New update for Stormwinds guards: Black and asian skins to the NPCs. Positive or Lore-breaking?

Lore Story
81

It wasn’t ever about finding a solution.
I knew the easiest “solution” all along. I described it a few posts ago:

The issue i personally have, is the fact that we need to look for a “solution”.
The fact that this is OUR “solution”, not Blizzard’s. Blizzard isn’t giving any “solution”.

I keep on putting solution in quotation marks because far from needing a solution, what i think this feature needed was an explanation, and a development.

That’s why i dislike the way it was handled.

And i wanted to know the opinions of the rest, as well as the reasoning they had for their posture regarding it. (Judging it from a Story angle).

82

I think it’s silly and no I don’t support it at all. But I don’t have the energy to even care at this point. The way Blizzard is doing it feels very much forced in a way and I prefer if there were an official in-game explanation for these type of changes.

For Humans it could be explained at this point already, since there are already characters with darker skin tones like Brother Pike. So it wouldn’t be strange if several vendors and some guards turn out to have darker skin tone.

When we look at other races, it becomes a problem. One may argue that there has been several marriages between the races.
However it’s a bit strange when we have Void Elves that just joined the Alliance, already has married another Human for example and created families.
Then you may argue that the void turned their skin darker and while that could’ve explained it. It also raises another question, how the Blood Elves got their darker skin tones as they are not affiliated with the void in any way.

Saying that Blood Elves with families together with other Humans would be very bizarre to say the least.
Previously there has been very clear information that cross-breeds are very rare in the Warcraft universe. For example we have this interview with lead quest designer Dave Kosak back in 2013:

While you may argue that this interview is from 2013, there are recent references. In the previous book called Before the Storm (chapter 10, first page), Kalecgos is briefly touching this subject recalling that cross-breeds are indeed very rare.

Before the Storm takes place before the war between the factions. Surely there weren’t many Blood Elves that married Humans while they were in war with each other.

Had there been a timeskip, this could easily been explained. In fact, there wouldn’t need to be an in-game explanation if this was the case. As we wouldn’t have been on Azeroth and the kingdoms of Azeroth could’ve undergone a lot of changes while we were gone.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when Shadowlands were announced with new customizations for the races. I immediately started to think along the lines of possibility of seeing muscular Night Elves to match the Druid unit in Warcraft III or Forsaken with straight backs with skeletal skin.

Instead we get new skin tones and some new hairstyles with some new jewelry. So yeah I’m a bit disappointed in that regard and I hope Shadowlands can at least deliver when it comes to the lore or the gameplay.

83

I see the racism in the nerd fanbase is still going strong. I hope Blizzard just make them all stormwind humans to show that inclusion is something they care about. Humans are humans no matter the skin. Get that in your head.

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84

I have no idea what you are talking about. Did you even read any argument made?

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85

You want sub races for humans going by their skin colors. These things don’t need an extra lore reason to be there. It’s just normal that humans can look different. It doesen’t need extra explanation.

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86

You really think that different physical traits, and facial features do not need any kind of reasoning to explain them?

I mean, even by this fantasy setting, Blizzard seemed to disagree with said predicament when they made several distinct troll and Tauren collectives.

And that’s not counting RL standards regarding the reasons as to why we have Asian or black people out and about.

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It’s kinda baffling that the strongest argument to be had against this sort of explanation, is based around “Just deal with it”.
Those that so easily brandish the “racist” tag, surely seem rather contrary about giving these features the story they deserve.
Black and Asian people do not deserve to have their own culture expanded on?

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87

You don’t ask for Zandalari skin options explainations and there shouldn’t be one. This is just hidden racism in gaming culture. Get with the times. See Dragon Age for example. Culture has nothing to do with race.

88

You do realize that our skin colors come from different surroundings our ancestors grew up in, right?
Like African peoples are different shades of darker skin for a reason, same with Asians and even us as European peoples differ from each other- West, South, East or North.
Example, Me as a Western European having different features from someone who has Eastern European ancestry- pointing that out isn’t discrimination or racism, it’s just aknowledging the others ancestry.

And with growing up in different surroundings comes different culture and views. With ofcourse the big exception being those people that migrated somewhere and intergrated, truly integrated, in to that society- even then they may still hold different views etc because of how much worth they hold in their ancestral roots and culture.
Pointing that out isn’t racism or discrimination either, it’s just aknowledging the others cultural heritage.

