And also yes… there are a whole lot of people who read WoW Insider that have absolutely NO sense of humor whatsoever.
Warning: Foul language follows, if you have a good sense of humor and are mature, don’t bother reading further.
Seriously. This ain’t an April Fool’s, this is an honest all out rant, so please, if you are a nice person, or at least are not filled with hate towards writers of WoW Insider in general, the following is not intended for you.
Through the course of the day, I came to find myself wanting to stop playing the game, simply because I no longer want to associate in any community filled with worthless sacks of crap like I saw over there today.
Honestly, I thought it was a cute idea. After post two or three, I went on about my business with a chuckle.
It was cute, but I had work to do.
As I dropped by my desk throughout the day to check my email, I’d look in and see the comments that came rolling in.
Many readers thought it was cute, and had a sense of mischevious fun about the whole thing. Others may have tired of it, but had better things to do than get all worked up over it. To all of you, I salute you.
Yes, I also got bored with it early on in the day, as did most of the WoW Insider people.
Personally, I would have been perfectly fine with a short, fast “Ok, shows over, let’s go ahead and return to talking about WoW.”
Now I know that would have been a bad idea. What we did was the right move.
As the day went on, I kept reading the emails… the emails drenched in hate, in flaming negativity and filled with demands that we stop immediately, emails of judgements and condescension and ignorance and infantile demands with the emotional equivalence of “I’m going to hold my breath until you do what I say so there!”
If you think what you saw in the open comments was nasty, you should see what they wrote in on the email tip line.
If we had stopped early, those people would have thought they’d won. They would have felt that by whining, by throwing a little hissy fit, by demanding that other people bow down and cater to their demands, regardless of their own wants or intentions, they had achieved their goal.
Oh, HELL no.
As the day rolled on, I went from wanting it to stop so we could talk about WoW, to wishing and praying that the thing wouldn’t stop as planned, but instead would continue on, for days, for weeks, for MONTHS, news post after commentary after discussion after idle chat about Hello Kitty Online, until all the self important, hate-filled little shits that think the whole world revolves around them died choking on thier own bile.
There were quite a few comments by smart, funny, reasonable people. Those comments were marveled upon and appreciated by all in the staff. I know I thought about making personal replies to quite a few, thanking them for simply being a nice person. There were also many smart and cool tips sent in, which were posted as actual news whenever possible.
I think it is understood that it is for them, the people that enjoy the game and have a sense of fun and adventure, and only them, that most of us write.
I know that I have never written a single word for anyone so self-absorbed as to think that I will cater to the DEMANDS of some little shit bitching about what my topic of the day is, someone demanding that I do what they say, when they say, in the manner they say that I am allowed to.
Newsflash. I didn’t think it was necessary. I thought everyone was in on the secret. But CLEARLY, that isn’t the case.
Hello. You, the little shit writing in a feverish sweat about how stupid, how moronic, how bereft of original thought the writers of WoW Insider are? The one telling us you wish we would all die screaming in a fire for ruining your entire life because we posted about Hello Kitty today? The one absolutely dead serious about it? The one wiring up the electrodes to the chair right now because the server is still down and we aren’t talking about your addiction this very second to distract you from needing your fix?
The one that hates me for writing a tongue in cheek article about Hello Kitty Online?
FUCK YOU.
It’s a game. It. Is. A. GAME.
I pray I lose you as a reader. I really do. This place ain’t for your kind. Go get yourself a sense of humor, a sense of perspective about life, and pull your head out of your ass.
Anyone that would seriously wish someone else to die or to suffer grievous bodily harm because they didn’t give in to your childish demands is not welcome here.
And for those of you that are not that kind of person, but are offended by the language I have used, to you I do apologise. I am sorry. I prefer not to write in that type of vulgarity, and I do not think that swearing makes me seem either tough or smart.
But I hope that by being this blunt, you few asshats that may have come here from WoW Insider will take this to heart. I do not want your hate here. Fuck off.
/cheer!
Way to tell em B3 ;) I thought it was funny, although *mark as read* was used for WI by the end of the day… it’s not that difficult though eh!
People suck. These must be the same people who start screaming at each other on the trade channel rather than learn how to use /ignore.
