But the nitty gritty of it is that it’s a primarily PvP-centric game, with a rather large following, and it’s also a very competitive game by all standards. It’s also free to play, so you never actually have to spend money on it. There’s no subscription fee, and all the necessary functions of the game, you can access without spending a dime. (There are vanity perks you can get, and some things that you can access anyway, you can get faster by spending money, but there is no gameplay advantage by spending money.)

Without going into the lore of the whole thing (since I’m not terribly familiar with it), the gameplay premise is taking two teams of champions, and pitting them against each other to win battles. Think of it similarly to a match of Alterac Valley in WoW. You have the points you need to defend, while taking down enemy points, and killing various NPCs for gold and buffs in the meantime.

Truthfully, it’s actually kind of hard to say what the game is without going beyond the sheer basics. So, I think with the next post, I’ll get into the basics of how to play. I just need to figure out a few minor computer issues between now and then, so I can record easily.

To be honest, I actually never thought I would have so much fun with a game like this. I’m traditionally horrible at RTS-type games, because I’m actually generally pretty bad at micromanagement to the degree that some of these games require (such as Starcraft). However, LoL isn’t full-on RTS, so it was much easier for me to pick up, since I don’t have to worry about more than two units of my own at a time (at least, controlling them). This is one of the things that has helped me with being able to manage the game, so I’m happy about it.

All in all, though, I’ve been steadily progressing in the game, getting more champions, learning them, getting better at the game in general. I want to do really well at it, and I think that I’m doing well with it. I know I’m not great at it, but thanks to sites like Reign of Gaming, SoloMid and others, I try to absorb a lot of information to get as good with it as I can. I honestly can say that there is a lot of information out there for people that have been with the game for a while, and this is definitely a good thing. However, getting into a new game, especially one such as this, can be extremely overwhelming for someone who doesn’t even know what it’s all about! As such, I want to try to remedy this. Hopefully, I’ll be able to continue with it, too, because it’s free to play (unlike Rift, unfortunately, which I would love to be able to keep up with – but without a subscription, it’s nigh impossible).

So, more to come soon on the topic of League of Legends. I think I’ll even do a video to accompany the next post as an introduction to the game!

I don’t want to make this post a diatribe about how other people are wrong. But I have been called selfish, I have been told I don’t know what I’m talking about, and I’ve been linked this image, as if it’s supposed to show how my opinion is “wrong.” What I will say is that I hate political correctness. And yes, I do think a large majority of people need to get over themselves and get a thicker skin. However, there are going to be people that use words offensively, and there are going to be times where context shows that the offense is very definitely meant to hurt someone emotionally. What I want to dispel is this apparent belief that I can’t see that.

I do want to warn you there is a lot of stream of consciousness in here. But if you will read the entire post before scrolling down to the “Leave Comment” box, I would be greatly appreciative of this.

I am fully aware that people are offended by things. I am fully aware that people use things in an offensive manner. There is no dispute there. I would ask that you keep this in mind that I am fully aware of this throughout this blog post.

Regarding the image. The image is wrong. Trying to throw something like that in my face is bullshit and shows that you have absolutely no concept of how to view someone else’s point of view.

My issue is not that people support those who are offended. My issue is not that people back them up, and help them get the legal and social aid that they need. That is something that we, as humans, should do. We should be making a community and a world where people are generally okay with each other. But on the flip side of the coin, I don’t need people offended for me.

So what do I mean by this exactly?

Well, I’m a gay man. I’m also an American Indian. I suffer from a few different mental disorders. So on three fronts I deal with being on the receiving end of pejoratives, jokes, racism and homophobia. Yet… I generally don’t get offended by that much. I guess I have a hard time understanding why people do, when in the end, it has – quite literally – zero ramification to them in the context of general speech.

There are times where racism, homophobia, ageism, etc., are to be looked down upon. But that isn’t from a viewpoint of being offended or not – that’s plain and simple egalitarianism. You push for equality because it’s right, not because people are offended by one thing or another.

If you want to tell me, “x is offensive,” I want you to tell me what the context is. I want you to understand that some words have multiple definitions. For example, the word “lame.” Lame is a word that can be ableist. It isn’t always, though. In fact, most times, it’s not. But let’s go a step further with this, shall we?

Let’s look at a couple definitions of the word “lame,” from Dictionary.com.

1. crippled or physically disabled, especially in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty.
2. impaired or disabled through defect or injury: a lame arm.
3. weak; inadequate; unsatisfactory; clumsy: a lame excuse.
4. Slang. out of touch with modern fads or trends; unsophisticated.

