In early November,World of Warcraftannounced the Community Council, a group of 100 diverse players from every facet of the game to act as intermediaries for the community. After accepting applications and vetting candidates,World of Warcrafthas launched the Community Council in full.
TheWorld of WarcraftCommunity Councilis meant to gather players of many playstyles and give them a platform to speak withWoWdevelopers. Those selected serve on the council for one year, where they will have access to a special forum that only they andWarcraftdevelopers can post, though anyone can view the discussions.
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The purpose of this forum is to provide a more concise voice for the player base and to open lines of communication with the developers ofWorld of Warcraft. TheWorld of Warcraftteam can’t hope to speak with all of their millions of players. By pulling players of different races, creeds, and focuses within the game, they hope to use the Community Council as a mouthpiece to speak with that representsall facets ofWarcraft’sdiverse community.
The formation of the Community Council comes on the coattails of myriad controversiesWorld of Warcrafthas been involved with. Since the sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuits were filed against it in July,World of Warcrafthas been redressing many problems, from renaming problematic characters, items, and quests to removing references to real-life individuals, many of which were implicated in the controversies. The Community Council is meant to be another avenue with which players can communicate their wants and needs to theWorld of Warcraftteam.
Some players are pleasantly surprised by the Community Council thus far. Since its launch, many constructive threads have been buzzing with activity. The individuals chosen for the Community Council have presented their comments and arguments with a level of civility not often found on the internet, especially theWorld of Warcraftforums.
To that end, some players have concerns over the lack of anonymity in the Community Council forum. Members of the council participate with the same accounts that arelinked to theirWorld of Warcraftcharacters, which could lead to griefing and hate mail from incendiary fans in the future.
Some players share none of the optimism of their fellows. Many believeWorld of Warcraftis too far gone, and the lip service paid to the Community Council forum won’t see any real change in the game. Others still believe the Council’s membership is padded with plants, or chosen specifically because of clout. However, as evidenced byWarcraft’sdenial of applications from high-profile streamers like Asmongold, and the constructive discussions carried on thus far, it seemsWorld of Warcraftis at least trying. Though it is too soon to see if a lasting change will occur because of it, the Community Council seems to be serving its intended purpose so far.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlandsis available on PC.
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