No chance you could use that on the email? You actually have to read that crap?
Bear –
Profanity is most effective when it is seldom used, and as you do try to express your anger/frustration using other words, today it comes across that you are at the end of your proverbial rope – simply because sometimes there’s just no other way to say it and have it hit with the same sized bat. I’m sorry you had to deal with that kind of immaturity today, and I think, were I in your situation, I’d have probably either exploded or lashed out.
So props to you for keeping your sanity. And hey – this is your little corner of the world, where else would you come to blow off steam?
Absolutely 100% agree with you, sir. I feel the most sad about the fact that people like that affect you so–which, I understand, is very difficult to do. I just want you to say that, even thought it doesn’t seem like it, those vocal morons are the great majority. There are thousands upon thousands of people, like myself, who had a good time, even if they didn’t comment at all.
Kudos to you, and for putting up with people. They tend to suck.
I mean, seriously, what were they expecting? It’s like going up to a “real” bear, poking it in the eye, and expecting it to dance instead of rip their face off.
Roar, Bear. Roar.
Honestly, those kind of jerks are what give the sane members of the community a bad name. Not just in regards to WoW, but in regards to gaming in general. They’re the ones that people need to worry about, because if they’re getting this upset over a joke, then you have to wonder how bad they’ll get when they’re confronted with something serious, if not outside of WoW.
Overall, don’t let them force you to quit. It isn’t like you have to deal with them all the time, and they won’t ruin the fun you have with the game and your friends. In the end, its your time and effort, and if they feel like you owe them such things, then they can fuck off. They don’t pay you for anything, and I seriously doubt that you would let them pay you to do anything as well.
Talk about extreme reactions…
Meh. The Hello Kitty thing was kind of funny for 1 post. After that it was tedious. But it’s what I expect from April Fools, the most useless tradition in the world. It wasn’t as bad as one of the Amanda’s basically saying all druids suck because they don’t like their primary healing tool being destroyed. It certainly didn’t annoy me as much as that stupid lol script on the WoW forums. People who get so unbalanced as to hate over something that doesn’t cause them actual harm…well, that’s what happens when you allow children on the internet.:P
I dressed my elder daughter with a Hello Kitty T-Shirt this morning. Way before checking HKOInsider.
That being said, I snickered at first but I felt like when the same person keeps getting targetted by the same prank throughout the whole day. Funny at first, and after a while, it grows old. The layout and 1-2 posts would probably have been enough for my taste. But it’s just that, taste.
BBB,
Thanks for doing what you do. Sorry that you had to put up with that kind of stuff.
Thank goodness you can come to where you know you are appreciated!!!
BBB, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I saw some of the comments and was amazed. Don’t kids go to school anymore?
Anyways, I almost have more respect for WoWI now that they did this. Yes, it was funny at first and then just got downright annoying, but I just skipped those posts and went on with life. It’s a joke, and the people who can’t handle a joke are the same ones in trade making endless chuck norris and murloc jokes for hours on end.
While I might not agree with everything that WoWI posts or the way they write things, I think this shows they have a sense of humor. But, damn, that much work for a joke for one day? LOL. On the other hand, Blizz’s jokes were funny and I can’t imagine the time they put into those either!
Keep up the good work!
I’ve wanted to read that rant for a long time… there’s a lot of immature twits out there who take themselves far too seriously.
I just wanted to say that I agree with you. This post made me come out of my RSS reader and de-lurk to thank you. Keep up the good work!
Frankly, I didn’t find it that funny. But I’m not one to bitch and moan about an April Fool’s joke, the whole damn day is stupid, that’s the intent. “Having a sense of humor” doesn’t mean that you get the joke and think it’s funny, it’s ignoring the bad ones.
Here, a short rundown of the crap I found today:
* A mac “virus” that uses the accelerometers in the laptops to make desktop icons “fall”. I liked it cause it was creative and, well, I don’t like mac users much (mind you, every other programmer I work with right now is a macie).
* Molten core console, well you have to admit it’s so stupid it’s funny
* Bard/Guitar hero, I’m jaded here… my roomie’s insane bitch girlfriend plays this game nonstop. While I enjoy it when I do play it, she plays it more than we play WoW.
