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Azeroth’s WoW Community Council is meant to improve relationships between devs and players
Blizzard announced yesterday that it will be forming a new player organization called the WoW Community Council. It’s aiming to help the MMORPG’s developers get more detailed feedback on all aspects of the game, from players of different backgrounds and playstyles. The move comes as the game has faced a mountain of criticism amid recent design decisions and revelations of abusive behavior by some associated with the game.
“This program will add another venue for communication between players and WoW developers,” the game’s community team wrote on its website. “These may take the form of live chats between Council members and WoW devs.”
Players who want to join the council will send in an application, sharing their areas of interest and expertise. After they’re selected, they’ll be added to a new forum that’s visible to the public, but where only WoW developers and council members will be able to post. The council will also facilitate private conversations between members and developers to “encourage direct interaction between members.” One year into the program, Blizzard says it will open applications back up to install new members from the community on the council.
Eve Online has a similar system called the Council of Stellar Management, where the only big difference is that members are elected by the player-base instead of chosen by the developers. “If the people who are selected are knowledgeable, and are able to articulate their points with clarity and the devs actually listen, it can go very well,” wrote Reddit user SGC-Alf in a recent post about the news. “In Eve, we’ve seen any number of changes over the years that have been the result of CSM discussions and suggestions.”
Read the full article on Kotaku
