a bumper sticker on my van that says, "My other ride is an [Epic Mount]"
One day, as I was getting out of the van, a guy walked up and asked me, "Horde or Alliance?". "Horde!" I said. He gets a slight look of disgust on his face and says "F*ck you!" and walks away.
Rabbit May 1st 2011 2:32PM
LOL at the mental image of Trelteth walking around wearing nothing except his WoW hat.
shettis94 May 1st 2011 8:36AM
Although I'm bifactional through and through, the only WoW garment I own is a hoodie with the Horde insignia from J!NX. It's one of the most comfortable and easily matchable articles of clothing I've ever had. If I don't feel like "representing", I can just pull the zipper open to split the logo in half.
Even in a small country like this, people seem to recognize the symbol, but they seem reluctant to come up and chat. That's just our culture, I guess. Wish I'd find friends with it someday.
Darky May 1st 2011 8:36AM
...The 9 and 1 is back-to-front, it bothers me...
And no I dont, due to WoW shirts are overpriced for what they really are (a polo shirt).
nieboh May 1st 2011 8:39AM
I got a shirt with one of my toon's names and race and class on it along with my guild's name and the guilds crest. But shortly after I got it, my guild switched tabard design. I was a little miffed. I don't often wear it in public though. Maybe have a couple of times but it didn't spark any conversation.