* Forum bears… loved it, but only because I have an unhealthy attraction to those of the ursine persuasion. Forum icon changes aren’t a new joke otherwise.
* Gmail custom time… small chuckle, but google’s done better, felt like a 2-minute throw-together joke.
* Virgle… Virgin and Google merge? Mars? This makes even less sense than Monty Python…
* Googletalk energy conservation. Funny because I hate “internet speak” so very much, and the nerds actually broke down the environmental “cost” per byte to send text.
* Trillian for dogs… someone was smoking some good shit, no sane person could think of something this un-funny
* and of course… the whole hello kitty insider thing. I guess I didn’t really find it funny because it felt like they just stole it from the South Park WoW episode. It was already a stale joke, and just came across as unoriginal I guess.
But now, I am only stating my opinions here because you did, Mr. Bear Ass. I’ve learned from my time online to just ignore the retarded children that bitch about everything. There’s a reason that I only visit the official forums to get the latest API changes for my addons… the rest of that place… ye gods. If these people bothered you that much, I think you need to take some time and learn to tune them out. Or, better yet, blow whoever you need to at WI to get ban powers and have some fun. you’ll certainly feel better.
Or, if you can’t get ban powers, at least tape over the laser hole on your roomie’s mouse.
I don’t look at WoW Insider much anymore–can’t get there from work, and the RSS feed is useless unless you can go directly to the site. However, I certainly empathize with you, BBB — I’ve been in exactly the same position.
Your rant was excellent, and on point.
Throughout today, after experiencing the many comical flavors of a number of sites, I found myself scratching my head in wonder. When did April Fool’s day lose it’s emphasis on trickery and deception? Most of the “pranks” I became familiar with were nothing more than a gimmick, and while some were funny and enjoyable, they seemed to lack the intent to create “fools” out of anyone. Imho, the day was somewhat disappointing.
That said, such disappointment over trivial matters is nothing to get overly passionate about. The whole day’s events were really no big deal and definitely not anything to fuss over in the way that they were. And I don’t think that reasoning only applies to those who gave you a hard time, Big, but is also applicable to you and your reaction to the haters. Why even give them the satisfaction of obtaining a portion of your valuable time?
We’re not lucky enough to have a “/ignore” function IRL, but imho, that’s exactly what should be done here. Being able to do so says more about you and your character than any of these haters ever could. And that, my big-butt-buddy, is totally ftw.
I hope 4/2 goes better for ya. ;)
I realized something today. I knew it was April’s fools. but when a guildie asked “Are they really making a Bard class?” I realized that not everyone in the world recognizes the holiday. This particular guildie is not from the US and was confused. With a quick enlightenment and all was better.
I love the holiday and it is always great fun. As the WoW players become more international I can see more and more individuals just not understanding the tradition.
But as for all those that should know better… people are stupid.
I thought HKO was quite funny… even mentioned it to a guildy as an alternative for WoW as he said he grew a bit tired of it, at least had a smile on his face for a short second.
Sure i didn’t expect it to go on all day and i didn’t bother to read any HKO article beyond the first but that’s my choice (eugh.. the pinkness), if people want to read and write the stuff… good for them.
Seems you’re getting better at ranting btw, could always rename the blog to BRB :P
Lotta funny jokes today
World of Warcraft MC Video game
Hero Class: Bard
WOWInsider -> Hello Kitty Online Insider
WoWhead -> Thottbot?
Legend of Zelda Movie
Highroller Addon(This one was hilarious. xD)
April Fools, full of laughs. People who thought that was real should’ve waited a day, found out it was April fools, and slapped themselves in the face for not realizing the joke.
Well said.
Some people seem to think that WoWi and other bloggers somehow owe them something because they read the site. I think you’ve made it abundantly clear that that is not the case, and hopefully some of them will realise the error of their ways. More likely though, the people this was aimed at will never read it or will somehow think it was not THEM you were talking about, but the OTHER people who said such things.
For what it’s worth, reading your column and blog has made me want to roll my first Druid…
I hereby demand, I’ll hold my breath if I have to, that you… continue what you’re doing. The fact that I enjoy that vast majority of what you have to say is beside the point. So long as you enjoy it, to hell with anyone who feels otherwise.