So, we have four definitions of the word “lame” in the adjective format. Only two of those definitions could be shown to be ableist. The other two definitions have absolutely nothing to do with the first. So when someone says “That’s so lame,” it’s not being ableist in any way, shape or form. To say it’s being ableist is to be ignorant of the fact that the word has multiple ways to be used. In fact, the slang definition isn’t even applicable in this instance! Pedantry is of no help. If you want to be an activist against ableism, homophobia, racism, whatever else – please, do so! But realize that one can’t take it to the extreme, either. If we all went out of our way to ensure that we never said anything offensive, ever, where would we be? What kind of world would we live in?

Beyond that, it’s not a real expectation. It’s not ignoble, but it is certainly not feasible, either. One should ensure that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. But at the same time, one needs to understand that a line must be drawn. It isn’t an all-or-nothing situation, and it’s certainly not in the interest of not hurting people emotionally. Yes, I think people need to suck it up in general. No, I don’t think it’s okay that people are prevented from having jobs, homes, education, safety or basic necessities, due to their gender, gender identity, race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, (dis)ability, or whatever else there is an -ism for.

That all said, I don’t think it’s right, either, that people be offended on my behalf. I am the one that gets to choose what offends me. It may be altruistic for you to decide for me that I need to be offended by people’s usage of the word “fag” – but altruism also implies that you’re doing it for the greater good. I used the example of “smoking a fag” as something A LOT of people use to say they’re smoking a cigarette. I find it absolutely absurd that people ask each other not to say this on the mere possibility they might get offended. It’s like saying, “Don’t eat their food. They might get offended if you don’t like it.” It’s just as stupid, isn’t it? Yes, it is.

You don’t not do things because people might get offended. That’s making a decision for other people. You don’t want people deciding that you like, say, ketchup (or any other random product, of any kind, at all, ever), even if you absolutely can’t stand it. Why is this different? Why is it okay for you to decide for me what should and should not offend me?

Now, where have I said, don’t support people in their various fights for rights? Where have I said you shouldn’t help them by voting and ensuring that they are treated as equals? Where have I said that it’s not okay to write your people in government (here in the U.S., Senators and Representatives) and tell them that, in order to represent their citizens, they need to propose and back up equal rights for everyone?

I never said it’s not okay to do these things. I just said don’t make decisions for me. I don’t make decisions for you.

I am very anti-discrimination. I think it’s wrong. We as humans should be looking at discrimination because we want things equal. Not because someone called you a poopy-head and it made you cry. Call me an asshole. Call me an insensitive prick if it makes you feel better.

I’ve been told I need to “get over” my mental disorders. I’ve been told that my insomnia isn’t real. I’ve been told that I’m not good enough because I’m not white, and because I’m not Indian enough. I’ve been told that I’m “like a cake that you tell a fat kid he can’t have.” None of these things is not offensive. Some of them actually hurt more than others. I don’t let it show, though, because at the end of the day, I still have to be rational. That’s just who I am. I laugh about it, even if I’m offended by it. You know why? Because there’s no point in staying offended by it.

I can explain away that I can’t just “get over” having mood swings I can’t control. It doesn’t work that way. You don’t just “get over” it. And no, you don’t just “get over” being insulted. Trust me, I’m well aware of that. It hurts, a lot. But how often are you going to let it hurt you before you decide that enough is enough and it’s not worth being offended over? I’m not offended by the fact that people tell me to “get over” my insomnia, or my bipolar disorder, or my social anxiety anymore – it’s just not worth the time for me personally. Different people have a much different outlook on this, however. But by saying, “x is offensive,” you’re putting everyone under the same umbrella. And it really doesn’t work that way.

Ten people may find the same statement offensive to different degrees. And while I don’t believe in the notion of “intent is everything,” you have to put some credit there, too. If someone clearly intends for it to be offensive, you’re damn right I’m going to call them out. But chances are, I’m calling them out for being a douchebag, not because of whatever it is they said. Interestingly, when I submit tickets to Blizzard for in-game offenses, I will explain, “they’re making racist/homophobic remarks,” etc., and it’s generally because they’re directed at me, and because that’s what they’re doing. Whether I am offended by it or not, it’s against Blizzard’s ToU. Those ToU are egalitarian in that aspect – all individuals are, under their game license, supposed to be treated as equals, regardless of their background. One must be specific in these cases, however, due to the nature of having a recurring history of being reported, and things like that – so that they have a record.

Anyway, I’ve rambled on long enough.

Like I said before, don’t make decisions for me, and I won’t do it for you. Fight for equality, because equality is right, not because something is offensive.