This is just basic science and observation and aknowledgement, to bad that in todays age everythings gets degraded to Racism! And any thoughts, questions or conversations stiffled and shut down - There’s a word for that too.

As for the topic, Zarao people are just trying to, maliciously push you into a certain box from my observation here, I guess this is not the day and age anymore to think critically or ask questions.
Rven though, the whole BLM narrative seems to agree wih you, as they state; “People who claim they don’t see color, are part of the problem.” - as they think it takes away from their cultural identity, wich must be aknowledged.
I think you won’t get much of an answer here, outside from what was already said;
“That’s just how it is”- Boring as fek, I know, but this is how people like their Humans, bland, boring, no depth, it seems.

The bigger issue would be for the other races, like the new Troll Skins for example, wich was already pointed out. Would be weird to see some Ice Trolls or Sandfury amongst the Darkspear guardians.

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89

Because none are relevant enough to need one.

We do have explanations or a background regarding the notable ones for trollkind.
That’s the reason why people were able to be hyped and automatically associate several of their new features with the different tribes that live on Azeroth.
Because these features had a story, a background, and a context.

Why do you think it’s good to negate such for human options?

Advocating for actual development and care regarding these features is racism?

It felt weird having some answers be simultaneously about calling dissenters racist, even for disliking the fact that Blizzard wasn’t going to give these features the attention they should have as unique ethnic groups.

Do people know what racism implies? Or is it just the buzzword to throw around as coping mechanism the second they feel someone is critically analysing stuff like this?

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90

Wrong.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Makasa_Flintwill

They could have made new human nations (or at least one) I would have preferred this option. But at the end humans came from Vrycul and a curse. So no issue there.

Edit: I see Makasa was mentioned already.

91

From my experience and what I’ve seen, heard and read…They don’t.
And yes, it has become a hollow buzzword, as have several others, such as “hate” “privilege” or “fragility”, but it still has an effect in shutting people up - degrading them in the eyes of the masses, specificly Europeans or people of European descent.

Like a verbal baseball bat to the face - the go to argument, when you’re short of indepth reasoning or simply not capable of counter argumentation.

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92

No, people definitely know what it means.

Why it was used here? No idea though.

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93

Not my experience tho.
People just throw it around here in Western media, sometimes they’re talking about Discrimination and not being able to tell the difference between that and Racism, most of the time they’re just smearing someone else, and allot of times they are being Racist but the excuses are…you can only be racist in a certain social situation(utter bull, something a racist would say) or that it’s only Racism if people of a certain race do it (again, an excuse an obvious racist would use).

From this thread alone I really don’t think people can tell what actual Racism is, if only looking at the attacks on OP for asking questions, if the OP’s posts are all it takes to mark him racist…oh boy, the future is looking toxic and violent.

Anyway, enough from me, I just think people are sheepisly climbing up a slippery slope here, and I see it ending in gulags.

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94

That’s good for you. Doesn’t make you right.
Some people are fast to call for anything, as seen above.
Mostly offended people say that.

That’s really all I have to say to this point. It’s silly.

95

In regards to? My experience? True, that’s anecdotal.
But you said yourself that you didn’t know why people jump to that word in this thread?
If they knew what they were doing, they wouldn’t, and I suppose that was just my point.

96

Yeah and I say you’re point doesn’t hold up in the broader public as you think it does.
It was also mostly one person.

97

I was talking in general. But even then I really hope you are the one in the right on this one.

98

I think Erevien has just upgraded his baiting game.

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99

It’s obvious certain people may have used the term incorrectly around here, and that this race topic is polarising enough to have a sizeable collective bristling (often illogically) when it’s debated in any media.

Please, I get this is a hot topic, but as Wimbert pointed out, do not fall excessively to the bait bits.

Thank you both for the input and I lament derailing it down this route.

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100

To be honest I am at a point where it’s at times hard to care about the lore any longer. No idea how I will feel in the future, but that’s the sate I’m in right now.

For me the ideal thing is for every chance a reason in lore. Something in game happening.
Perhaps some humans had to hide themselves from random Trolls (Blizzard seems to like this) and in time developed on their own.
The Alliance could find them recruit them and even gain more man power and resources.

At the end all Alliance member will run around as S17 with no distinction between a Night Elves and a Stormwindguard.

That’s what I would like, new additions.
But those NPCs did also exist before.