Gamer Guildhall

As culture changes, so does the content we often see in popular video games. Things that have become regarded as more socially acceptable or even favorable often find their way into a game's experience as a matter of making that game relatable to a playerbase. This then raises the question...does perceived social acceptance shift the perspective in determining a game's rating? It becomes problematic when opinion differs on how this should affect a game's measure in regards to inclusion of such elements versus that rating. To address this issue, we'll examine a current example in a longstanding game.

The release of World of Warcraft's newest expansion, Dragonflight, has seen a rise in popularity to an already popular MMORPG. However, in only a matter of several quests into the new content, players experience newly added couples of homosexual orientation. While some might argue that representation matters, it quickly goes beyond representation when the player encounters the quest "A Gift for Miguel". To complete the quest, the player must help create a gift for Thomas Bright to give to another man, Miguel, who he identifies as his husband. This gift is meant as an expression of affection and so forces the player to choose between participating in a homosexual romance or being denied important resources early in the expansion.

The content topic is continued as the player ventures into the next zone in the expansion via the subsequent line of quests. Characters meet a race of centaurs upon the plains and among them, two male centaurs that express affections towards one another. The player is tasked with assisting in aiding one of these male centaurs in preparing a marriage proposal towards the other. Having multiple quests that focus around sexual orientation demonstrates that it is not just a minor component of the game, but rather a persisting theme. As such, it becomes necessary to recognize the presence of these elements given their repetition of appearance.

Parents should be aware of this type of exposure in video games given that it might not be properly reflected in its overall rating. Since these are not visual depictions of sexual acts, but rather subtle references to sexuality, children may unknowingly be exposed to and influenced by thematic content. Currently, the World of Warcraft: Dragonflight expansion is rated T for Teen, which includes the following rating categories:

• Blood and Gore
• Crude Humor
• Use of Alcohol
• Violence
• Mild Language
• Suggestive Themes

To be clear, the purpose of this article is not to bring judgment or criticism on any involved in a game's development or review. It is simply to serve as an alert to what is believed to be an oversight in determination of game ratings given social perspective. Gamers and parents of gamers should be able to make informed decisions on a game's suitability with the assistance of accurate rating systems. This same clarity of information is also necessary to companies such as Twitch, whose streaming platform decides allowable games based in part by ESRB ratings. Thus, it is imperative that those tasked with content review in games ensure accurate ratings for the sake of the gaming community.