Among players and NPCs both, there is a feeling of resentment toward Garrosh as the new Warchief that Thrall had chosen to take place in the interim while dealing with the World Pillar and Cho’gall, then Ragnaros, then Deathwing himself. As most people are aware, there’s been a lot of internal strife in the Horde – this is most notable when you visit the troll, forsaken or worgen starting zones, as Vol’jin and Sylvanas are the ones most unhappy about Garrosh. Although I don’t know his official stance, I imagine Baine is rather on the fence about what happened. In the same regard, the player base has splintered as well. Those that want Vol’jin as Warchief, those for Baine, those for Sylvanas, the Garrosh loyalists, the Thrall loyalists, and everyone else (the Basic Campfire crowd). So, let’s take a quick step back and look at the events leading up to this, and some speculation for what happens between now and the Siege of Orgrimmar.

SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO HAVE SPOILERS ABOUT THE NOVEL THE SHATTERING REVEALED TO YOU, READ NO FURTHER.

Okay, so, for those around during the 4.0 patch, most people are aware of most of what happened there – that Thrall left to Nagrand with Aggra in order to train to become the shaman that helped save the world with the Dragon Aspects and the Earthen Ring. Those that didn’t know that, now do. Because of this, he had to step down as Warchief – there was a snowball’s chance in hell that he was going to be able to not only save the world, but also manage the affairs of the Horde at the same time. So, we come to the events of the novel, The Shattering. I will admit, I have not read this book (unfortunately), so some of my information may be incorrect, and most of what I’m posting is going off of in-game knowledge, or proxy information from sources like Wowpedia. If I am wrong, please feel free to correct me.

ANYWAY. On to the events of the novel. It’s largely known that Garrosh and Cairne had a falling out, and Cairne challenged the leadership of the Horde. The event to take place was called mak’gora, or what we would know as an honorable duel. Garrosh accepted the challenge, but under the caveat that they would not be using Thrall’s sanction, which was non-lethal combat. Instead, they’d be using older rules, a duel to the death. Cairne agreed to this. The premise is that it would allow both competitors one weapon, and no armor. Cairne would use his Bloodhoof Runespear, while Garrosh would take Gorehowl – the axe of one Grom Hellscream.

At this point, it should be noted that Magatha Grimtotem got her hands in this whole affair. For those unaware, the Grimtotem tribe of tauren were long at odds with most other tauren tribes, while Magatha would serve as an “ambassador” up through Wrath of the Lich King. Key quest lines at the time were centered in the Barrens and Thousand Needles (and to some degree, there still is a lot of lore left in Thousand Needles if you do happen to quest through there). Consistently, the Grimtotem would try to undermine the rest of the tauren and seize power. That said, Magatha, seemingly in favor of Garrosh, would “bless” Gorehowl. Instead, it turns out that she would actually poison the weapon.

So why the mak’gora? Well, there was a neutral meeting of druids (of both the night elf and tauren variety), that were murdered. At the time, the sole survivor of this was Hamuul Runetotem (poor guy just doesn’t get a break, does he?). Orcs led Hamuul believe that Garrosh had ordered this, but it was in fact Twilight cultists. Since no one was actually aware of this, Cairne was pissed, and thus challenged Garrosh to a duel of honor. The rules of the duel led to Cairne having his weapon blessed by a shaman with oils, while Magatha blessed Gorehowl with poison. Unwittingly, this was the cause of Cairne’s demise.

So, during this whole ordeal, Cairne more or less beats the shit out of Garrosh. Garrosh finally manages to land a hit on Cairne, barely nicking the skin, but given his weapon was poisoned (and not to his knowledge). Just the glancing blow was enough to do in Cairne. It is said on Wowpedia that Cairne realized that this was Magatha’s doing, not Garrosh’s, and that he lamented having died due to betrayal. He knew that he was betrayed not by Garrosh, but by Magatha. The duel did lead to Garrosh’s absolution of guilt toward events in Ashenvale, but it was tainted nonetheless, and this also has created tension, as it wasn’t necessarily a “true” duel of honor.

So while technically, yes, Cairne was murdered, it was not by Garrosh’s hand, but by Magatha’s. This is the main point of contention I have with much of the WoW playerbase. From here, the tension between Vol’jin and Sylvanas, and Garrosh, begins to really surface.

If you go through the troll starting area on the Echo Isles, at about level three, you are sent to Vol’jin in the quest line, and he shows you a bit of what happened between him and Garrosh, noting the dispute that they had initially, and with Vol’jin threatening Garrosh. In Silverpine Forest, you see the issues between Sylvanas and Garrosh. And in Gilneas, you see more between Garrosh and Sylvanas. Most will probably take Sylvanas as blatantly disobeying Garrosh, but you could look at that from multiple perspectives. That’s really for another post, however (and if people are interested in hearing my thoughts on that, I’ll be more than happy to make another post relating to it).

