Yesterday, we reported on some unseemly, ungentlemanly remarks made in a video broadcast at Blizzcon 2011. Without re-hashing the whole schlemiel, basically, a musician at the show, "Corpsegrinder," showed off a video of himself ranting about the Alliance, and throwing in common slurs against homosexuals. Blizzard is very sorry this happened.
In a mea-culpa letter to blog Gay Gamer, Blizzard president Mike Morhaime took full responsibility for the video showing (and everything else at Blizzcon), and basically said he was very, very sorry. I've re-posted the entire letter under the "Read More" tag.
Dear members of the Blizzard community,
I have read your feedback and comments about this year's BlizzCon, and I have also read the feedback to the apology from Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain. I'd like to respond to some of your feedback here.
As president of Blizzard, I take full responsibility for everything that occurs at BlizzCon.
It was shortsighted and insensitive to use the video at all, even in censored form. The language used in the original version, including the slurs and use of sexual orientation as an insult, is not acceptable, period. We realize now that having even an edited version at the show was counter to the standards we try to maintain in our forums and in our games. Doing so was an error in judgment, and we regret it.
The bottom line is we deeply apologize for our mistakes and for hurting or offending anyone. We want you to have fun at our events, and we want everyone to feel welcome. We're proud to be part of a huge and diverse community, and I am proud that so many aspects of the community are represented within Blizzard itself.
As a leader of Blizzard, and a member of the band, I truly hope you will accept my humblest apology.
- Mike Morhaime President, Blizzard Entertainment
I don't want to get all preachy, but I love the gaming community. When some idiot says something publicly that any sentient person would be at least irked by, the community responds with, "Hey, this isn't right!" and then the head of a huge company personally responds with "I'm totally sorry. Won't happen again." If the rest of the world functioned as well as this, perhaps we could all live in peace, and only pretend to blow each others heads off with machine guns.
All of the best people are following Stephen Johnson's twitter feed. Also, email me if you wanna.
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geomancer21
1. I don't think he was entirely serious (the guy in the vid)
2. his comments were no different then anything you would find in the communities of pretty much ANY popular game.
3. yeah, people shouldn't be so sensitive, simply because you reacting to it is why these people do it. you might as well wear a shirt telling everyone what pisses you off so they can do that.
Alien_Number_Six
G4 really needs to avoid this kind of news. This is a video game web site not a political forum. This type of thing doesn't belong here. After serving my country in Iraq as a solider in the U.S. Army I no longer care about politics. After watching a few of your friends get blown in half and completely incinerated by IED blasts you start to care less and less about politics. But if you want my opinion be what you want to be and do what you want to do as long as it doesn't hurt anyone and your not shoving it down someone else's throat. Now let's talk about how good Batman: Arkham City is.
CallMeHadouken
Bunch of thin skinned babies in the world anymore
abloobudoo009
First of all, it's corpsegrinder. He's the lead singer of a death metal band. Second, honestly to call things "gay" whenever something bad happens is just in the modern day vernacular. Everyone knows it. I don't get what all the work up is about.
38shell
what type of language would you use when you playing with friends? The only thing you must contend with is if it was meant to insult you because you whoop them at what game was being played. ITS FUNNY FOR ITS ONLY A GAME NOT REAL LIFE.
228cafe
228cafe's comment is abusive and has been removed.
meganova
@zarh003
we share genetic material with every species on this planet. they have located and changed the eye color dna marker of fruit flies. one of the side effects was the males started trying to mate with other males they called this a negitive out come.
meganova
@zarh003
we share genetic material with every species on this planet. they have located and changed the eye color dna marker of fruit flies. one of the side effects was the males started trying to mate with other males they called this a negitive out come.
meganova
ok im confused do people choose to be "gay" or they cant help the way they feel.
Alien_Number_Six
This is another example of WoW gamers taking the game too seriously. Alliance players being threatened by Horde players? Anti gay comments? It's just a game people.
