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A gay World of WarCraft Classic guild was subjected to a name change and the creator of the guild was temporarily suspended after Blizzard responded to player complaints calling the guild ‘inappropriate.’
Speaking to Ars Technica, the ‘GAY BOYS’ guild reported that it had its name forcibly changed to a random string of letters. Now under the name ‘Guild ZFXPK’, Blizzard Customer Service allegedly sent an email to guild members stating that the change occurred because ‘fellow players reported your in-game name as inappropriate multiple times.’ The guild was subject to ‘a thorough investigation’, and resultantly the guild’s creator was suspended from World of Warcraft Classic. The suspension was only temporary, but the guild is still titled, ‘Guild ZFXPK.’
In 2016, a second guild titled ‘GAY BOYS’ was given a temporary name change which was similarly queried by its players. In the discussion held in the general forums, a World of WarCraft moderator suggested that the guild should be, ‘picking a name that you can identify with without also using words that would illicit [sic] a reaction from other players.’
A member of the ‘GAY BOYS’ guild affected this week, Ahmil Jilani, said that he has gotten used to multiple player complaints about the guild. ‘If you reviewed my chat logs, you would see multiple messages from individuals through my recruitment process of getting us to where we are today, with individuals messaging amongst other extremely hateful and discriminating comments.’
‘These are the individuals that find our name inappropriate. Giving in to their demands only means that you are siding with them as a company, which, after a decade of playing your games, is a surprise to me,’ Jilani explained in an email statement. ‘Individuals that found the name inappropriate should be the ones taking a good look at themselves in the mirror, because this is 2019, and we have a right to exist as a community.’
The guild has appealed the name change, because Blizzard did not provide any clear reasoning for its decision in its first notice sent to the guild. As an ‘in-game protest’, the guild members will be marching in the World of WarCraft Classic Blaumeux. Blizzard is currently under a lot of pressure from its community, as it removed Hearthstone pro Blitzchung from Grandmasters, pulled his prize money, and banned him from Hearthstone for 12 months for his support for Hong Kong protestors.
