Very nice post at Joystiq that consolidates a lot of the information and discussion on Blizzard’s shutting down a GLBT guild.
Sara Andrews was recruiting players for her gay-and-lesbian-friendly guild when she received a warning from Blizzard that if she didn’t stop doing that, she’d be banished from the game.
Blizzard’s argument in making this threat: bringing up such touchy subjects in the game world ultimately devolves into a nasty shouting match that creates a negative atmosphere for all players. By forbidding public discussion of such topics, Blizzard believes the game will be a more pleasant place for everyone.
I don’t know where I stand on this, really. I believe Blizzard really is trying to prevent harrassment of the people who would join this guild, but I also think the proper way to handle this is by going after the harrassers, and not the harrassed. Blizzard seems to be trying to prevent griefing, but doesn’t seem to be doing it in the smartest way. Read more of the Joystiq commentary and the other web sites linked off of that post for a better understanding of the whole affair.
[tags]GLBT, WoW, Warcraft, MMO[/tags]