/spit /slap

That’s about all you can do to an NPC (non-player character) in World of Warcraft that is marked as “essential” by the game engine. The result will be simply a text message broadcast to all in the immediate area…

“/spit…Tajqa spits on Sylvanas Windrunner”

“/slap…Tajqa slaps Sylvanas Windrunner on the face *ouch*”

Sadly, the end result is usually like wetting yourself in a dark suit…usually.  But not this time.  During the Battle for Lordaeron, the opening salvo in the Alliance response to the war crimes of Sylvanas Windrunner the result was quite different.

Oh and here let me add MASSIVE SPOILERS…

For those not already in the know, Sylvannas Windrunner, current “warchief” of the horde burnt Teldrassil to the ground, killing all the civilians therein.  Not out of some far fetch necessity, not as retribution for some great wrong against anyone, but out of nothing but sheer raw, unadulterated, poorly written hatred.  (Wait did I say “poorly written”?

The result was the sacking and destruction of Sylvanas home, Lordaeron otherwise known as “Under City”.  During the Battle for Lordaeron my greatest disappointment was that, as a member of the horde, I couldn’t help out the Alliance and attack Sylvanas.  What I could do, is yell during the heat of the battle…

DEATH TO THE WAR CRIMINAL SYLVANAS WINDRUNNER!

…followed shortly thereafter by my targeting Sylvanas and typing “/spit”.  This time the result from those around me was

Yes!…/spit Player spits on Sylvanas Windrunner

Yes!…/spit Player spits on Sylvanas Windrunner

Yes!…/spit Player spits on Sylvanas Windrunner

Yes!…/spit Player spits on Sylvanas Windrunner

It seemed as those around me were just as upset about the issue as I was.  Mind you there is a certain frame of mind that would say that it must be good writing if Blizzard has managed to get everyone so wrapped up in the story.

Oh would that were the case.

The issue has even reached the main stream media, where critics have pointed out that simple truth that Blizzard has forced anyone who wants to play with their friends on the Horde side into the role of the bad guy.  Our choice is either follow the whims of an NPC war criminal or don’t play with your long time guildmates anymore; or for that matter quit WoW altogether.

This might even be a lot more readily bearable if there was some morally grey area to the actions of the NPC.  But there wasn’t.  Instead the character was written in a very two-dimensional manner with no depth of character at all.  As one reviewer wrote, Sylvanas may as well have been “twirling her mustache” as in a children’s cartoon.  The end result is a role-playing game that forces the player to assume a particular role – something that can make the game very unenjoyable.  If Blizzard wanted to force players on the Horde side into the role of the bad guy it seems to have worked.  One of my friends recently told me “why are you surprised that the Horde did something evil – they are evil.”

The crux of the issue is a game developer trying to tell the players what they are expected to get out of the game rather than give them an option.  That, as former company Mythic, now closed, can tell you, is something that never works. An author for Polygon put it this way:

 “No matter what twists and turns the Battle for Azeroth story takes, there’s an important lesson about player agency and buy-in to be found from War of the Thorns. It’s not as though every player hates being the villain, but to funnel the entire Horde through such a story has caused an enormous outcry.”

– Cass Marshall, “World of Warcraft’s latest story campaign has ignited the fanbase”

In the end, if Blizzard is going to sell a role-playing game, don’t tell me what role I have to play.  Don’t tell me I what I have to get out of the game.  And if you are going to make one of your main characters a 2 dimensional, purely evil, mustache twirling, war criminal, don’t give me a “like it or leave it” choice.