So, we come to “present day” in World of Warcraft, with Garrosh as Warchief, and splintered factions within the Horde. The trolls and goblins are subjugated to the slums, there are few (if any) Forsaken in all of Orgrimmar, and the Blood Elves present are relegated to Grommash Hold. Only the tauren have a larger presence in the city, mostly in the Valley of Wisdom. Vol’jin has taken up residence in the Echo Isles, and Gallywix in Azshara (I assume – he’s not actually present outside of the Lost Isles). So here we have all these major players in the Horde, and outside of the orcs themselves, a lot of bad mojo toward Garrosh.

If you’ve finished up Hyjal, and done the Elemental Bonds quest chain, then you see that even Thrall himself is very, very angry with Garrosh. My assumption here is that it is not because of the poisoned Gorehowl, but because he insisted on mak’gora to the death. I imagine that if that were not the case, Thrall would feel the Horde would be better off than it is now, rather than full of strife as it is currently. For the continuation of Horde/Alliance conflict, however, the death of Cairne was an unfortunate necessity (and if it wasn’t him, it would have been Vol’jin, but Vol’jin’s dealings with the Gurubashi and Amani decided that he would be too important for that to happen; if nothing else, this shows that Blizzard do think ahead).

From here, my guess is that since Deathwing has finally been dealt with, and Thrall’s coming back to take up the mantle of Warchief, there are more issues with Garrosh. It’s also important to note Thrall’s inner hatred toward Varian Wrynn, as outlined also in the Elemental Bonds quest. I’d speculate that there is a struggle between Garrosh and Thrall. Thrall’s generally been considered the “nice guy” and has consistently tried to make peace with the Alliance via Jaina Proudmoore, while Garrosh has generally been gung-ho about destroying them. A lot of orcs are still behind Garrosh’s way of thinking in this regard, while probably not so many with Thrall. Baine, Gallywix, Sylvanas and Lor’Themar have their reasons to be wanting to wipe out the humans, if not the entirety of the Alliance. The only leader I could conceivably see as remotely willing to go forward with peace with the Alliance is Vol’jin, and even that is a stretch, due to trolls and their general hatred toward most elves.

Because of the Elemental Bonds quest, however, and his relationship with the other Horde leaders, I imagine that Thrall becomes more inclined to pursue domination of Azeroth. However, Thrall is generally the more careful and pragmatic between the two. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out nonetheless. Still, because of Sylvanas and Vol’jin, and possibly Baine, it’s most likely that they will support taking down Garrosh. Even Sylvanas has been nothing but an ally (regardless of motivation) to the Horde as a general rule. The reasons Alliance want to take down Garrosh is pretty self-explanatory, but I feel that the Horde’s interaction will be a bit more complicated. Moreover, Thrall could still be angry with Garrosh over the Ashenvale events, even though Garrosh has tried to prove himself worthy by the quest chain in Stonetalon Mountains. Unfortunately, we all know Garrosh is not an equal opportunity justice-bringer, and is more rash than most would like.

That said, because we know that Thrall is not particularly fond of Varian, I have to wonder how his relationship with Jaina will change. We are aware that Theramore will be devastated by Horde forces, and this will further strain relations between the Alliance and Horde, too. We also know that Proudmoore’s forces and the orcs and trolls have long been at odds, and most likely many of them are still Alliance loyalists. The destruction of Theramore will only further that.

There are a lot of possibilities here, and with the introduction of Pandaren also being part of both factions, it will make for some interesting conflicts. Moreover, the Pandaren also choosing sides could lead to more of a wedge between the two factions due to simply the “anything you can do, I can do better” adage. I imagine that the Pandaren will play a big role in Mists and quickly to be forgotten in upcoming expansions like every other new race and continuing the faction versus faction warfare.

I would like to point out again that some of what I have said in here is mere speculation and that it may be well off the mark, but there’s a lot of implication there, as well. It could really go either way, especially with the Varian opinion (plus I have a slight bias against Varian because I think he’s a douchebag). But what about you? What do you think will happen between Thrall and Garrosh in Mists? Do you think there are going to be any huge plot twists that will cause Thrall to throw out Garrosh?

That said, guild drama sucks, especially when it leads to people either quitting or getting kick from a guild.  I mean, I get that there are going to be personality conflicts and whatnot, but when there are people that are supposed to be the ones you look up to and respect looking down on, condescending to, or outright being hateful toward other members of the guild, how is that supposed to reflect on the guild to new guild members?  Now, I don’t expect people to maintain civility 100% of the time, but recent weeks have proven to be an exercise in sheer frustration.

