Thursday, November 14, 2013

My Button Done Got Pushed

Ok, I've just about had it. As a mother who stays home to take care of her kids while her husband goes to work, people being upset over Aggra's role in Warlords of Draenor is starting to piss me off. Yes she's fiction, but if she chose to stay at home and take care of her kids that doesn't make her less of a bad ass. It means she had a different plan for her life than you think you would have in her place.

I do like a lot of the discussion that I've seen. I think it could have been a great story if she did go with Thrall to Draenor, or even in his stead. I don't really like the idea of them carting a kid along with them, but parents do what they have to do, so it could work I suppose. I'd worry they were just setting us up to see the kid die to motivate our heroes, so that's my biggest reservation on that idea.

I'm not saying that you can't WANT Aggra to go back into battle. I'm most assuredly not saying that we don't need more bad ass women in the game, on the packaging, in the marketing, and wearing armor comparable to a male performing the same job.

What I'm saying is that when you start whining that she's being lessened as a person for staying back to take care of her kids, that her role as a stay at home parent hurts you? Well you know what? That hurts me, or at least makes me grumpy.

I think the off the cuff remarks made during the Blizzcon panel, referring to the "boys trip" and "end of the honeymoon" were unfortunate. I looked at my computer screen when he said that and thought "you Sir, are a dumb ass*" and also "wtf?" The idea that Thrall would just be done with his family and decide it was time for adventure is somewhat juvenile.

My point is, while you're pushing for Blizzard to see your point of view and what you'd like to see happen in the game, try and remember to consider that of others too. World of Warcraft is a big place, and there is a lot of room for a lot more women in it, and it's okay if some of them are just moms.

*In general I don't think he's a dumb ass, but that was how I felt at that moment when the words were said.

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