I don’t read WoW Insider much, and I actually found out about the HKO Insider by reading your blog. The joke got a chuckle, then I moved on. The poor poor souls who can’t say, it’s amusing, even if I don’t find it funny. Well, they’re poor poor souls. We should pity or ignore them. I prefer ignoring them.
Keep up the good work so long as you enjoy doing the good work. Otherwise, I hear they’re doing an online game about Hello Kitty. ;)
./cuddle ;)
I laughed at the initial article, made a bit of my day, no matter what the other sillies might have said…
Cheers!
I saw some of the posts on WoWI chuckled, told a few wow friends and moved on. I admit that everybody’s work was a bit lost on me I just marked a lot of posts as read (but I often do that anyway, too many blogs in the reader). I do however marvel at the amount of work people and even companies invest in April Fool’s jokes to provide those who enjoy them with a day of fun and I admire the creativity that is behind most every April Fool’s joke.
I cannot quite believe that people get really worked up about it and start flaming about something like “Hello Kitty Insider”. Makes me a bit sad.
Have a nice day and write more :)
Bye
Yashima
Well there you go. There are the few who have no sense of humor or common sense. As with most things on the internet you have to just ignore the asshats and there are many.
Look at the bright side you do have something to post on those writers block days you feel you have to post something.
Many of us enjoy what you do. Keep it up.
B3, you have to understand…with so many people playing this game, you get every single kind of person out there. There are probably 2 or 3 6′5″ 250 lb red-haired Chinese guys with freckles playing WoW in America and reading the Insider. The term “silent majority” seems appropriate.
But this doesn’t mean I don’t understand your frustration.
I agree with you bbb. I just hope that you keep up the postings for all of us that DO like what you post, even if its about HKO :)
-steve
Dammit I loled. Sorry, I know you probably want your rants to be taken seriously (and I do take them seriously), but the way you put it so bluntly and didn’t try to sugar coat it just got me. Bravo to you sir, you are truly a man among boys.
I didn’t think it was too funny, checkled the first time I saw it, but then I just stopped reading for the day. For people to get their panties in a bunch over it was actually funnier than the joke itself.
My favorite joke yesterday, though, was Youtube rickrolling everyone :-) priceless.
Right when I hit the submit button I saw I misspelled chuckled >.<
Heh, i love rants. :D
Good job for saying what other felt like saying.
i was ok with it once or twice.. i mean, i do typically enjoy the different ways the internet reacts to april fools.
but blogs are like emails when you subscribe to them via an RSS feed, and as the posts continued to roll in they just felt more and more like spam… unsolicited posts about a topic completely uninteresting to me. unfortunately all of the HKO rubbish came through on a patch tuesday, and those people who were actually interested in that, or their normal discussions were upset that they had to wade through the junk on a usually dependable source of content to find the real news.
that being said, nobody had the right to make threats to you or any of the wowinsider staff. but in an apt quote of the day (emphasis mine):
“All I have to say to Alyse is, “you go girl!” She’s really smart for deleting the last email and I’m really proud of her for __not sinking to the cursing level__. How would you respond to someone sending you rude messages in Hello Kitty Online?”
It was all a joke?! :( hehe I was all geeked to give it a try! :)
BBB, thank you, man. For all your words and advice and insights. I’m always telling my real buds in my guild about stuff you posted and linking ‘em to your blogs.
I’ll send ya a case of Asshat Repellant!
At times like yesterday, it must seem awfully thankless. I just want to give you a big “thanks!” for all your work here and at WowInsider. You’re blog and column are regular reads for me.
Nice job, BBB. As usual.
I swear my belief in humanity as a whole can be shaken by the Trade Chat alone. The greatest thing I have discovered in this game is that I can turn off channels. Forget /ignore… my list was too long. I am never again bothered by murlocs, chuck norris, links to legendary weapons etc. Peace. Blissful, quiet, peace… ahh….
Amen BBB. I personally found the whole thing lame but there’s no need to be a hater. Unfortunately as people have commented, the size of the player base means a large number of asshats, just like in real life.