On the whole, it’s really just not okay to continually start shit with people, or to egg on conflicts that have already been in progress. I sometimes think people fail to realize just how much they are making themselves look like the ass by trying to paint other people as the bad guy all the time. This isn’t specific to any one person, either, as it happens all the time, everywhere. This is the Internet, after all. It’s just something that’s been rather prevalent lately, is all. That’s the most maddening part, though, when people don’t (or won’t) step back and see their own faults.

I’ve had my share of conflicts with people. Hell, I tried to push for someone in a previous guild to get kicked because of several personality conflicts. While that didn’t work at the time, apparently he’s since been removed so in the end it was a moot point. Still, the point is: if you’ve got a problem with someone, there’s no reason that you can’t be civil and approach the situation with some tact. Not doing so reflects poorly on you and your guild. The one thing we can be thankful for is that in most circumstances, these kinds of things don’t generally lead to what they could in real life situations.

I know I’m certainly not the arbiter of amazing people skills, or the pinnacle of interpersonal relationships, but it’s not hard to see when problems arise. The hard thing is sometimes making the decision whether to remove oneself from the situation, or if so, to do so in a way that doesn’t spark up more issues. For the time being, I’m staying where I’m at, but sometimes I just wish for a way to strangle people through TCP/IP.

How do you deal with guild drama?

My first raiding character was a warlock. I went through T4 content, and wound up eventually in a T5 guild. I ultimately could have gone on to a Sunwell guild had I been able to make the raid times. I’d probably also be still playing that warlock as my main if things had gone that route. It was one of the two top guilds on the server at the time, and the top Alliance guild. My guild that I was in, however, eventually fell prey to pre-expansion woes and split up. I stopped raiding on my warlock and moved on to my restoration shaman and smite priest to round out the expansion. To this day, interestingly, my shaman still has not gotten the totem from Maiden of Virtue, nor has my warlock managed to obtain the Voidheart Helm from Prince Malchezaar.

When Wrath started, I finished leveling my protection warrior, and started off in Naxxramas as a tank. This would be the second time I’d officially switched raiding mains, and at this point, rounded out the damage dealer-healer-tank trinity. Throughout Naxx, though, I would play my warrior, shaman, death knight (RIP blood dps), and a discipline priest. It felt very unfocused, but it was me trying to do everything possible to help the guild out.

Eventually, I rerolled Horde, and this time it would be a holy priest. This would be my main through the remainder of Wrath, as well as the majority of Cataclysm. It pains me quite a bit that I’ve switched mains one more time since, but only because I have put so much work into my priest. Through three expansions, I have played a priest to some degree. Getting to know all the intricacies of the class has been a challenge, but a welcome one. All of my raiding achievements, sans Firelands and Champion of the Naaru, are on my priest. But, I felt that it was time to move on.

I still heal in Rift and to a casual degree in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but as for WoW, it’s come full circle, and I’m back on a DPS character. It’s not a warlock or a rogue, but a hunter. It’s a greatly enjoyable class to me, and I love the resource management that comes with it. I’ve actually never watched my resource bar as closely as I have to on my hunter (except maybe when I was playing on my death knight, but even then, it wasn’t quite as dynamic).

It’s really an interesting thing for me, to be back on a DPS class after healing and tanking for the last four and a half years. It means I can’t tank or heal on that character. But I’m strangely okay with this. I never thought I would be.

I hate being asked what my current occupation is. It absolutely terrifies me, because every time I need to answer this question, the answer is, “I am unemployed.” Moreover, it’s because the answer is, “I am on disability.” I’m only 27 years old, yet I am – and have been – on disability. Each month is a struggle to make ends meet. I pay $45 a month for entertainment, between Rift, WoW and SW:TOR. I make just over $800 a month.

There’s a lot I would love to do, but to do these things, it requires money. Money I don’t have, money I don’t have a way of making.

“Go get a job,” a lot of people would say. It’s not that simple. If, every time you walk into a place full of people you know, you feel anxious, ready to have a panic attack for fear of embarrassment, things are bad enough. That problem is only magnified exponentially when you walk into a room full of people you don’t know. It hurts emotionally. When, after working for a period of time, you start to shut down because you aren’t measuring up to the standards set by the company you work for, something is obviously wrong.

I say I would love to go to – for example – Blizzcon, but I can’t afford it. I mean that. You can provide any number of solutions – sharing a room to split expenses. Okay, that solves that. But how do I pay for the flight out there? How do I pay for food while I’m there? When I’m done, how do I make it through the rest of the month? I don’t.

Right now, I pay about $500 in bills alone, between my rent, phone, car insurance, gas, storage, and my gaming expenses. Everything else I have goes toward food or other household supplies. I can’t afford to do any traveling, as much as I would like to.

