MMORPG.com World of Warcraft Correspondent Deborah Diterich sounds off on Blizzard for the events in this year's incarnation of the popular event, "Children's Week", that sees players rewarded for being unusually mean and cruel to their young charges.

What has happened to Children’s Week? This used to be one of the most heartwarming events in Azeroth. To quote Blizzard: “ Children’s Week is celebrated by both the Horde and the Alliance…. At the beginning of May and lasting for a week, it is a time for the heroes of both sides to give back to the innocents of war…The orphans!

How that has changed. With the initiation of the achievement system, Children’s Week has metamorphosed into Traumatize an Orphan Week. Rather than giving back to “the innocents of war,” players are required to behave in a manner likely to traumatize their orphans. They are directed to take children already wounded by the tragic loss of their family and expose them to the mayhem of battle. Having lost their parents to the horrors of war, players are now required to take these fragile children into active battlegrounds where they are certain to see both friend and foe slaughtered in front of their eyes. What is Blizzard thinking? I guess this puts the final nail in the coffin that there is any support for roleplaying in this game.

Read (Traumatize) Children's Week

wow thats kinda creepy. y would anyone wanna scar a innocent child? even if its not real???

Oh joy, another set of achievements that require not just PvP, but require you to play like a moron.

Sigh.

These orphans will have many challenges as they grow up into adulthood.  For this reason, they must learn a trade.  Killing is a trade.

Personally, I think it would be more fun to reunite an orphan with their family or something.  Or tame a pet for them. 

Weird. I know they try and do something a little different with each holiday event, but this feels a bit misjudged.

I'm on a RP server and I loath PVP. I love Children's week and would love to have the title that goes with that achievements. Obviously that's not gonna happen. One I'm a Holy Priest no one is gonna let me take the flag back... two I'm the type of PVPer that gets all nervous and fumbly with my hot keys.

I agree we should be taking our orphans on fun trip through out the World, reuniting them with lost loved ones anything but this crap!

WTG Blizz!

Guys suprised no one has noticed this.  Its an April Fools Day Joke I gurantee it from Blizzard like they do every year.

 Too wrong.

Besides this being horrific (no idea what kind of developer comes up with this) it also makes me wonder (and it's happened before) if Blizzard even has a PR department.

"Hey crazy developer guys, i don't care if this is a good idea or not but I don't want the commotion it will cause. Take it back to toys and ice cream."

BAH.

Originally posted by wayubb

Guys suprised no one has noticed this.  Its an April Fools Day Joke I gurantee it from Blizzard like they do every year.

I thought of that too but it's a little early for their usua joke isn't it?

Would fit though.

Nah they do this all the time they run it and release their what suppose to be r eal change or addition a coule weeks ahead of time and watch people speculate etc then announce on on  April 1st that it was a April fools joke.  they started the one with the two headed ogre we  could play with another player about this time as well years back.

Has nothing to do with april 1, These have been the acheivments for childrens week since achievements were introduced in october of last year. I know cause I went thru them all to see what i was gonna have to do to get the meta world event achievement.

Not that they won't change them right before the event, they probably will, and they also better, cause like other posters, there is no way I can accomplish some of the PvP stuff as a mage

Traumatize children is nothing new in WoW the most frieghtning thing to date for me are the CHILDREN OF GOLDSHIRE google it and you will see what I mean. Or here is a couple of links if you like:

http://www.wowinsider.com/2006/06/08/the-haunting-of-goldshire/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrToVaNtp0U

Child of the CORN is more like it. Even if this becomes a april fools joke or not. The real question is it OK to use CHILDREN orphan or not to promot a in game event?

Oh whine whine whine.  "Dont hurt the pixel childrens! It r make me cry!"

Please take a step away from the computer, you obviously take your fantasy worlds just a bit too seriously.

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Oh whine whine whine.  "Dont hurt the pixel childrens! It r make me cry!"

 

Please take a step away from the computer, you obviously take your fantasy worlds just a bit too seriously.

Congratulations! You have just identified yourself as part of the problem.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Oh whine whine whine.  "Dont hurt the pixel childrens! It r make me cry!"

 

Please take a step away from the computer, you obviously take your fantasy worlds just a bit too seriously.

 

Congratulations! You have just identified yourself as part of the problem.

If there were in fact, "A problem", I would be more than happy to be a part of it.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Oh whine whine whine.  "Dont hurt the pixel childrens! It r make me cry!"

 

Please take a step away from the computer, you obviously take your fantasy worlds just a bit too seriously.

 

Congratulations! You have just identified yourself as part of the problem.

Luckily for us, I happen to have a solution for that problem.   There will be blood, lots of it.

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Oh whine whine whine.  "Dont hurt the pixel childrens! It r make me cry!"

 

Please take a step away from the computer, you obviously take your fantasy worlds just a bit too seriously.

 

Congratulations! You have just identified yourself as part of the problem.

 

If there were in fact, "A problem", I would be more than happy to be a part of it.

just because its not real doesnt mean it cant do harm

You know, a part of me wants to say, "Lighten up.  It's only a game."  But the author really does have a point.  Those achievements do fly completely in the face of the spirit of the event.  That's bad enough.  But the fact that they blatantly exclude the RP community is a real misstep for Blizzard.  Some people love RP.  Most love to laugh at RP'ers.  But Blizzard is nuts to make a move that antagonizes that portion of the community. 

There are whole servers dedicated to RP.  And now the simple truth is that anyone on those servers who gets the world events meta achievement -- one of the most prestigious achievements in the game since it requires a minimum of one year of dedicated effort -- will in effect be advertising that they're doing the opposite of what the server was meant for.  That's pretty sad.

(And for the record, I play on a regular PvP server.)

Originally posted by xbellx777

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Oh whine whine whine.  "Dont hurt the pixel childrens! It r make me cry!"

 

Please take a step away from the computer, you obviously take your fantasy worlds just a bit too seriously.

 

Congratulations! You have just identified yourself as part of the problem.

 

If there were in fact, "A problem", I would be more than happy to be a part of it.

just because its not real doesnt mean it cant do harm

Only to those that are delusional and lack a firm grip on reality.  Games don't hurt people, morons and bad parenting does.

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Originally posted by xbellx777

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Originally posted by LordDraekon

Originally posted by gnlLucid

Oh whine whine whine.  "Dont hurt the pixel childrens! It r make me cry!"

 

Please take a step away from the computer, you obviously take your fantasy worlds just a bit too seriously.

 

Congratulations! You have just identified yourself as part of the problem.

 

If there were in fact, "A problem", I would be more than happy to be a part of it.

just because its not real doesnt mean it cant do harm

 

Only to those that are delusional and lack a firm grip on reality.  Games don't hurt people, morons and bad parenting does.

im not disagreeing with you at all. but there are those out there who need to be watched and  not be allowed to play violent games because they believe its real or the right thing to do or whatever