- Asmongold has been slammed by the WoW fanbase and Activision Blizzard for “ruining the community”
- The company and many of its fervent supporters aren’t quite happy with his critique
- The streamer has always been open with his opinions and voicing his concerns
Asmongold has found a lot of enemies on Twitch and even among Blizzard employees but is the hate towards him deserved?
Asmongold: WoW Community’s New Enemy?
Zack “Asmongold” is one of the most influential World of Warcraft streamers. Like many who have been online for a while, over the years his persona has become the subject of numerous controversies. Many adore him for how earnest he is but others feel begrudged by his opinions.
A majority of Asmongold’s enemies are World of Warcraft community members and streamers who don’t quite like his openness when it comes to the game and the company behind it. Asmongold isn’t one to cut corners when it comes to expressing his opinions and has always shared his true feelings and he’s criticized both WoW and Activision Blizzard on various occasions.
Recently Asmongold started playing Final Fantasy XIV which annoyed some of his most fervent WoW fans. Asmongold has stated that he isn’t leaving the Warcraft universe for good but merely exploring other titles. Yet many WoW fans would have none of it. Then the streamer went on one of his long hiatuses which also disgruntled some people.
With time, even Blizzard’s employees came to feel antagonism towards Asmongold. Some of them even supported community members who shun him and brand him as a “toxic” figurehead. Some went as far as accusing him of ruining the community.
Despite being on a gaming hiatus, Asmongold is still voicing his opinions on hot topics in the gaming realm. The content creator recently spoke about the recent Activision Blizzard controversy where the company is getting sued by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. This has become a quite serious industry issue as it served to show that even an AAA studio can have bad work conditions. However, there are some who don’t want to admit this being the case. For them, Asmongold’s opinions feel like a bitter betrayal.
Refusal to Face WoW’s Issues
Dexerto author Lauren Bergin noted that the most probable reason why people are now banding up against Asmongold a great majority of Warcraft players refuse to acknowledge that WoW has been having numerous issues and has been losing steam over the years. Activision Blizzard has seen this and has been benefitting from those supporters by rallying them up against Asmongold who’s become something of a scapegoat.
That is a pretty bad approach as over the years Asmongold has shown that he loves the game and that his criticism isn’t born out of spite but rather out of his want for the game to progress and become the best version of itself.
Criticism is how something – be it a person or a piece of media – grows. That’s why many games have early stages where they let people try out the content before it goes live – so that everything that doesn’t work properly can be reported and eventually fixed. Feedback, especially one coming from an esteemed community member such as Asmongold, isn’t something bad, neither something to shun, but rather something to take into consideration.
On the other hand, it’s somewhat understandable that probably Activision Blizzard currently feels desperate because of the lawsuit, the leaving sponsors and all the issues around that whole scandal. Yet, the company should realize that this is the perfect time to hear the various voices of its community – not only those that affirm the company but those that have suggestions and critiques as well.
Asmongold’s critique may sometimes sound harsh but it is usually based on reality. As a person who has spent a lot more time on World of Warcraft than the average player, the streamer knows its strengths and weaknesses well and doesn’t simply say things out of grudge. Asmongold honestly loves the game and that has become quite clear as he’s still playing it despite citing its flaws.