Every time I write up a resume, I look at all the blank spots between jobs – sometimes months, even years in between them. And I’m thoroughly embarrassed when asked, “Explain any gaps in employment.” I don’t have any answer. Moreover, I can’t in good conscience stick with a job that requires a lot of sales work. I’m terrible at it. Actually, I’m not. I’m good at it. But I hate it. And I don’t qualify for any job that I would find interesting or appealing or something that would catch me as what I’d want to do. And that’s another issue.

I don’t deal well with stress. When I was fresh out of high school, I could manage it just fine. I can’t now. Which is really funny, actually, considering that I don’t have many – if any – issues with stress related to raiding. And while I was raid leading, any stress there was secondary to everything else here. But I digress.

I also have severe issues with insomnia, which doctors have refused to treat or even see as an issue. “Try to set up a normal sleeping schedule.” It doesn’t work that way for me. I can try, and for a week, maybe two, it will work. But it never stays that way. I’ve been fired from one job over this. I’ve almost been fired from a second one for the same issue. It caused problems with another job I’ve had in the past. It caused me to drop out of college. It’s been a recurring issue for the last ten years, and yet, it’s “not a real issue” according to the doctors I’ve seen.

So I can get a job. But I can’t maintain it.

I want to underscore that I don’t have any interest in using this as an attention-getter. I don’t want anyone to see it that way, either. Sometimes… sometimes you just have to get something off your chest. And that’s all I’m doing, because this is what’s going through my head every day. And I don’t know how to deal with it.

In the meantime, to catch up. I’ve been playing a good deal of SW:TOR. I know a lot of people are calling it a bad game and whatnot, but I feel that it’s not THAT bad. I’m enjoying it, and for me, that’s all that matters. Yeah, there could stand to be some improvement, but it’ll come I’m sure. I’ve also been raiding in Rift, still, so there’s that. We’re now 5/11 in Hammerknell (Murdantix, Zilas, Matron, Molinar and Estrode) and working on Sicaron and Grugonim. I actually got a chance to tank recently, too! That was fun, though Grugonim is a huge pain in the ass. Finally, I’ve also re-subscribed to WoW, and have been raiding on my hunter, which I transferred to Sen’jin. It’s been a very long time since I’ve played a pure DPS as a main, but it’s refreshing in the same way.

In December, though, I had a motherboard fail on me, causing about 3 weeks of no computer at all whatsoever. So that obviously didn’t help my situation here. Since then, that’s been taken care of, and now, I think I’m ready to get back into the swing of blogging. I intend to make a post or two more on healing pets, a post on support souls in Rift, and how I’m back to raiding in WoW on a pure DPS class. So, anticipate these in the near future.

There has been a lot of opinion going around about feminism in gaming, specifically in World of Warcraft. For example, Oestrus’ post or Pewter’s post on the same subject. I’m not going to go into that. However, there is what I find to be discrimination of varying sorts in the world of gaming, much of it directed toward gay people. Some of it may be considered discrimination by way of omission (referencing the now infamous “LGBT question” from Blizzcon ’11). I suppose, then, that “gaymer” refers to the LGBT gaming community – and there certainly is one.

Let me state this, though: I don’t care if there ever is an openly GLBT character in an MMO.

For single-player games, such as many of Bioware’s titles (specifically, Mass Effect and the Dragon Age series), it works. It works because the NPC interaction is dynamic, and you can usually choose whether or not to go through with that kind of story, or even pay attention to it. For an MMO, however, NPCs are very static between patches or expansions, and usually rely on outside lore to progress storyline further. Would it be cool to see LGBT characters in WoW or Rift? Absolutely. Is it necessary? Definitely not. I’m probably also taking a passive-aggressive approach to this whole situation, too.

To come back around to my point on discrimination by omission, this isn’t limited to just LGBT, either. We see a lot of omission outside of this, too. Notably, the lack of darker-skinned humans, the fact that gnomes and trolls are few and far between with regards to important storylines, etc. Much of what you see in WoW is dwarves, humans, night elves, and to a (much) lesser degree, worgen and draenei. Gnomes seem to be of little importance on the Alliance side. For Horde, it’s all revolving around the forsaken, orcs, tauren or blood elves. Trolls tend to get the short end of the stick in most cases, and even goblins see relatively little, despite being introduced in this expansion.