SeanTheArtist
Most of the wow community uses gay slurs against people their pissed at. thus showing the ignorance of most people on wow. SO im not surprised at this.
it's stuff like this that kills it for me, with playing wow.
Zhar003
You are who you CHOOSE to be. You can CHOOSE to be offended by this or not, it's up to you. There is no scientific evidence of their being a "Gay" strand of DNA. You are not born gay, you choose to be gay. However, I am all for people being happy as far as same sex relationships go.
Blizzard was right in giving an apology, however you cannot blame blizzard for something that someone else created.
Hydrafiend
Now if he had thrown slurs at modern day Christians, for example, noone would have batted an eyelash.
meganova
the only thing that people that are other "races" and people that are "gay" have in commmon is that it is genetic. but people who are other "races" have adapted or evolved to their surroundings to take advantage of their surroundings. being "gay" is a genetic deffect. you have adapted or evolved to try to pass on your genes on to the same sex. whitch is imposable. but to clarify myself i dont hate or even dislike "gay" people but dont try to make being "gay" a romantic tragedy. there is something wrong with you. and science can prove it. people showing racism is not the samething as when people sense something wrong, but cant quite understand it. but i digres. the original meaning for gay is funny or werid so people using it to discribe something funny or werid is correct. place me in your mind as what ever you want the only being i have to explane this mortal life to is God. place hate for me or even say negitive things about God but my love for all mankind will over come all and earn my place in to heaven. praise be to yaweh
critterforhire
OMG, what a stupid article. Who cares people, just play or don't play the friggin' game.
Sara5x5
Reading some of these replies saddens me. Telling me to grow a "thicker skin" just because you want to throw insults out is down right offensive. When you call something or someone gay and use it in a negative way you are basically saying that being gay is something to look down on and mock. If you see a two men kissing and say "That's gay" you'd be right, but calling someone gay over a headset because they did something you don't like is ignorance. This culture of Bigotry, Sexism, and Racism is unacceptable. For the most part I'm proud to be a part of a community of people that has every type of race, creed, and color, but seeing things like this just disappoints me.
You don't call things retarded, or use racial slurs when I don't like something or someone so why is it okay to use the word Gay as a put down? If I went onto anyone's blog and read everything they posted and decided I don't agree with them on anything would it then be okay to call them every horrible racist identifier I can think of? Would you tell that person to grow a thicker skin and toughen up? That they should just take it because it's what I think they are, and that because they are different from me that they aren't my equal? You can disagree with someone without resorting to those kinds of remarks.
The world of anonymity that the internet provides for this generation has allowed people to believe that they can say whatever they want and never face the repercussions. And I am all for freedom of speech, but whatever happened to "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all?" Isn't that what we are supposed to be taught from an early age? Treat people the way you would like to be treated? Does everyone secretly want to be treated like crap?
And hey, maybe I am a little sensitive to this topic, but if you were constantly ridiculed for being born just the way you are wouldn't you be?
25 year old, White Lesbian Atheist.
EvilAngel6
Okay, yes people have the right to free speech. HOWEVER as a corporation it is completely obscene for anyone representing it to be using offensive language about any kind of person. Albeit black, mexican, or gay. It's just not acceptable anymore.
gill066
"I don't want to get all preachy, but I love the gaming community. When some idiot says something publicly that any sentient person would be at least irked by, the community responds with, 'Hey, this isn't right!'"
CUE 400 GAMERS COMMENTING- "people need to be less sensitive."
Sorry Stephen, I hope one way it will be the way you described it.
moizeus
Let the guy say whatever he wants without apologizing. its like he's not in school anymore, hes an adult and he can say whatever he wants.
rifleshoot
*sigh. people need to understand that intention is what defines a word. if someone intends to insult gays with the "f-word"(not sure if i'll get taken down for the word), then it is homophobic. If someone uses it as an overall insult to another person, it is not. people need to stop being so sensitive and politically correct. Its complete bull and it reflects badly on them.
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