I note the darker-skinned humans because it just seems to be an on-going thing in many games – not just World of Warcraft, Rift, LOTRO, etc. – that humans should be pale, or otherwise Caucasian. Personally, I’m actually of American Indian descent, and I’ve lived most of my life in the Southwest United States, so to me, darker skin is the norm. Given that a lot of places in the United States and even Europe, people are less tanned, I know that player characters are going to tend to be lighter skinned. I suppose I just don’t get why the NPCs have to follow the same rules (at least, on those that don’t have random color palettes, like night elves or trolls). In the back of my mind, it bugs me a little, but it doesn’t really affect my immersion in the game to the degree where I’m offended or upset by it. That doesn’t mean other people aren’t going to look at it in the same manner, however.

Currently, in WoW content, I can think of only two each of gnomes and trolls that are prominent and that names stand out to me. For gnomes, Gelbin Mekkatorque and Darkrider Arly. For trolls, Vol’jin and Zen’tabra. Surprisingly, neither female takes the “arm candy” role that we tend to see prevalent with a lot of female NPCs in WoW. But, I digress. Of these NPCs, two of them are racial leaders. Arly is a quest giver in Icecrown (and part of the Knights of the Ebon Blade). Zen’tabra is a druid trainer in the starting area for trolls. Now, unless you did the pre-Cataclysm events with Zalazane, it probably doesn’t ring a bell. But for that, she’s a somewhat important lore figure. Even now, unless you start a new troll character, you don’t get the importance of Vol’jin’s actions and what happens with the Darkspear and the Horde as a whole since Garrosh’s inception as the new Warchief. On the other hand, if you quest through the Eastern Kingdoms, Sylvanas’ role is hugely important, specifically in both the worgen starting zone, as well as throughout Silverpine Forest. Vol’jin has diddly squat to do with current events. I haven’t played through an Alliance character recently, but I know that Mekkatorque has little and less to do with Alliance goings-on short of the Gnomeregan starting area in Dun Morogh.

Now, to get back on track with GLBT. The question was where the LGBT lore was. It was answered with, it may be added in at some point. There’s also the running joke of blood elves. I admit that I was a little annoyed when Lor’Themar Theron got his new voice-overs and had the “DO NOT. TOUCH. THE HAIR!” line. Mostly this was due to the undue stereotyping implemented. I do understand that the flirts and jokes made by blood elf males are there for flavor and humor, so I guess I shouldn’t have been annoyed by Lor’Themar’s voice acting. But, alas, it did.

To expand on this point, though. I am concerned if they do happen to add openly LGBT characters into the game – or any game, for that matter. If Blizzard decides to go this route, it’s my sincere hope that they take a cue from Bioware, and do this in a way that isn’t outrageous or stereotypical. I know that stereotypes are there for a reason, but not every gay person is excessively flamboyant. I also would hate to see the typical dichotomy of femme/butch if it’s a couple. Gay couples can be made of two “butch” men, while lesbian couples can be made of two “femme” women. Media tends to throw on us that gay men are all makeup-wearing sissies, or drag queens; it also tells us that lesbians are all flannel-wearing, mullet-sporting, fearsome creatures. This is wrong. Sure, it’s true of many people, but it’s not at all the whole. And it may not even be the majority – it most likely isn’t.

If an LGBT couple were to be introduced in the game, yes, it would garner support of LGBT gamers. It would be a good thing on the whole. But, it needs to be done in such a fashion that it isn’t just what the media tells us. Blizzard would need to break the mold, because I’d be willing to bet that many GLBT gamers aren’t what we see on TV.

So, how does this tie into discrimination in gaming? Well, humans are human. Gamers come from all walks of life. Be they straight, gay, black, white, American, Asian, Christian or atheist. There are going to be people that hate the idea.. They will be vocal about it. They will threaten to, or even actually, cancel their accounts.

It’s not uncommon to hear the insult “fag” or even “nigger” thrown around in a PUG. In fact, the other day, I was called just that, because the healer queued up for a random Zulroic instead of paying attention and queuing up for Headless Horseman. People will say that WoW is “infested with fags” or some such nonsense. I’ve actually gotten to the point where the terms doesn’t really even bother me anymore, and usually just tell people to try to come up with better insults. I equate the term to “stupid-face” or “poop-head” that you’ll see third-graders use. (As an aside, I used “poopie-head” here and Firefox spellcheck suggested I use “poop-head” instead. Go Firefox!) In any case, people are going to use this as a source of discrimination in some manner, be it in-game or not.

So, all that said, I still don’t consider myself a “gaymer,” even if just by being gay and a gamer makes me one. And it’s not even because of the negative connotations that could be associated with it. Yeah, I’m a gamer. I’m also a gay man. But I don’t identify them as being the same part of me, or my personality.

One of the biggest gripes I’ve heard is how smart heals do, in fact, heal pets. I’m still honestly lost on this point. I mean, trust me, I get that not everyone will be able to spare the global cooldown or the mana to heal a pet. But there’s a reason that pets are going to be valid targets for smart heals. Because they are integral to the DPS of the class utilizing those pets.

Now, as I’ve said, I get that people can’t usually spare the global cooldown to heal a pet. I really do understand. But there’s some things that a lot of healers I’m sure don’t really understand about pets and why it can be difficult, or even detrimental, for some pet classes to heal their pets (if they’re even capable of doing so). So, I’m going to give a brief rundown of some of the pet classes and what they can do to heal their pets, both actively and passively, and why this can lead to bad things if they do in some cases.

World of Warcraft

Mages, Frost

Frost Mages passively heal their pets through Permafrost. However, Permafrost may not always be enough to be able to get through an encounter. A Water Elemental is actually part of the playstyle of a Frost Mage in PvE, by way of using Freeze to gain charges of Fingers of Frost. Should Cold Snap be on cooldown when the mage’s pet dies, and they’ve already summoned it with the three-minute cooldown, they won’t have it available to summon. This hinders their DPS, and there’s nothing they can do about it.

Mages, general

Mirror Images. Yeah, they suck in terms of smart ground AoE heals, but for other heals (like Circle of Healing or Wild Growth), they should remain valid targets. While right now Mirror Image isn’t a huge part of mage DPS, they are still a good enough chunk of it to warrant the healing. Not only this, but mages are not capable of healing Mirror Images on their own. Additionally, Mirror Image functions as a threat suppressor; should the Mirror Images die, the mage pulls aggro, s/he dies and this uses up a battle resurrection. Domino effect.

Hunters

Mend Pet is really good. Good hunters will use this without significant loss to DPS. However, even despite this, hunter pets can die. In the event they do, hunters MUST deal with a 10-second cast to resurrect their pet. The glyph doesn’t even reduce the cast time; just negates pushback. In the case of a Beast Mastery hunter (I know, I know, lolBM), the pet is such a significant portion of their DPS, that losing the pet is a ridiculous loss in DPS.

Yes, a BM hunter can spec for Spirit Bond to grant him and his pet passive health regen, but it’s pretty insignificant. Additionally, should you not have someone like an Arcane Mage, you might be relying on a Beast Mastery hunter for Ferocious Inspiration – a 3% damage boost to everyone in the raid – which necessitates the pet being alive. That includes you, Atonement priests, since that also translates to another 3% healing done.

Warlocks

Warlocks have only one way to heal their pet, and is arguably the highest DPS loss out of all pet classes, due to their pet heal being a channeled spell. Moreover, if it’s a Demonology warlock and you’re missing out on an Elemental shaman, you won’t have Demonic Pact if the pet dies. The warlock may or may not be able to spec into Fel Synergy for passive pet healing, or Demonic Rebirth for an instant cast summon. Soul Shards are fairly limited, so the odds of being able to Soulburn and summon a pet are pretty slim in most circumstances.

Death Knights, Unholy

Unholy Death Knights have only one way to heal their pet – via Death Coil. Due to the way Dark Transformation works, it is (last I knew) less of a DPS loss to let the pet die and resummon it, versus healing it with Death Coil. However, this has a 2-minute cooldown, so this obviously presents that problem, too. The Gargoyle is also an important part of Unholy DPS, and should also be able to receive heals.

Death Knights, Blood

Blood Parasites heal people. I don’t get the issue of letting these stay alive since they make your job easier as a healer. No, seriously, this BOGGLES MY MIND as to why people have issues with Blood Parasites getting any healing whatsoever, since they, in turn, heal people.

Death Knights, general

The only conceivable reason I can see a normal, non-Unholy ghoul being summoned is for quick burst DPS, or a tank cooldown (via Death Pact). So, for these reasons, a normal ghoul is worthy of heals.

Druids, Balance

Treants are a standard part of Balance druid rotations, helping along their DPS as well. In Mists of Pandaria, each druid specialization can have the option of different treants to do different things. I would argue that in that case, treants are worthy of heals. I think they are now, too (it’s just problematic when you DO try to heal them because there’s only one pet frame for all three of them, and the healing is not duplicated between them).

Shaman, Enhancement

Feral Spirit isn’t as good as it once was, but it’s worth the global cooldown, as far as I’m aware, to cast this. There’s two of them, so the same problem as treants, however.

Shaman, general

Fire and Earth elementals are regularly used for DPS boosts. Since there’s no way to target them via raid frames or party frames, splash AoE healing is good.

Priests, general

C’mon, you know you need your Shadowfiend. All three specializations of priests use Shadowfiend. The healing specs for mana regen, the shadow spec for DPS. Pathing issues aside, your mana regen relies on this little bugger.

This post will be continued with the Rift section of pets in a later post. Stay tuned!